Preventing Cycling Injuries
Cycling is good for you, we all know that. Regular cycling will give you a cardiovascular system of someone much younger than yourself,keeping the heart pumping and the blood flowing, will ensure your cardiovascular system stays in top working order. There are however problems associated with cycling, back problems for example are a recurrent problem. Looking after your back is essential if you are to enjoy the pleasures and the benefits from cycling. It's also good to know how to prevent other cycling related injuries
Back injuries seem to be common amongst cyclists. A recent study in the International Journal of sports medicine questioned 518 recreational cyclists and found that 85% of them had at least some form of back injury, 85% is an enormous number.
Over 79% of cyclists who cycle an average of 75 miles a week, reported some form of back or neck injury problem, knee problems accounted for 41.7% of the same group, while 31% reported wrist and hand pain and 36% reported suffering from groin and buttock strain.
Doctor Michael Lanning, a chiropractor who specialises in cycling related joints and spine injuries, says cyclists have strong leg muscles but weak torso strength. They lack the torso strength to support and resist the force, which the legs can generate, he goes on to say "if the torso is weak the force generated from the legs doesn't go into the pedals but is dissipated in flexing of the abdomen."
Riding alone will not develop a sufficiently strong torso; Doctor Lanning goes on to say;" riding a bike with underdeveloped abs is like riding a bike with a cracked frame, all the energy is dissipated. There are a few things you can do to prevent cycling injuries. " Here are a few tips to avoid suffering back and neck pain.
Neck and upper back pain
This is most often caused by the riding position. if the riding position is bad excessive strain is placed on the frame of the body causing repetitive injuries like neck and upper back pain, if you begin suffering from this the first thing to check is your riding position. Riding for long distances in drop handlebars position will increase the load on the arm and the shoulders it will also strain the neck.
Many cyclists suffer from this early in the cycling season when they get back on their bike for the first time after an absence. Ensuring your bike is set up correctly will go some way to alleviating this problem. Make sure your cycling position is optimised to your size, you may have to raise the seat or handlebars. Ensuring your bike is a good fit to you is one of the most important things you can do when choosing a bike.
This is why I always recommend buying a bike from a specialist shop. People who work in these shops are usually very knowledgeable about cycling and will help you to choose a bike that is right for your frame and size. Making sure you get a bike that is a good fit for you is essential to avoiding repetitive strain injury. Take your time over this. There's nothing worse for a cyclist than riding a bike that is too big or small, or set up wrongly.
Another good technique while riding to reduce muscle strain, is to change your riding position frequently, move your hand position to the top of the handlebars and then the sides. Alternating your hand position will prevent prologue strain taking hold of your body.
Lower back pain
Again, you should first look at your bike setup. As mentioned above, if you make sure you choose the right bike for your size, many of these problems will not occur. If your saddle is too high this will cause you to rock from side to side putting a strain on the muscles between your pelvis and lower back. Joy Potts, an Osteopath specialising in sports injuries, advises cyclists to put their heel on the pedal at the six o'clock position and sit on the saddle, your legs should be almost straight and you shouldn't have to lock your hips to reach down.
She goes on to say that; "pelvic position is paramount. Tight quads will tilt the pelvis forward, while tight hamstrings will tilt it back, in both cases, your lower back will over-arch and start to take the strain when it should be on your much bigger muscles in the Core. Pushing bigger gears or over doing it on the hills can strain the glutes and hamstrings, again leading to pain.
The key message is you need to strengthen your core away from the bike before your back takes the strain, and focus on stretching to maintain pelvic position even when you're tired," Says Potts.
The key message from this, is that as cyclists, we need to engage in other exercises to strengthen the core of our body. Especially concentrating on the abs and back muscles. Strengthening these areas of your body will reduce the chance of you suffering from repetitive strain injuries.
Back injuries seem to be common amongst cyclists. A recent study in the International Journal of sports medicine questioned 518 recreational cyclists and found that 85% of them had at least some form of back injury, 85% is an enormous number. Over 79% of cyclists who cycle an average of 75 miles a week, reported some form of back or neck injury problem, knee problems accounted for 41.7% of the same group, while 31% reported wrist and hand pain and 36% reported suffering from groin and buttock strain.
Doctor Michael Lanning, a chiropractor who specialises in cycling related joints and spine injuries, says cyclists have strong leg muscles but weak torso strength. They lack the torso strength to support and resist the force, which the legs can generate, he goes on to say "if the torso is weak the force generated from the legs doesn't go into the pedals but is dissipated in flexing of the abdomen."
Riding alone will not develop a sufficiently strong torso; Doctor Lanning goes on to say;" riding a bike with underdeveloped abs is like riding a bike with a cracked frame, all the energy is dissipated." Here are a few tips to avoid suffering back and neck pain. of 13there
Neck and upper back pain
This is most often caused by the riding position. if the riding position is bad excessive strain is placed on the frame of the body causing repetitive injuries like neck and upper back pain, if you begin suffering from this the first thing to check is your riding position. Riding for long distances in drop handlebars position will increase the load on the arm and the shoulders it will also strain the neck.
Many cyclists suffer from this early in the cycling season when they get back on their bike for the first time after an absence. Ensuring your bike is set up correctly will go some way to alleviating this problem. Make sure your cycling position is optimised to your size, you may have to raise the seat or handlebars. Ensuring your bike is a good fit to you is one of the most important things you can do when choosing a bike.
This is why I always recommend buying a bike from a specialist shop. People who work in these shops are usually very knowledgeable about cycling and will help you to choose a bike that is right for your frame and size. Making sure you get a bike that is a good fit for you is essential to avoiding repetitive strain injury. Take your time over this. There's nothing worse for a cyclist than riding a bike that is too big or small, or set up wrongly.
Another good technique while riding to reduce muscle strain, is to change your riding position frequently, move your hand position to the top of the handlebars and then the sides. Alternating your hand position will prevent prologue strain taking hold of your body.
Lower back pain
Again, you should first look at your bike setup. As mentioned above, if you make sure you choose the right bike for your size, many of these problems will not occur. If your saddle is too high this will cause you to rock from side to side putting a strain on the muscles between your pelvis and lower back. Joy Potts, an Osteopath specialising in sports injuries, advises cyclists to put their heel on the pedal at the six o'clock position and sit on the saddle, your legs should be almost straight and you shouldn't have to lock your hips to reach down.
She goes on to say that; "pelvic position is paramount. Tight quads will tilt the pelvis forward, while tight hamstrings will tilt it back, in both cases, your lower back will over-arch and start to take the strain when it should be on your much bigger muscles in the Core.
Pushing bigger gears or over doing it on the hills can strain the glutes and hamstrings, again leading to pain. The key message is you need to strengthen your core away from the bike before your back takes the strain, and focus on stretching to maintain pelvic position even when you're tired," Says Potts.
The key message from this, is that as cyclists, we need to engage in other exercises to strengthen the core of our body. Especially concentrating on the abs and back muscles. Strengthening these areas of your body will reduce the chance of you suffering from repetitive strain injuries.
Back injuries seem to be common amongst cyclists. A recent study in the International Journal of sports medicine questioned 518 recreational cyclists and found that 85% of them had at least some form of back injury, 85% is an enormous number.
Over 79% of cyclists who cycle an average of 75 miles a week, reported some form of back or neck injury problem, knee problems accounted for 41.7% of the same group, while 31% reported wrist and hand pain and 36% reported suffering from groin and buttock strain.
Doctor Michael Lanning, a chiropractor who specialises in cycling related joints and spine injuries, says cyclists have strong leg muscles but weak torso strength. They lack the torso strength to support and resist the force, which the legs can generate, he goes on to say "if the torso is weak the force generated from the legs doesn't go into the pedals but is dissipated in flexing of the abdomen."
Riding alone will not develop a sufficiently strong torso; Doctor Lanning goes on to say;" riding a bike with underdeveloped abs is like riding a bike with a cracked frame, all the energy is dissipated. There are a few things you can do to prevent cycling injuries. " Here are a few tips to avoid suffering back and neck pain.
Neck and upper back pain
This is most often caused by the riding position. if the riding position is bad excessive strain is placed on the frame of the body causing repetitive injuries like neck and upper back pain, if you begin suffering from this the first thing to check is your riding position. Riding for long distances in drop handlebars position will increase the load on the arm and the shoulders it will also strain the neck.
Many cyclists suffer from this early in the cycling season when they get back on their bike for the first time after an absence. Ensuring your bike is set up correctly will go some way to alleviating this problem. Make sure your cycling position is optimised to your size, you may have to raise the seat or handlebars. Ensuring your bike is a good fit to you is one of the most important things you can do when choosing a bike.
This is why I always recommend buying a bike from a specialist shop. People who work in these shops are usually very knowledgeable about cycling and will help you to choose a bike that is right for your frame and size. Making sure you get a bike that is a good fit for you is essential to avoiding repetitive strain injury. Take your time over this. There's nothing worse for a cyclist than riding a bike that is too big or small, or set up wrongly.
Another good technique while riding to reduce muscle strain, is to change your riding position frequently, move your hand position to the top of the handlebars and then the sides. Alternating your hand position will prevent prologue strain taking hold of your body.
Lower back pain
Again, you should first look at your bike setup. As mentioned above, if you make sure you choose the right bike for your size, many of these problems will not occur. If your saddle is too high this will cause you to rock from side to side putting a strain on the muscles between your pelvis and lower back. Joy Potts, an Osteopath specialising in sports injuries, advises cyclists to put their heel on the pedal at the six o'clock position and sit on the saddle, your legs should be almost straight and you shouldn't have to lock your hips to reach down.
She goes on to say that; "pelvic position is paramount. Tight quads will tilt the pelvis forward, while tight hamstrings will tilt it back, in both cases, your lower back will over-arch and start to take the strain when it should be on your much bigger muscles in the Core. Pushing bigger gears or over doing it on the hills can strain the glutes and hamstrings, again leading to pain.
The key message is you need to strengthen your core away from the bike before your back takes the strain, and focus on stretching to maintain pelvic position even when you're tired," Says Potts.
The key message from this, is that as cyclists, we need to engage in other exercises to strengthen the core of our body. Especially concentrating on the abs and back muscles. Strengthening these areas of your body will reduce the chance of you suffering from repetitive strain injuries.
Back injuries seem to be common amongst cyclists. A recent study in the International Journal of sports medicine questioned 518 recreational cyclists and found that 85% of them had at least some form of back injury, 85% is an enormous number. Over 79% of cyclists who cycle an average of 75 miles a week, reported some form of back or neck injury problem, knee problems accounted for 41.7% of the same group, while 31% reported wrist and hand pain and 36% reported suffering from groin and buttock strain.
Doctor Michael Lanning, a chiropractor who specialises in cycling related joints and spine injuries, says cyclists have strong leg muscles but weak torso strength. They lack the torso strength to support and resist the force, which the legs can generate, he goes on to say "if the torso is weak the force generated from the legs doesn't go into the pedals but is dissipated in flexing of the abdomen."
Riding alone will not develop a sufficiently strong torso; Doctor Lanning goes on to say;" riding a bike with underdeveloped abs is like riding a bike with a cracked frame, all the energy is dissipated." Here are a few tips to avoid suffering back and neck pain. of 13there
Neck and upper back pain
This is most often caused by the riding position. if the riding position is bad excessive strain is placed on the frame of the body causing repetitive injuries like neck and upper back pain, if you begin suffering from this the first thing to check is your riding position. Riding for long distances in drop handlebars position will increase the load on the arm and the shoulders it will also strain the neck.
Many cyclists suffer from this early in the cycling season when they get back on their bike for the first time after an absence. Ensuring your bike is set up correctly will go some way to alleviating this problem. Make sure your cycling position is optimised to your size, you may have to raise the seat or handlebars. Ensuring your bike is a good fit to you is one of the most important things you can do when choosing a bike.
This is why I always recommend buying a bike from a specialist shop. People who work in these shops are usually very knowledgeable about cycling and will help you to choose a bike that is right for your frame and size. Making sure you get a bike that is a good fit for you is essential to avoiding repetitive strain injury. Take your time over this. There's nothing worse for a cyclist than riding a bike that is too big or small, or set up wrongly.
Another good technique while riding to reduce muscle strain, is to change your riding position frequently, move your hand position to the top of the handlebars and then the sides. Alternating your hand position will prevent prologue strain taking hold of your body.
Lower back pain
Again, you should first look at your bike setup. As mentioned above, if you make sure you choose the right bike for your size, many of these problems will not occur. If your saddle is too high this will cause you to rock from side to side putting a strain on the muscles between your pelvis and lower back. Joy Potts, an Osteopath specialising in sports injuries, advises cyclists to put their heel on the pedal at the six o'clock position and sit on the saddle, your legs should be almost straight and you shouldn't have to lock your hips to reach down.
She goes on to say that; "pelvic position is paramount. Tight quads will tilt the pelvis forward, while tight hamstrings will tilt it back, in both cases, your lower back will over-arch and start to take the strain when it should be on your much bigger muscles in the Core.
Pushing bigger gears or over doing it on the hills can strain the glutes and hamstrings, again leading to pain. The key message is you need to strengthen your core away from the bike before your back takes the strain, and focus on stretching to maintain pelvic position even when you're tired," Says Potts.
The key message from this, is that as cyclists, we need to engage in other exercises to strengthen the core of our body. Especially concentrating on the abs and back muscles. Strengthening these areas of your body will reduce the chance of you suffering from repetitive strain injuries.
评论
发表评论