{"id":13271,"date":"2015-06-24T11:42:03","date_gmt":"2015-06-24T10:42:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.merlincycles.com\/blog\/?p=13271"},"modified":"2015-07-07T11:24:58","modified_gmt":"2015-07-07T10:24:58","slug":"how-to-prevent-aches-and-injuries-whilst-cycling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.merlincycles.com\/blog\/how-to-prevent-aches-and-injuries-whilst-cycling\/","title":{"rendered":"How to prevent cycling aches and injuries"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Paul Sanderson from PS Physiotherapy gives us his tips on how to prevent aches and injuries whilst cycling.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Cyclists sometimes ask me, &#8220;as a cyclist what are the common and most frequent injuries I may experience&#8221; Here&#8217;s my list of the main ones that I encounter with cyclists in my job as a physio.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Anterior knee pain &#8211; pain at the front of your knee<\/li>\n<li>ITB syndrome &#8211; pain on the outside of your knee<\/li>\n<li>Wrist injuries &#8211; \u2018handlebar palsy\u2019<\/li>\n<li>Low back pain<\/li>\n<li>Neck pain<\/li>\n<li>Hip pain<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>What can lead to these problem areas? What can you do to help prevent them?<\/p>\n<p>Here are my\u00a0Top Tips&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-13426 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.merlincycles.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/061.jpg\" alt=\"06\" width=\"767\" height=\"518\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 767px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 767\/518;\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Arm position<\/h2>\n<p>Poor arm position, by reaching too far, means that the trapezius muscle needs to work and this can lead to neck pain. Over-reaching also results in excessive flexion of the lumbar spine resulting in low back pain<\/p>\n<p>If the neck is sustained in a poor position this can lead to nerve compression (cervical\u00a0radiculopathy) which can cause pain, pins and needles and\/or numbness in the arms.<\/p>\n<p>Excessive handlebar drop is the most common cause of neck pain. Try not to reach too far (not letting the arms extend beyond 90 degrees). You need to aim for \u2018soft arms\u2019 whilst your hands are on the hoods.<\/p>\n<h2>Importance of warm up and cool down<\/h2>\n<p>A good warm up is key to increasing the heart rate, helping to increase the blood flow to the muscles and ensure a more effective training session.<\/p>\n<p>A good cool down is important to help reduce the stiffness and soreness in the muscles the next day.<\/p>\n<h2>Encouraging efficient cadence<\/h2>\n<p>This is essentially pedalling efficiently. You need to develop an efficient pedalling technique. If your cadence is more efficient it helps you to reduce stress on the knee joints.\u00a0Most people&#8217;s cadence is around 90rpm. You are aiming to achieve around 80rpm, or what feels comfortable for you.<\/p>\n<p>The ability to develop and be conscious of your cadence helps improve your body&#8217;s neuromuscular control.<\/p>\n<p>You should not try to pedal in circles. Don\u2019t consciously pull up on the pedal. Evidence demonstrates that pedalling like this does not improve cycling efficiency. Attempting to pedal like this can create problems at your hip. It is the overwhelming power of the thigh and glute on the other pedal (downstroke) that negates any contribution the biomechanically-inhibited hip flexors can make.<\/p>\n<p>The hip flexors should only work to control the movement and to get the leg over the top part of the pedal stroke revolution.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-13427 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.merlincycles.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/08.jpg\" alt=\"08\" width=\"448\" height=\"297\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 448px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 448\/297;\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Cleat set up<\/h2>\n<p>You need to get your cleats in the right position on your shoes. The position you lock your foot into the pedal is a big deal. This interface needs to be correct as it allows you to apply as much energy to the pedal rather than wasting energy trying to stabilise the foot\/pedal interface.<\/p>\n<p>If you are locked in incorrectly this can predispose you to &#8216;overuse injuries&#8217; such as anterior knee pain (pain at the front of your knee), ITB band friction, hip pain and low back pain.<\/p>\n<p>As a general rule you want to align the ball of the foot with the centre of the pedal.\u00a0However, it needs to be highlighted that the cleat position can be very individual.<\/p>\n<h2>Correct saddle height<\/h2>\n<p>This is important to prevent back pain and knee problems.<\/p>\n<p>Cycling involves being in a position of prolonged flexion at the lumber spine.\u00a0An excessively flexed posture can cause pain through muscle fatigue, chronic tension of the ligaments or compression of discs in the spine.<\/p>\n<p>The optimal knee angle for riding is 30-40 degrees (of maximum knee flexion).\u00a0The optimum height of your saddle can be influenced by hamstring flexibility and this can manifest itself as pain at the back of the knee where the hamstring muscles insert and also\u00a0pain at the outside of the knee.<\/p>\n<h2>Core strength and muscles<\/h2>\n<p>Strong abdominals and glutes create a more stable pelvic position.<\/p>\n<p>Fatigue in the glutes and hamstring muscles can cause back-sloping of the pelvis, straining the back muscles and causing pain.<\/p>\n<p>A combination of strength training of the core muscle group and lower limb stretching will aid in pelvic stability and produce a more efficient cycling ability.<\/p>\n<h2>Wrist position<\/h2>\n<p>Poor wrist position on the bike can lead to carpal tunnel syndrome and also \u2018Handlebar palsy\u2019 (AKA ulnar nerve palsy). Both of these conditions lead to pain and\/or pins and needles and numbness in the hands. These symptoms can be caused by excessive weight bearing through the hands and your hand positioning (excessive wrist extension).<\/p>\n<p>Anyone who plans to ride the bike for any period of time should consider having their position assessed by a trained professional to ensure optimal efficiency, comfort and injury prevention.<\/p>\n<h2>A bit about the author<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-13396 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.merlincycles.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/paul4-150x150.png\" alt=\"paul4\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.merlincycles.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/paul4-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.merlincycles.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/paul4.png 376w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 150px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 150\/150;\" \/>Paul Sanderson has been cycling time trials, road racing and competing in triathlons for 20 years from \u2018sprint distance\u2019 up to \u2018ironman\u2019 events and has represented GB in both world and european age group competition.<\/p>\n<p>Paul is the Founder Member of Preston Triathlon club in 1997 and is currently the club President.<\/p>\n<p>Paul has specialised in the musculoskeletal field of physiotherapy for over 10years and using his experience in sport has developed a particular focus on sports and athletic assessment and rehabilitation<\/p>\n<p>Paul is also a qualified Bike Fitter and has gained \u2018Cyclefit Education Programme Diploma\u2019 and applies these skills uses skills working with a range of cyclists from amateur up to elite cyclists.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/paulsandersonphysiotherapy.com\">paulsandersonphysiotherapy.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Paul Sanderson from PS Physiotherapy gives us his tips on how to prevent aches and injuries whilst cycling.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":13426,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[69,4],"tags":[1554,590,1636,1240,415,418],"ppma_author":[4639],"class_list":["post-13271","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cycling-how-to-guides","category-news","tag-guest-blog","tag-how-to","tag-injury","tag-physio","tag-top-tips","tag-training","author-benji"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.4 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How to prevent cycling aches and injuries - Merlin Cycles Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.merlincycles.com\/blog\/how-to-prevent-aches-and-injuries-whilst-cycling\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to prevent cycling aches and injuries\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Paul Sanderson from PS Physiotherapy gives us his tips on how to prevent aches and injuries whilst cycling. 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