Are you wondering what to do if your knees are painful from riding your Peloton Bike? Do you want to find out why some people get knee pain when riding? Are you interested in learning how to prevent knee pain when riding your Peloton?
Getting knee pain when riding a Peloton Bike is commonly caused by issues with the bike’s setup. If you have pain at the front of your knees, moving the saddle up and back can often be the solution and prevent compression of your knee joints. If you have pain in the back of your knees, moving your saddle down and forward can help prevent strain on your back muscles. Adjusting the cleats can also help with inner and outer knee pain.
Read on to learn more about what to do if you experience knee pain when riding your Peloton Bike.
What types of knee pain could I get from riding my Peloton Bike?
Pain in your knee can mean tightness or damage to multiple different muscles in your leg.
You are identifying which type of knee pain you have will help you work out how to fix the problem causing the pain.
Anterior knee pains refer to pains you experience at the front of your knee, and this type of pain has a different solution to posterior knee pain, which refers to pain at the back of the knee.
If you have increasingly worse knee pain even after identifying the pains and making adjustments to your bike, be sure to seek medical advice as you may have an injury that needs treatment.
Anterior knee pain – Quadricep tendon pain
Your quadricep tendon is located right at the bottom of your thigh on the anterior side of your leg, where your knee begins.
If your pain is located in your quadricep tendon, you will notice tightness or even swelling on your quad muscle where it meets your knee.
When using your Peloton Bike, this pain can be caused by a low saddle, causing the bike to lead to an over-intensive bend when you pedal upwards.
Quadricep tendon pain can also be caused by overuse or not correctly stretching after riding.
Anterior knee pain – Patella knee pain
The patella is your kneecap – this is located right on the top of your knee.
Usually, pain in the patella means that your kneecap and thigh bone are rubbing or grinding together too intensely.
Patella pain can also be caused by your saddle being too low when riding your Peloton Bike, meaning you are over-bending your leg on your upwards pedals.
Anterior knee pain – Pain below the patella
Below the patella is cartilage and soft tissue, which can become damaged when you ride. This is located below your kneecap.
You may get pain below your patella when you overuse your knees when riding and due to a saddle that is too low (causing you to put too much pressure onto your knee).
Compressing your knee too much on your upstrokes will cause painful tightness below your patella.
Anterior knee pain – Pain in the tibia and iliotibial band
Another common type of pain is the tibia, the front bone between your knee and your ankle, and the iliotibial band, the piece of tissue between your hip and knee.
When you feel pain in your knees, it can often be linked to the tibia, and the iliotibial band as these parts of the body are all working together when you are cycling.
Tibia and iliotibial band pain can be caused by a saddle that is too high, leading to you over-straining your leg to try and reach the bottom of the pedal.
As you push down, you strain your knee by putting pressure onto the tibia and iliotibial band.
Posterior knee pain – Hamstring pain
Your hamstring muscles are located at the back of your legs, connecting your thighs to your knees.
Hamstrings help you bend your knees as you ride – if you are experiencing hamstring pain, it is likely because your saddle is too high, and therefore your hamstrings are overworking to try and bend your knees on the upstroke to pull your legs up.
Hamstring tightness when you have knee pain is quite common, and to prevent it. You should make sure to stretch your legs before and after each bike session.
Posterior knee pain – Upper calf muscle
The upper calf muscle is the muscle located below your knee.
When you have knee pain and calf pain, your saddle is likely too high, and therefore, you are putting intense pressure on your calf to push your leg down and pull it back up.
Medial knee pain – Pain inside the knee
Medial knee pain means pain on the inner side of your knee.
This usually occurs when your pedal cleats are poorly positioned, and your knees are too far from the bike, causing a strain on the inner side.
Lateral knee pain – Pain outside the knee
If you experience lateral knee pain, this means you have pain on the outer side of your knees.
This results from poorly positioned cleats which mean your knees are too close to the bike, causing a strain on the outer side of the knee.
How can I adjust my Peloton Bike to prevent knee pain?
The above section on different types of knee pain shows that knee pain when cycling can often result from issues with the bike’s positioning.
Adjusting your Peloton Bike can, therefore, in many cases, quickly fix your knee pain.
Saddle adjustments for anterior pains
For anterior knee pains, increasing your saddle height can help to ease the pressure on your front knee muscles and joints.
A higher saddle will allow for a less compressed bend in the knee, preventing strained over bending of the knee, which will cause pain.
Moving your saddle backward will also give more space for your knees when you are on your upward pedal, helping to stop any compression at the top of the knee.
Saddle adjustments for posterior pains
Lowering your saddle height can stop your hamstrings and calf muscles from being too strained during sessions for posterior knee pains.
You can also move your saddle forward, which will help put less pressure onto your posterior muscles.
Cleat adjustments
If you experience medial knee pain, the first thing to do is move your cleats out to decrease the space between your feet.
For lateral knee pains, move your cleats so that you increase the space between your feet.
Make sure your cleats are straight and properly aligned. Even the smallest off-center angle will cause your whole body movement to shift when you’re riding.
What are overuse injuries?
Overuse injuries refer to situations when you have used your knees too much without giving them time to rest.
You may get pain from overusing your knees if you do too many high-intensity workouts or if your bike is not correctly positioned, causing one part of your knee to work much harder than necessary during your workouts.
What classes can I take to help with my knee pain?
With a Peloton membership, you can access a whole range of classes on the bike and off the bike.
The vast range of specialist trainers on Peloton’s subscription service will provide you with sound stretching routines and strength training; this will help you build strength and endurance in a safe way that is manageable for your body.