Knee (and hip) pain when riding....turning into a real pain in the butt.

[BF]

My right knee is giving me trouble and it's beginning to make riding a real pain.  It's had arthroscopic surgery on it once before, but that only seemed to last a year or two before the pain was back.  Now that I've got the Valk back together after it's winter remodel, I've been riding it most every day.....however, I'm beginning to get real pain in my knee (it radiates all the way up to my hip) while I'm riding.....and it doesn't take long once I get on the bike before it starts....which is beginning to make riding a real pain in the ass.....literally.  

I've tried different seats to see if they would alleviate the pain......Mustang, Ultimate King, stock (both original and post 2000)......none of them make a difference.  The only seats that I haven't tried is a set of Corbins (I had a Corbin stinger seat once, but that sucked).  I bought a brand new four piece set of Ultimate King's really hoping that they'd make a difference....but they don't....they actually make it worse (I think it's because they're so wide).  I'm really dissapointed in them and I'm pissed at myself that I've spent big bucks for these hoping that they'd be better (I actually like the Mustang better) and I'll probably offer the Ultimates up for sale and look for a set of Corbins.  

I've got some Kury highway pegs mounted and I can put my right foot on it and stretch out my leg on that for awhile.....and that seems to help for a moment or two, but the relief is only temporary.  

I suppose what I really need to do is go and talk to the Doc on my next regular visit, but in the meantime, I'm having some real pain here.  

I don't care how bad the pain is.....getting rid of the Valk is NOT an option.  I bought it as an award for myself for surviving kidney cancer.  I'll live with the pain before the Valk goes anywhere. 

Any of you guys have knee pain while riding......what do you do about it.....other than copious amounts of really good drugs?

[Oss]

if you were closer to me I would let you try the mick o pegs on my interstate

Takes the pain out of knees, hips and lower back -- but not for carving twisties they are for long distance comfort when I come up on a sweet curve I just put my feet on the highway pegs

riding is wonderful is the site

[ptgb]

Even at only 6 feet tall, I did feel a bit of hip/knee pain when I first got my Valk. Two things that did it for me were:

1. Rattlebars peg lowering kit. They drop the pegs an inch or two and it made a lot of difference for me. Unfortunately, they don't make them anymore, but I believe Valkyrie Bling and More sells something similar. Worse case, you might be able to find someone that can provide the dimensions and hole placement and get some fabricated for you. They aren't that complicated.

2. Russell Day Long seat. These things are custom made for you, so they can move you where you want to be. Might help by putting you back a bit; not sure.

Good luck.

[Red Diamond]

I've had arthoscopy on my left knee, and it has started to give me a little problem while riding, but not as bad as you have described yours to be. I do the same leg extension on the pegs, but just with my heel resting on the peg. If I put my foot on the peg in normal fashion, my knee hurts. Sometimes I have to just let my leg relax while stretched out straight, and that helps. Hope you find a solution, sometimes that cartilage re-rolls itself and has to be remove again.
Good luck and ride safely.

[rmrc51]

I had a very similar issue with my hip.

Around 35 years ago, I was in a major car accident and among all of the injuries, I also had a fractured hip. The doctor at the time told me that as I aged, the hip will more than likely begin to give me some trouble. Well, he was right. Every so often, I get a sever pain on the left side, especially when straddling a motorcycle. It got to the point that when I would lean into a turn, I'd get this sharp stabbing pain that almost caused me to loose control/balance on quite a few occasions. Where I live, most of the roads have no shoulders and many have drainage ditches running along the side. It became quite evident that riding a motorcycle was becoming a real safety hazard. My solution was going to a trike. Although I do get a spasm every so often, the balance issue is no longer present and I can keep my feet up at a stop. I'm not saying that a trike is the answer for you, but I thought I'd share my story regarding my situation. At least with the trike, I can still ride the wind.  

[BF]

if you were closer to me I would let you try the mick o pegs on my interstate

Takes the pain out of knees, hips and lower back -- but not for carving twisties they are for long distance comfort when I come up on a sweet curve I just put my feet on the highway pegs

riding is wonderful is the site

I'll take a look at the Mick-O-Pegs.  I'm not a twisties kind of rider anyway.  I'm more of a take in the scenery and smell the roses kind of rider.   

[Jess from VA]

Personally, I don't think bike changes are your (principle) solution.  The center controls of a Valk will always result in a bent knee riding position, even for short guys like me.   I think you need to exercise and rehab the knee to better function.  Walking, swimming, strength, hydrotherapy, ice.... repeat.  JMHO

Every winter,  I gain a little weight, and the lifetime aches and pains are a little worse from inactivity.  Come Spring, I get more active, drop 5-7lbs, and get most of it back.  Every year it is a little harder.

[KY,Dave (AKA Misunderstood)]

Personally, I don't think bike changes are your (principle) solution.  The center controls of a Valk will always result in a bent knee riding position, even for short guys like me.   I think you need to exercise and rehab the knee to better function.  Walking, swimming, strength, hydrotherapy, ice.... repeat.  JMHO

Every winter,  I gain a little weight, and the lifetime aches and pains are a little worse from inactivity.  Come Spring, I get more active, drop 5-7lbs, and get most of it back.  Every year it is a little harder.

Words of wisdom there. Every year I fail to lose that extra 5 and it's starting to bug me enough to do something about it. 

[B]

My right knee is giving me trouble and it's beginning to make riding a real pain.  It's had arthroscopic surgery on it once before, but that only seemed to last a year or two before the pain was back.  Now that I've got the Valk back together after it's winter remodel, I've been riding it most every day.....however, I'm beginning to get real pain in my knee (it radiates all the way up to my hip) while I'm riding.....and it doesn't take long once I get on the bike before it starts....which is beginning to make riding a real pain in the ass.....literally.  

I've tried different seats to see if they would alleviate the pain......Mustang, Ultimate King, stock (both original and post 2000)......none of them make a difference.  The only seats that I haven't tried is a set of Corbins (I had a Corbin stinger seat once, but that sucked).  I bought a brand new four piece set of Ultimate King's really hoping that they'd make a difference....but they don't....they actually make it worse (I think it's because they're so wide).  I'm really dissapointed in them and I'm pissed at myself that I've spent big bucks for these hoping that they'd be better (I actually like the Mustang better) and I'll probably offer the Ultimates up for sale and look for a set of Corbins.  

I've got some Kury highway pegs mounted and I can put my right foot on it and stretch out my leg on that for awhile.....and that seems to help for a moment or two, but the relief is only temporary.  

I suppose what I really need to do is go and talk to the Doc on my next regular visit, but in the meantime, I'm having some real pain here.  

I don't care how bad the pain is.....getting rid of the Valk is NOT an option.  I bought it as an award for myself for surviving kidney cancer.  I'll live with the pain before the Valk goes anywhere. 

Any of you guys have knee pain while riding......what do you do about it.....other than copious amounts of really good drugs?

Big bike things Valk I/S forward controls has a mount for an additional peg between the stock peg and highway peg. Having the multiple foot positions helps a lot

http://www.bigbikethings.com/

[da prez]

My artheritis is giving my a run for the money. I streach and exercise the problem area. Try to get in the position (not on the bike) of discomfort . and start the streach from there. do it slow and go past the position  where it causes the pain. do a few reps and stick with it. Ice down when done for 15 minutes.  I am in the 35th year of my 30th birthday. All the abuse is catching up . I rode today , and it hurt like hell. The temp was in the high 80s'  I still got my ride in. I also have to exercise more. I am going to Inzane this year. It is only around 600 miles one way, and I will keep exercising.
   Hope to see you there.
                                                       da prez

[Chiefy]

Any board member with a Corbin, or other seat you haven't tried live near you?  I'd be happy to let you swipe mine for a few hours to try it.  But Sarasota is pretty far.

[Big Rig]

One quick question, what pocket do you carry your wallet? Remove it and see how you do, even a 1/2 inch in the wrong direction can put pressure on the joint above and below...hip and knee...now I carry my wallet on the inside pocket of my jacket. Worked for me...

[BigAl]

if you were closer to me I would let you try the mick o pegs on my interstate

Takes the pain out of knees, hips and lower back -- but not for carving twisties they are for long distance comfort when I come up on a sweet curve I just put my feet on the highway pegs

riding is wonderful is the site

OSS let me try his Mickopegs and Bud they will make a difference on that ride of yours.

That's one Mod that really works.


JMO

[fon1961]

as ironic as it sounds excercising my legs including my knees typically helps and emptying the wallet pocket (wife or girlfriend can help with that) makes a difference for me too. 

[YoungPUP]

+1 on moving the wallet. Have the same type of problems when in the cage, the Big cage (at work) or on the bike. Put the wallet in the jacket and see if that helps.

[highcountry]

I feel your pain, BF.  I have severe arthritis in my hips and apparently in my left knee.  The knee is what really bothers me when riding.  It starts after about 20 minutes and just keeps giving the rest of the time that I am on the bike.  I do leg and hip stretches before each ride which helps a little.  I have floorboards and hwy pegs so I get a little relief by moving my left foot around in different locations.  I also have an Ultimate King with backrest which gives me a lot of latitude in shifting riding positions.  But after an hour, I have to get off the bike and walk around a little.  The bummer is that my knee really doesn't bother me the rest of the time.  Not sure that triking the bike would help since the riding position is the same either way.

If you figure out some kind of relief, let me know.

[BF]

ptgb.....I'll take a look at the lowering kit.  Thanks.  


Red Diamond.  Yeah, I'm doing the same thing...putting my heel on the peg to get the leg extended out like your doing to get the leg straight.  


rmrc51......Don't think a trike is right for me just yet, but the thought has crossed my mind.  When the knees get to the point of being totally blown out and I can't hold the bike up any longer, I'll be trike shopping.  


Jess.......You're not gonna bill me for the medical advice are you.        I do have a job where I sit on my ass for the greater part of a shift (usually 8 hours, but lots of 12's too).........  



......but I do walk three to four miles every day that I can (and I stretch before the walk).  I'm not skinny by any means, but I'm not obese either.  I could lose a few pounds for sure.  For being on the short side of 59, I could be in worse shape I guess.  Recent pic of a trip to Biloxi.........  




Chiefy......Nobody with a Corbin 'round here that I'm aware of.  There's not all that many Valks around here anyway.  


Big Rig.......I quit carrying a wallet in my back pocket decades ago.  


Big Al......Thanks.....I do plan to check out the Mick-O-Pegs.  


highcountry.......I've got a feeling that the real cure is gonna be some more surgery again.  I do plan to check out some of the ideas expressed here though.  If I come across some mod that works to alieve the pain (even if it's just a little), I'll let you know.  

[Jess from VA]

BF, for relative size, wt, hair color, face hair, and age, we could almost be brothers.

No charge on the medical.  You are walking more than me, which doesn't take much (but that has to change shortly). 

Would this do you any good?  http://www.thermacare.com/knee-and-elbow-heatwraps?s_kwcid=TC|17277|heat%20knee%20wraps||S|b|11053072140 

[BnB Tom]

Osteo Bi-flex -- chrondroitin + glucosamine.

     Take as directed.. give it a week.. try ridin again.

You'll still need your highway pegs so you can move around but, I found this was THE answer to riding more than 100 miles with my damaged/arthritic knees.