How to Prevent Knee Pain When Mountain Biking: Tips for Pain-Free Rides

If there was just one simple reason riders get knee pain, then nobody would have knee pain as it would be easy to diagnose and then do something about. And that’s why I made the video below and wrote this article. You see, there are too many so-called coaches out there saying if you have knee pain, then do this 1 magic stretch.

And it’s nonsense….

You might get knee pain because you sit all day at work. Your cranks might be too long. Your hips might be tight, weak or both. You might have flat feet. The list goes on.

And also, just to be clear. Just because your knee is hurting, doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with your knee! It is more likely caused by an issue above or below the knee, putting stress on the joint as you pedal.

Luckily I am going to break this all down for you in the video below. And that’s why the video is nearly half an hour long. If you actually want to figure out what it causing your knee pain and then have a plan to fix it, then a 90 second Rel isn’t going to cut it.

Which leads me to the next section….

There’s a saying in the strength and training worlds…. “If you’re not assessing, you’re guessing.”

If you go to a physiotherapist and tell them you have knee pain when you ride they will start by asking a few questions and then they should perform some type of assessment of your mobility, movement and possibly strength.

This is exactly what I do as a professional strength coach. I assess.

And that is why the first half of the video below will take you through an assessment process, broken down into 3 simple parts:

• On the MTB Assessment

• Indoor Bike Assessment – If available

• Off Bike Assessment

Whilst seeing a professional will be quicker and more reliable, it is very possible to self assess and get a rough diagnosis for the causes of YOUR knee pain. That then leads you towards the right course of action to prevent and cure it….

Strengthening specific areas of your body will almost always be part of the solution. As you should know, every rider (every human actually) should be doing some form of strength training. If you don’t do some already, then you need to start. Just get in contact with me on here or hit the Programmes tab to find out more.

As well as hitting key exercises like squats, deadlifts and single leg work like step ups or lunges, you will probably need to add in more specific exercises to target smaller, less well known muscles. For instance an exercise called, Side Plank Leg Raise will be very effective at hitting your glute medius muscle (side of bum). If you’ve never done it before, you are probably going to find it pretty hard….

To go with the strength work, you will probably need to add in some form of mobility training. To understand which areas to target, you will need to assess first though, otherwise you are just guessing.

Sometimes some specific stretches or targeted foam rolling can have an immediate effect on your knee pain, but only if you do the right ones.

Again, in general we should all be taking some time to look after ourselves with some regular mobility work, especially if you are training loads or sitting all day.

By taking a little and often approach to mobility work you can make good progress in just a couple of weeks without it being a huge chunk of time to fit into your already busy schedule.

Bringing it all together is this video. If you have knee pain and it spoils your rides, then set aside some time, grab a pen and paper and work your way through it. Do the whole assessment process and then apply the recommended exercises and stretches for YOUR type of knee pain.

If the video helps you to ride pain free then I would love to hear your experience in the comments section on YouTube. Good luck!