Cycling Hamstring Pain Behind Knee

BIOPTRON LIGHT...DOES IT WORK?

In March 2009 I was hoping to ride in the Graperide, a 100km fun ride/race in Blenheim.

I had bought some new SIDI shoes, the same brand as my old ones but the sole was slightly thinner. All seemed well for the first few rides but then my hamstring just behind the left knee became painful.

I lowered the seat a few mm and rested for a few days but the problem persisted.

Several weeks went by and the problem gradually became worse.

I had tried rest, acupuncture, massage, stretching, ibuprofen, etc.

You name it I had tried it!

In the week before the event, I was pretty worried that I wouldn't be able to do it.

Six days before I rode to Picton (30km) and started up a small hill. The pain was quite bad and I turned around and went and bought a coffee and phoned to be picked up.

On the Tuesday I rode 16km at a very easy 18kph average and it still hurt.

On Thursday, ever the optimist, I rode 20km at the same slow pace and it was still hurting, as well as hurting when I walked.

I desperately wanted to do the ride with my daughter who had just turned 14 as we had been planning this milestone of her first Graperide for a while.

On the Friday I was resigned to trying to do the first 20km with her and then pulling out.

However, I bumped into Polly Taylor at the registration at 2pm on the Friday afternoon and she suggested I try shining her Bioptron light on it.

At this point I was desperate, I couldn't really see that shining a light was going to work but if someone had told me they had tried rubbing scrambled eggs on their leg and it worked I might have tried it.

I used the orange light at 3pm and again at 8pm on Friday night.

I got up early on Saturday and used it again at 6am and at 8.30am I rode the whole 100km pain-free. I couldn't believe it!

The first time in about 8 weeks I rode without pain!

Chris Cinders
Long-time cyclist and coach
Patron
NZ Schools Cycling Association