Old Knee

[shankldu]

I have been riding some form of bicycle for 20 yrs ,and starting to have hip and knee pain,glucosamine seems to help, but is anyone experiencing this do your joints simply wear out.

[Dave]

I was diagnosed with severe deterioration of the left knee joint, last year, at age 57. Osteoarthritis will destroy the cartilage in your knees, even without bike riding, but riding 3-6,000 miles a year for 25 years probably accelerates the process.

I started taking glucosimine chondroitin over 10 years ago. It might have helped, but there's no way to know.

This year my right knee start to get stiff and swell, so now I'm getting expensive synvisc injections in both knees, every 4-6 months. When the interval between injections gets down to about 3 months, it's time for a knee joint replacement.

[shankldu]

thanks i guess i should quit crying, i have had acl because of a basketball injury . Maybe ill take up golf .

[biker72]

There have been a couple of hip related threads recently. Might try a search.

I'm almost 73 and have been cycling about 25 years. My knees seem to be bulletproof. I do have a hip/lower back problem but I think is related to a surgery I had back in 2007.

[Louis]

You could try tweaking your saddle height. In the last year or so I've played around a bit with mine (only a few mm at a time) and it has helped quite a bit. The first step is to get an opinion from as expert a fitter as you can find (and in your case, not the guy all the racer-boys use, you want the guy who also does older guys like us).

[Bob Loblaw]

I have been riding some form of bicycle for 20 yrs ,and starting to have hip and knee pain,glucosamine seems to help, but is anyone experiencing this do your joints simply wear out.

I don't believe cycling wears out your joints. I've been riding for 18 years. My hips and knees are not great, but cycling doesn't bother them. In fact, cycling is often recommended as therapy for people with joint problems.

I agree with those who've suggested a fitting. Your position evolves over time, and it's definitely something to revisit.

One thing that has helped me too is aggressive weight training. Heavy weights, compound movements like squats and leg press strengthen muscles, bones, and connective tissues. It may even help the power output, and it's definitely a good way to switch up the training and keep from getting bored.

For the love of god, don't take up golf! :beer:

BL

[Fixed]

i have been riding and racing for 40 years my joints are fine it is the rest of me that is the problem .
cheers