New knees old legs

[mnoble485]

As posted earlier I had bilateral total knee repalcement done mid August. The result was new knees and straighter legs. this resulted in my knees hitting the top tube, my calfs hitting the water bottle and my ankles whacking the crank arms. I went to my local guy and we moved my cleats out as far as possible (Dura ace) and this has helped except for the ankles. His suggestion was to go to Speedplay as they allow for more adjustment in the spindle.

I feel like I am pedaling squares and nothing really "feels" right. Is this a normal rehab thing? Any thoughts on re-building form and stamina? I was never fast to begin with but now I feel like I should trade in my CDA for a 'bent.

Nuff ranting.

Mike :crap:

[Dave]

I have no experience with your situation, but I will have in the future. My left knee is shot. I'm taking synvisc injections and using a medial unloading leg brace to get by until I'm a little older (only 57 now).

Don't overlook the possibility of needing Lemond wedges to correct some of your alignment issues.

What you didn't mention is if you had any of these problems before the knee replacement. I've followed riders with some very strange foot and knee movement. The most common problem I see is one or both knees flaring way out to the side, rather than inward, but I've seen the inward knee motion too. I've also seen many cases of wobbly heels, moving back and forth on each stroke.

I only discovered that I needed a wedge on my left cleat when I switched to speedplay X-2, full floating pedals. The cleat spring on the left side wore a groove in the pedal spindle, indicating that I had the less common problem of forefoot valgus. The wedge fixed that problem, but I never had any unusual knee movement due to the misalignment.

http://www.cambriabike.com/shopexd.asp?Item=051000001100

[mnoble485]

I am using the Specialized inserts in my shoes. Have been for over a year. It seems as though the operation brought my feet,knee,hip joints into a straight line. Part of the problem is muscle atrophy. I had no idea it could happen so quickly. I am worn out after 25 miles of not too strenuous riding.

Any thoughts on spinning vs. pushing a big gear to get back in shape?

Mike

[John H.]

It may be that you would do better with wider pedal axles. You can also get a wider pedal aaxle for Look Keo2max if you know where to look.
However, I would get the opinion of a good bike fitter, get insoles (stock or custom)- you need to support the arch before you can even decide what cleat, pedal, position changes might be needed.

[Dekonick]

A trip to see Don at D2 shoes in Vail sounds like a good idea. With issues like you are describing, you might also be able to get your MD to write a scrip for custom shoes... at least that way they would be tax free...

I know it is an expensive option, but one worth considering.

[Ken Robb]

It might be a good idea to try riding in regular shoes on flat pedals with teeth for a while. Your feet wouldn't be locked into one position and could move around to find what feels best. Then you could see about replicating that position with clipless pedals and cleats. Heck, you might even decide to stick with the flat pedals. MKS Touring Pedals and Lambdas feel good under topsiders or tennies. Just don't use shoes with big lugs on the soles because they will lock you into one or two positions on the pedals.

I think riding like this will let you know what's going to work in the long-run much quicker than trying various locked-in pedal systems and set-ups.

[Fixed]

It might be a good idea to try riding in regular shoes on flat pedals with teeth for a while. Your feet wouldn't be locked into one position and could move around to find what feels best. Then you could see about replicating that position with clipless pedals and cleats. Heck, you might even decide to stick with the flat pedals. MKS Touring Pedals and Lambdas feel good under topsiders or tennies. Just don't use shoes with big lugs on the soles because they will lock you into one or two positions on the pedals.

I think riding like this will let you know what's going to work in the long-run much quicker than trying various locked-in pedal systems and set-ups.
+1
maybe check with an ortho doc that rides a bike i know one steve raterman in tampa
cheers http://www.ucomparehealthcare.com/drs/stephen_raterman/

[Hank Scorpio]

I needed a wider Q factor than my Look KEO's would allow so I was in the same position you are. I didn't try the Speedplays because I dont like their free floating feeling. The new Mavic line of pedals have the widest Q factor without adding pedal washers. The threaded portion of the spindle is ample enough to allow the addition of a single washer if you need. The second widest Q I could find were the Time pedals with the cleats reversed which gets you an extra 2.5 mm wider.

I got the Race Ti sl which are really nice pedals and the have a metal body that I prefer over the carbon Looks I had before. The bearings have loosened up nicely and the are just as easy as the Looks to clip in and out of. The only drawback I can see so far is that the cleats aren't as readily available as the Looks so you may find it smart to keep a keen eye on them and have an extra pair ready in the spares box.


Hope this helps.

As an aside I am surprised that the Dr did bilat surgery at the same time but I am sure your condition warranted it.

James

[mnoble485]

Not so unusual. Both knees were in constant pain and needed replacing. One surgery, one stay in the hospital and one recovery. The rehab is harder for two but better than doing it twice. The surgeon and I talked about both ways and he felt like I was a good candidate for bilateral given my physical condition, weight and willingness to go through the initial discomfort.

I have to admit the first 6 weeks were tough. My goal now is to get my legs back to pre-surgery status. I still have some discomfort but it is less than pre op.

Mike

[AngryScientist]

i'm no expert, but it would seem that "relearning" how to pedal would be pretty normal. i would guess your body was compensating for the bad knee for a good while, using the "wrong" muscles to avoid the knee pain/discomfort, now that you have new knee hardware, you'll have to retrain your body to recognize that fact.

i'd guess what you need is a ton more saddle time to work out the kinks and retrain the muscles to work together with the new hardware.

maybe do some work inside on a trainer where you can really concentrate on improving your pedal stroke without worrying about anything else, like traffic.