Is Riding an Electric Bike Harmful to Your Bad Knees?

An electric bike for bad knees is an ideal choice for people who have arthritis or suffering from knee aches. Exercise will not make your joints feel worse than before. A study published in the Journal of Rheumatology 2016* found that swimming and cycling reduced joint pain, stiffness, and functional limitation and improved patients' physical performance and functional capacity.

What does an electric bike do for your joints?

Are electric bikes good for people who have arthritis? The answer is an absolute yes. Electric bikes can do well in the following way:

Exercise for losing weight. Excess weight could make your joints worse, particularly your knees. Cycling is somehow a good way to lose weight.

Less stress on your joints. Cycling will limit the influence of impact stress on weight-bearing joints, like your knees, feet, and so on. It is suggested that people who have arthritis or had suffered from harmful knees, had better choose an electric bike with several speed modes. If you feel too tired to cycle, you could change to pedal-assist mode, which means that your electric bike will provide your power to pedal easier and faster.The ebike with 5 level speed mode, like HJM Toury and Step-thru, provide more choices of motor power to meet the pedal assist demands depends on the body conditions.

Muscle strengthening. When you choose the proper cycling mode and the bike’s pedal resistance is moderate, it promotes a range of motion at the hip and knee. It strengthens your quadriceps muscles(on the front of your thighs). Pedaling works your glutes and hamstrings (on the back of your thigh) to a lesser degree. Strong muscles help support and protect your joints. If you feel a little bit burdened, it is a good idea to switch to pedal-assist cycling.

Suitable riding position. The riding position is not a little thing. An appropriate saddle and handlebar height for your electric bike plays an important role in the right cycling position. The right riding position can somehow prevent your knees or joints from hurting during cycling. HJM electric bikes support adjustable saddles and handlebars so that you could adjust your ebike as you need.

Tips before you start cycling with bad knees

If you are not familiar with this kind of exercise, it is smart to talk and turn to your doctor. Meanwhile, many people don't know how to protect their knees when riding an electric bike. Protecting knees is especially important for those people with arthritis. Here are several tips for your reference before you start cycling with your electric bike:

Warm up and move gently. It is suggested to have an appropriate warm-up before doing exercise. Riding on an electric bike is also one of the exercises that helps your body in several ways. You might begin with a 10-minute warm-up before cycling, like moving your joints gently and doing some stretching.

Adjust your bike appropriately. An appropriate saddle height that suits you is crucial for comfortable riding, not hurting your knees or aggravating the pain. Whether the saddle is too high or too low, it will pay a bad influence on your knees.

Ride in a way that suits you. First of all, get the information on the right position of cycling. Poor riding postures, like bending your knees and don’t place your hands and arms very well, are harmful to your knees. Then, start from a short distance, with five or ten minutes at a pedal-assist mode. Go easy first, and then gradually increase the time and change mode as you progress. Last but not least, stop if you feel any uncomfortable. For example, take a break right now if your joints start to ache, or change the gears step by step. Sharp changes in intensity can increase inflammation in the knees.

Hope these tips could help you get the answer about whether to choose an electric bike if you are with arthritis. It is suggested that you talk to your doctor first before you make the decision. Whatever, electric bikes are not harmful to your knees. Even though, it is necessary to do something to keep your knees safe while riding.

*Article  in  The Journal of Rheumatology · January 2016, DOI: 10.3899/jrheum.151110