Hi all

Well, my knees are almost 45 years old, and they're starting to get a bit creaky, which is hardly surprising given the amount they've had to support all these years.

I stick mainly to walking, stair climbing, elliptical and cycling and avoid running, jogging, squats, lunges or any other form of knee-unfriendly exercise. I want my knees to keep on keeping going for at least another 25 years!

But my question is, is the cycling likely to be helping, or harming?

My knees are fine when I'm walking and fine most of the time when I'm on the elliptical, but on my Spinner bike they are audibly creaky, and although they don't exactly hurt, they feel uncomfortably grindy, as though there's grit in the joints. It's the same when I walk up and down stairs...

When I've finished exercising, they feel slighly 'off' for the following 12 hours or so, before gradually getting back to normal. But I like to cycle every day if possible, and would rather not have to take every other day off.

Cycling is one of my favourite activities, and I'd hate to have to quit, but on the other hand my knees are precious, and I don't want to damage them!

Is that grindy/creaky feeling anything to worry about, or should I just stop being such a wuss and carry on with the cycling?

Thanks in advance! Jane xxx

My husband has worked in the bicycle industry for years and years, and I have heard him say this 1000 times...

Cycling is one of the best exercises if you have bad knees but the key is lots of rotation. You want to be able to "spin" the pedals without a struggle.

My words, because I don't ever remember his technical words... you want to stay in the really easy gear where you feel like your legs are going round and round, but you aren't going anywhere very fast. You shouldn't be pushing the "hard" gears - struggling to pedal.

I hope that made sense. If not let me know, and I will have my husband explain it to me as I type. He can probably articulate it better than I can.

That grindy noise/feeling is bone on bone where the cartilage is gone. The grinding will only get worse and eventually be replaced with arthritis.

Some people find that glucosamine and other supplements help. There are also surgeries which put synthetic cartilage in place the the worn out real stuff.

I wish I had better news for you....

Thanks ladies...greenfishgirl, you posted a perfect explanation, so hubby must have taught you well!

Vlad...well, if my knees are already scr*wed I may as well carry on with the cycling! And reserve a spot on the orthopaedic ward at the hospital where I work for knee replacement surgery in 2020...

Before you carry on with the cycling take your bike to a shop where real cyclists go and get it professionally adjusted. Thre are online guides for doing the same but they can be confusing. Spinning high RPM is one way to protect the knees, but positioning of the pedals (not just height of seat but forward back of seat, length of cranks) can also protect the knee joint.

If it is an exercise bike you probably cant take it in, but check the online guides to make sure you are setting it properly. And avoid the standing cranks I think, I think those are hard on the knees.

For the most part activity is good for the knees and no, noisy knees does NOT mean that the cartilage is gone. There are other causes of noisy knees, some of them quite harmless.

As already mentioned, how the bike is adjusted makes a big difference on how much pressure is placed on the joints. Before I had my bike adjusted properly, it hurt my knees something fierce.

I find bicycling easier on my knees and hips than walking, and a bit harder on the joints than swimming. In order of my preference, I'd list swimming, biking, walking - but in terms of how often I do them I'd have to reverse the list. Walking, biking, and swimming (mostly just out of practicality. Walking can be done anywhere, any season. Biking not so much (unless you have a stationary bike). Ahd while I'd love to live in the water, I haven't found a practical way to accomplish that. (I've fantasized about building a home that was essentially a pool in the center of the living space).