Exercise Bike and Knee Pain
I am 24 year old female. Height 5′0″ Weight 159 lbs. Former Ballet Dancer of 10 years. Quit sometime around puberty. Recently started using a recumbent exercise bike to try and lose some weight and get in better shape. A short time after I started using it, I started getting knee pain on the inside of my knee. It is only an ache, but it is slightly annoying. I especially feel it after using the exercise bike or walking for more than 20 minutes. I then feel it almost all day. Like I said it’s more of a slight ache, but enough to make me want to quit using the exercise bike. If I don’t exercise at all for about 2 days, it goes away, but then it will come back again if I start exercising again. Is this something I should just suck up and keep going anyway? Do I need to see a doctor about this? What could this be? I have tried to find a cheap knee brace to try, but my thighs are rather large and the typical ones don’t work too well. My husband recently lost his job and I don’t want to suck $20 or $30 or $40 into a brace if it won’t do anything. Same with a doctor’s visit. Please help!

Dr. Joshua’s Answer:

Knee problems are common when you start a new exercise regimen. There are a number of things that could cause this, most likely it is a small exertion trauma and inflammation. Weight loss is definitely the way to go in avoiding knee injuries and arthrosis. I recommend a one-two week course of ibuprofen (if no asthma, allergies) 600 mg three times daily. Also, a good idea is to start strengthening the quadriceps (thigh) muscles using weights - they will help stabilize the knee and make it more resilient. Take it easy on the exercise bike for now, although exercise bike is definitely a good way to get in shape, and it’s easier on the knees than e.g. running.

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