I’ve been struggling for a long time to identify the source of pain in my right hip flexor. My right leg is just a hair shorter than my left. I have shims in my shoes to correct this from a fitting I got from John Cobb’s people. I noticed this weekend that my saddle height is much higher than the people I ride with, even a couple inches higher than a person who is an inch taller than me. Could a too high saddle strain the hip flexor? As soon as I get off the bike and run, the pain goes away.
FWIW, the first 2 Dr’s I’ve gone to didn’t have a diagnosis for me. X-rays show nothing abnormal. My flexibility is poor, especially in my ITB, however, Dr’s and PT have commented that my right (painful) side is more flexible than my left which is pain free.
I’ve been struggling for a long time to identify the source of pain in my right hip flexor. My right leg is just a hair shorter than my left. I have shims in my shoes to correct this from a fitting I got from John Cobb’s people. I noticed this weekend that my saddle height is much higher than the people I ride with, even a couple inches higher than a person who is an inch taller than me. Could a too high saddle strain the hip flexor? As soon as I get off the bike and run, the pain goes away.
FWIW, the first 2 Dr’s I’ve gone to didn’t have a diagnosis for me. X-rays show nothing abnormal. My flexibility is poor, especially in my ITB, however, Dr’s and PT have commented that my right (painful) side is more flexible than my left which is pain free.
This could be anything but in my opinion shims can aggravate a leg length problem rather than solve it. Shims will make your legs seem the same length at the bottom of the stroke but aggravate the discrepancy at the top. At better solution is two different crank lengths.
It could also be your stem is too low. Best thing to do is to try some things and see what makes a difference. Start with getting rid of the pedal shims and lowering your saddle the amount of the shim.
You are correct about the shims and the pedal stroke. OTOH, without the shims my right knee does not track in a straight line. Would you still recommend taking out the shim? The length discrepancy is very minor, probably too short to even change crank lengths.
I’ve been considering your suggestion already. I am planning on dropping the saddle height about 1 cm. I don’t think the aerobar height is involved, because I get the same pain on the road bike.
You are correct about the shims and the pedal stroke. OTOH, without the shims my right knee does not track in a straight line. Would you still recommend taking out the shim? The length discrepancy is very minor, probably too short to even change crank lengths.
I’ve been considering your suggestion already. I am planning on dropping the saddle height about 1 cm. I don’t think the aerobar height is involved, because I get the same pain on the road bike.
Thanks for your continuing help on this.
If the shim corrects your tracking, Why would you say the discrepancy is too small to change crank lengths? How thick is the shim?
I think Frank is on to something. I am no expert, but I would guess that if you have done activities all your life that require symmetry but to which you have applied asymmetrical legs, your brain has adapted over the course of childhood and puberty to adjust for it (ie walking, biking, running etc etc). Now you add a shim and your sequence of applying force is off ever so slightly. If you have been riding a bike without shims since you were a kid, I’d just go with removing them.
I disagree with Frank on using two different cranks lenghts. That is just bad news all around. I do agree that raising your stem height may help. Also moving your seat forward will help a bit as you open up your hip angle.
Your height has nothing to do with the appropriate saddle height. Comparing your saddle height to your buddies’, who is taller, is a waste of time. It’s the length of your leg that matters. Get another fitting done if you’re unsure of your saddle height and you think it might be the cause of injury.
FWIW - I have the same problem in my left leg, which is slightly longer than my right leg. It seems to be worse at the beginning of the season, which makes me believe that it’s related to strength (or, lack thereof). It usually goes away after a month of getting back into shape.