does bicycling aggravate runner's knee, patellar tendinitis and the like?

Question

Have a bout with runner's knee, I think. That or tendinitis. Either way, I want to keep up with my aerobic activities and continue cycling. Will cycling aggravate the injury? I ask this because the slight rubbing sound when I bend the knee sounds like something is grinding. I don't want to ground down what is in there by repetative motion.

Answer 1

Cycling is actually quite good for your knees. You are not weight bearing and your knees are not having to absorb the shock of the pounding that they get when running. Cycling will also strengthen your quadriceps muscle group which will help stabilize the knee joint.

However you still have to use common sense. If cycling is painful for your knee then you should stop and rest. You can overdo anything but in general cycling is a good way to get aerobic exercise without as much stress on your joints.

If you are getting rubbing or grinding in your knee you might have a torn piece of cartilage floating around in there. Its not serious unless it causes the knee to 'lock up' or if its rubbing on something causing a lot of pain. It can be fixed by arthroscopic surgery which is a relatively cheap and safe procedure which you will recover from quickly.

Answer 2

I have horrible knees too and so bad to the point where it's not good for me to run. The best thing is to strengthen your quadriceps and your hamstrings. There's not much more you can do once you've gotten tendonitis except ice, heat, compression (bandage or knee brace), and pain relievers. Hope that you're feeling better soon!