I had total knee replacement 8 weeks ago and wondering what range of motion(ROM) is needed for a 48" tri-bike? I am hovering around 112 to 115 flexion but I still hurt at the top of my pedal stroke and setting way back on my seat just to do that. I have already raised my seat as much as I can. I can ride a stationary bike just fine. I have 165mm cranks and was wondering if I went lower would that help me with the ROM issue? My doctor (and I) wants me to ride as much as I can but I don’t want to have to buy a new bike. I have a P3 Cervelo. I have been an active triathlete for over 20 years and a 8 time Kona finisher and I really want to get back on the bike to work on getting some fitness and power back. I am still going to PT and hope to gain more flexion.
Thank you in advance.
I am a PT with 30+ years of experience mostly in ortho / sports practice. You posted this a few weeks ago so maybe the issue is resolved but I would say 120 degrees of knee flexion should allow full revolutions with no tightness in the knee or compensation at the hip or pelvis. I have a Cervelo P2K I have ridden for 16 years and my max knee flexion during revolution is 116 degrees. Even if you are still not making full revolutions I think it’s too soon to change equipment, keep working on flexion. Good luck!
I have a similar challenge but I am at 5months and only have 112 to 115. I find it very uncomfortable for the first 15 to 20 minutes of pedaling but then my knee seems to loosen up enough to ride a little more comfortably. Although I still do not ride with a nice smooth pedal stroke. I can’t afford more PT and I’m not sure that I was making much progress with ROM anyway. With fitness yes. They generally thought I was a superstar because I regained good fitness fairly quickly. But looking at other patients, I would say while I might be fitter they generally had much better ROM and got it back very quickly.
Perhaps a good question might be what can I do to continue to try and regain ROM?
Steve
I am 18 months post total knee replacement and I only have **95 degrees of **flexion. I have arthrofibrosis (a fibrotic joint disorder characterized by excessive collagen production and adhesions that result in restricted joint motion and pain). I didn’t have it before TKR.
I purchased 145 mm cranks and they made a world of difference. You can get them here. https://speedandcomfort.com/products/copy-of-alloy-24mm-short-crankset-145mm
I also purchase cleat adapters that allow you to move your cleats 0-24mm toward the heels–this also reduces knee bend. You can get them here. https://mid-foot-cycling.com/
Either one of them will probably do the trick for you.
Good luck.
I had total knee replacement 8 weeks ago and wondering what range of motion(ROM) is needed for a 48" tri-bike? I am hovering around 112 to 115 flexion but I still hurt at the top of my pedal stroke and setting way back on my seat just to do that. I have already raised my seat as much as I can. I can ride a stationary bike just fine. I have 165mm cranks and was wondering if I went lower would that help me with the ROM issue? My doctor (and I) wants me to ride as much as I can but I don’t want to have to buy a new bike. I have a P3 Cervelo. I have been an active triathlete for over 20 years and a 8 time Kona finisher and I really want to get back on the bike to work on getting some fitness and power back. I am still going to PT and hope to gain more flexion.
Thank you in advance.