CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Debate!

Niggles

(10 posts)
  • Started 13 years ago by ruggtomcat
  • Latest reply from ruggtomcat
  • poll: Do you get niggles?
    often : (2 votes)
    22 %
    sometimes : (3 votes)
    33 %
    rarely : (3 votes)
    33 %
    never : (1 votes)
    11 %

    9 votes


  1. ruggtomcat
    Member

    How much attention do you pay them? BY niggles I mean the sort of soreness that goes away within half an hour or riding but comes back on when you are stopped and havent moved your legs for a while. Nothing that would make you limp and often fickle, for example yesterday my left knee was complaining befor the ride and after a steep climb it was fine and my left knee was now grumbling.

    Is it right to think that its just minor stress and its fine to ride through it or should I be being more careful? At the moment Im using the squat as a test, if its sore standing from squatting then i tend to take it easy.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  2. Smudge
    Member

    I'm very cautious of them unless I know the exact cause/effect.
    To explain, a few* years ago I worked as a cycle courier for a little while, and I got knee niggles, so I ignored them and they got progressively worse until one day I realised that although I felt ok on the bike, I was struggling to walk up and down stairs(!) saw the doc then the specialist and discovered poor pedalling technique was building the muscles on the outside of my thighs but not the inside (quite common, watch other cyclists and you'll often see a knee out style on big power strokes) resulting in the kneecap being drawn across to the outside, which caused it to sometimes interfere with the joint which led to the anterior knee pain and a build up on the back of my kneecaps, nowadays if I twist my knees the wrong way at all (very easy to do) I get the swelling returning and add to the damage :-/ thus I have to be very careful. (and obsessive about my pedalling technique lol).
    On the other hand I smashed my right wrist as a kid and now it staves easily, it's giving me hell just now (thanks Edinburgh potholes!) but I am confident it's not adding to the damage so I largely just ignore it...

    Knees are delicate though, if there is any doubt at all I'd seek the advice of a doctor/specialist personally.

    *=too many to admit! :-o

    Posted 13 years ago #

  3. Min
    Member

    Yeah I had a niggle that I ignored a couple of years ago until one day my left leg suddenly seized up completely and it took three months of physio before I could do anything again.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  4. wingpig
    Member

    I'm always wary of my left knee (clicks or creaks on stairs due to, of all things, a twist (resulting in massive swelling and which was probably more serious than my parents allowed it to be) when being forced to play football at primary school) which is why I cycle rather than run (seeing as I've walked more than enough to put me in danger of having no cartilage left when I hit codgerdom); cycling has so far never resulted in anything that's made me wary of continuing. I developed two niggles from sitting in cars, one in my left knee driving back from Ayr and one in my left hip driving down to Lincolnshire, both in my wife's previous car in which there was insufficient space to adjust position very much and which wasn't good for long periods of holding the left foot in the air.

    I'm going to have to find a clear bit of path and try and watch my knees now to see if they go outwards when accelerating. Knee-wariness is one of the things which makes me wary of clips and cleats, where the knee gets pulled rather than just pushed; it's a long time since we dangled from our toes in trees and our knees have adapted in the meantime. Whenever I've tried toe-clips I've felt immediate knee-pain from my toes being forced too close together, whereas using flats/platforms allows foot-tweaking for optimal comfort.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  5. Cyclingmollie
    Member

    Yes, left knee. Quite a problem if I'm not really careful. Like you say smudge if you get pedalling technique wrong it can cause problems. Counter-intuitively, if I over "favour" my left knee I can have problems on longer rides as I end up with an imbalance. So I just have to manage it wearing longs in cooler weather and using lower gears. It's a complex subject.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  6. chdot
    Admin

    I've never done the sort of miles that some people do - or raced.

    I have used clips but not really suitable for round town (if done up tight) and avoided clip-ins because early ones were 'blamed' for knee problems.

    It's a reason (for me) to avoid fixed/ss.

    There was a man lived along the road from me - lifetime cyclist (sports car too). He did a 100 mile time trial shortly after his 70th birthday.

    Last few years of his life he used two sticks.

    Not saying cause and effect - and I'm quite sure he didn't wish he hadn't cycled!

    It's all about balance.

    Good that there are people on here 'able' to ask for advice and people with valuable experience offering it (not just on this topic).

    Posted 13 years ago #

  7. Smudge
    Member

    Personally I like clip ins (SPD for me) as they encourage me to use all my leg muscles not just the pushing ones (and I go up hills easier/faster ;-) )
    YMMV

    Posted 13 years ago #

  8. ruggtomcat
    Member

    nice link, thanks mollie

    Posted 13 years ago #

  9. chdot
    Admin

    From ebay -

    "it has hardly been used and its quality bike it has served me well. i don't ride anymore due to a knee injury. but i'm sure this bike will put a smile on your face."

    Posted 13 years ago #

  10. ruggtomcat
    Member

    The thing I'm trying to describe is more transient than a reoccurring pain. just different bits of your legs speaking to you at different times. Letting you know how they are.

    I remeber a period like this last time i went from flat to cleats. I found the right place and got on with it..

    Posted 13 years ago #

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