Commuting to work with knee pain can be tolling and painful, especially if your commute involves a lot of walking or standing. When you walk to a public transit stop or stand on the bus or train when it is full, your body weight resting on a sore knee can be excruciatingly painful for those who suffer from knee pain.
If you are struggling to find an active, eco-friendly commute with knee pain, consider riding a bike to work. Commuting on a bike is one of the most effective ways to alleviate and prevent knee pain while traveling to work, as it greatly reduces stress and impact on your joints.
While biking has many positive benefits associated with it, one of the best benefits that it has to offer is the relief or elimination of knee pain for commuters. Read on to learn more about how bike commuting is good for your knees and can help reduce existing knee pain.
Commuting with knee pain
Around five percent of Americans commute to work by using public transportation, biking, or walking. This percentage jumps up in larger cities as higher populations result in higher concentrations of commuters since buildings and destinations can be closer together.
If you suffer from knee pain, commuting without a car can be very difficult and painful.
- Not only do you have to walk to bus or train stops on your sore knees, but these commuting methods also involve a lot of standing on your feet.
- You may even be putting your knees through extra weight and stress by carrying a briefcase or backpack.
While many people may assume that buying a car for your commute is a simple solution, it can come with unseen expenses. Buying a car can cause money problems for many reasons. Aside from a large initial lump sum just to drive off the lot, you must make monthly payments and invest in car insurance, gas, maintenance, and more.
Not only is this expensive, but it is inconvenient if you live in a big city with congested traffic and high parking costs. If commuting is taking a toll on your knees, the best option is to ride a bike. Not only is this significantly cheaper than buying a car, but it is also more convenient and eco-friendly for big cities and will help alleviate your knee pain.
Is bike commuting good for your knee pain?
Riding a bike is much easier on your knees than walking or standing, especially if you have had any of the following problems in the past:
- Knee pain
- Former injuries
- Previous surgeries
If you struggle with knee pain, you most likely know the agony of each and every step you take when you have a flare-up.
Studies have shown that low-intensity cycling can be an effective way to reduce knee and joint pain. The movements of cycling can lubricate the joints without putting any added stress or weight on your knees, hips, and ankles. Cycling can also help alleviate the stiffness that is associated with knee and joint pain.
Another added bonus to riding a bike is that you do not have to put any stress on your knees when you ride down a hill. When you walk down a hill, you still have to take steps to get down the hill, and you may end up using muscles that you do not usually use when walking on a flat surface. These muscles may aggravate your knee injury.
When riding a bike down a hill, you can gain momentum and coast down the hill without using your legs and knees to propel the bike forward. If you get enough momentum, you will not have to pedal after the hill because your momentum and inertia will continue to move the bike for some time, even after you are at the bottom of the hill.
Why is riding a bike more comfortable?
While standing may not seem very stressful to your knees for the average person, putting all of your weight onto an injured knee can be extremely painful. Whether you are standing at a station or bus stop or are standing during the ride because all the seats are full, standing can be just as painful as walking in many cases.
When you ride a bike, the impact on your knees is significantly reduced.
- Since you sit on your backside when riding a bike, most of your body weight is taken off your knees and other joints and is placed onto the seat of the bike. Keep in mind that if you stand up to coast or pedal while biking, this will place the weight back onto your aching knees.
- Riding a bike can be a very low-impact activity when done right.
Many bikes have built-in gears that allow you to control the amount of resistance, thus determining how hard you have to pedal your legs to move forward. By shifting the bike to a lower gear, it will be easier for you to pedal, which will inevitably give your knees a break.
Higher gears are great for getting a better workout and moving the bike forward quickly if you do not have knee pain, but the lower gears are typically better for those who have had issues with knee pain, as it is easier to pedal.
Read my full article on how to fix knee pain from biking here.
What to do if your knees hurt when biking
It is important to keep in mind that your knee pain will not disappear completely on your first day of using a bike to commute. Unfortunately, knee pain will not go away overnight. It may take some time and additional precautions for your knee pain to decrease as you transition into commuting with a bike.
Even the type of bike that you ride can have a positive or negative impact on your knees. It is recommended that those with knee or other joint pain ride a lighter-weight bike. Added weight on the bike will increase the weight that you have to move forward.
It is worth mentioning that if your knees are still in pain after you have transitioned to biking during your commute, you may want to double-check what gears you are using. Make sure you are using low-impact gears if you have knee pain, at least in the beginning.
How to ride a bike with knee pain
There are a few further precautions you can take to keep your knees more comfortable when biking to work.
- Having the correct height for your seat is essential.
- If you have knee pain, try to minimize the amount of standing that you do on the bike.
Even though seat height is one of the easiest adjustments to make, it can be one of the most important. If your seat is too high or too low, it will be more strenuous on your knees. A good way to estimate how high your seat should be is by using the heel-to-pedal method.
Simply lean your bike against a wall, sit on the seat, and place one of your feet to the lowest position that you can pedal. When your foot is positioned at the bottom, and you are sitting on the seat, your knee should be straight.
When riding the bike, try to sit on the seat as much as possible to minimize the weight and pressure that is placed on your legs, It may be tempting to stand up and pedal when you are tired or have to go up a hill, but this will only hurt your knees.
If you ever have any questions or would like more suggestions, consider taking your bike to your local bicycle shop. A professional can help you even more in regards to your seat height, which gears to use, or can make recommendations based on your specific condition.
Conclusion
Bike commuting is an effective way to reduce your knee pain and prevent future knee pain. It is an effective way to reduce the amount of stress placed on your knee joints and minimize the amount of weight on your knees. It is a low-impact commuting option that is great for individuals who have knee pain.
If you are experiencing knee pain that is exacerbated by your commute, you may want to consider switching to a bike commute. Even though it may involve an initial investment upfront to pay for a bike, it will be worth it in the long run to alleviate and manage your knee pain.
My Recommended Gear for Year-Round Cycling on a Budget
It took me years of trial and error to figure out the best and most affordable setup for my daily bike commuting. I would only recommend the gear that is good quality for a good price. Here’s my full year-round gear recommendation guide.
Want to know how much your cycling gear should cost? Check out my guide with different budget options here.
Ride on!