NIGGLING KNEES:
Knowing the point to refer out Most bike fitters will have clients with niggling knee pain, but knowing when to defer cases to medical experts is key to getting to the root of the problem. In their second article on knees, UK osteopath Alice Monger-Godfrey and bike fitter Lee Prescott share an example of how a multidisciplinary approach can achieve the best possible outcome.
ALICE: I’ve been seeing more and more patients coming through my clinic door complaining of knee discomfort that just won’t go away. One of them is Jo, who loves riding her bike, but after increasing the mileage started experiencing pain on the inside of her knee. Thinking it would go away by itself after some rest, she didn't seek medical advice. But nothing changed, and if anything, it started to niggle her during everyday life, not just on the bike. That is what brought Jo to me, as she wanted to know what was going on and how it could be treated.
The knee can’t be looked at in isolation, as many of the muscles cross over the ankle and the hip, which means the whole body needs to be treated in order to help the knee function better. With Jo we noticed her Vastus Medialis (one of the quadricep muscles), popliteus muscle and psoas muscle (hip flexor) were extremely tight, causing a pull on the knee cap. When the joint was under strain it would highlight this imbalance and cause Jo discomfort. From my experience, the best way to treat this is with acupuncture to the quadricep muscles, manipulation and massage to the ankle, knee, hip and lower back, and muscle energy techniques/stretches to the surrounding structures of the knee. With Jo, as
