ok, i'm 5'6" so I'm shorter... .... now, not stepping into the clutch ALL the way will result in a tranny fix down the line.... if you are a person that sits far back, then use your ankles more and knee less. I have driven cars with much heavier clutches, mainly American.... Cobalt SS, Ford Mustang, Chevy Camaro.... wouldnt want to be in stop and go traffic in those cars.

 

Would raising the seat a little help? I would think adjusting the seat could resolve this issue. Mabe something else is causing our knee pain.

 

^^ I disagree, raising the see would worst it b/c you'll have to bend your knee more!

 

ur getting old.

jk but neways, u should be close enough to the front so that u can press the clutch all the way down. in other words, stop driving stunna style.

 

If you don't get the clutch all the way down, the pain could be due to locking your knees. Your knees should always be slightly bent, even with the clutch pressed all the way down.

When you lock your knees, the force of pressing the clutch pedal gets transferred from your leg muscles to your knees. So when you have the clutch pedal down with locked knees, all the strain is going straight to you knee joint. Keep the knees bent when pressing the pedal down. Kinda like lifting weights and not locking the joints.

 

Maybe a ThighMaster would help..

 

You'll get used to it. Any muscle aches if you start using it more than you used to. After your body adjusts, you won't experience any pain and might gain a VERY small amount of muscle on your left leg.

 

my advice for people with knee problems is to strengthen your quads. A great exercise, even without weights, is leg extensions. you can even do these at your desk at work. Extend one leg by slowly raising your foot all the way until your leg is straight and hold for 3-5 seconds while flexing/tightening your quad muscles as hard as you can...do 10 reps. Then do the same on your other leg. This helps not only strengthen your quads but stretches your hams. Do a couple sets of these at least every other day and I guarantee your knee problem will get better. It's also good for people like me with lower back problems.

My '93 civic was a manual, and i had to adjust the seat much closer to the front. I'm 5'8" too, but my legs are a bit short and my torso is a bit long proportionally, compared to most folks. Nothing unusual, but maybe that's why I never had knee problems; instead I had back problems/sciatica that made it very painful in my left leg all the way into my foot. Seriously, i was f*cked up and couldn't walk for certain periods. I had back surgery in '94 but it relapsed a couple times since then. The closer I sat to the front in my manual civic, the less strain I put on my back, so I'd drive around like an old granny and it probably looked funny but it was more comfortable when working the clutch.

One reason I'm loving my '06 civic so much is i can sit much further back now. The seats seem to provide more lumbar support, too. Anyway, i didn't mean to hijack your thread with my back problems. Try the leg extensions and that should make your knee stop aching.

 

okay I lowered the seat... that seems to have helped a little... I wonder about the seat angle though... Which is better on the knees, having your seat at like a 100 degree angle or like 105 or 110?

 

okay I lowered the seat... that seems to have helped a little... I wonder about the seat angle though... Which is better on the knees, having your seat at like a 100 degree angle or like 105 or 110?

That might help. Got your protractor?

 

what! are you a man or woman?

weak soft clutch = 1
You = 0

 

my advice for people with knee problems is to strengthen your quads. A great exercise, even without weights, is leg extensions. you can even do these at your desk at work.

Quads don't necessarily strengthen your knees. You can have strong quads and weak knees. Actually that's how bodybuilders typically get injured--they disproportionally strengthen one muscle area and another just can't take it.

Strengthening knees requires its own set of exercises. Balancing on a balancing pad strengths them. Basically any exercise that requires lateral stability works the muscles around the knees. A quad leg press machine wouldn't.

 

knees are a joint, not a muscle. The thinking in physical therapy of any joint is to strengthen the muscles responsible for bearing the weight and movement of the joint. For the knee, that muscle is the quad.

I'm not recommending weight training or muscle building. I'm recommending flexing the quads by lifting only your foot while seated. You're not going to get muscular that way--you're just going to give your quad the exercise it needs to take some of the strain off your knee and help the muscle, tendons, ligaments and joint all work better together. It helps.

 

You'll get used to it. Any muscle aches if you start using it more than you used to. After your body adjusts, you won't experience any pain and might gain a VERY small amount of muscle on your left leg.

I have to say, this is the best advice I've read so far. The best way to strenghten ANY part of your body is to USE it. Sure, if you want, work your quads and your pecs and your pinky fingers all you want. Or, you could just drive and eventually you'll get used to it.

About your height. Make sure you can reach the pedals. That's the most important thing. The steering wheel can adjust as well as the seat. Try all of those options and see how you like it. I bet in a week you'll be a pro with no pain.

 

Well, we all use our left knee, unless we're in a wheelchair. The question is what to do when it hurts or aches.

 

knees are a joint, not a muscle. The thinking in physical therapy of any joint is to strengthen the muscles responsible for bearing the weight and movement of the joint. For the knee, that muscle is the quad.

I never said knees are a muscle. There are smaller muscles around the knees that help you balance which are more important to maintain for stronger knees than the quads. An easy way to strengthen muscles around knees is to go on a step, and balance on one foot with your heels hangin in the air.

 

We're all assuming you don't have any previous knee problems?
Was your last car a manual?
Do you get much excercise?

These are all serious questions. Usually honda clutches are pretty light so I don't see how you could have a prob?

Like everyone else said - don't lock your knee and don't ride the clutch