Cycling
Five common cycling injuries and how to avoid them
If you’ve been training hard and have developed one of the typical ailments cyclists often encounter, we’ve pinpointed some quick and easy fixes for the most common culprits.
Cycling enjoyment is dependant on so many factors, but perhaps none more important than how you feel on the bike.
It’s easy to develop small injuries and niggles without truly understanding why or how they’ve manifested, so we’ve highlighted some of the most common ones and how you can either address them or avoid them completely.
A good bike fit is a foundation of safe and comfortable riding
© Leo Francis/Red Bull Content Pool
1. Knee problems
Knee pain is something that can start small, but very quickly develop to an unbearable level which will have you unable to ride without experiencing discomfort.
Simply put: front knee pain is usually down to a saddle that’s too low, while aching at the rear of the joint is often caused by a saddle that’s set too high. Lateral knee pain, where the knee is effectively twisting (so subtly that you may not even recognise it) and hurting on the inside or outside, can be attributed to your cleat position. An adjustment of even 1 millimetre in your cleat setting can transform how your knee “tracks”.
So, slight adjustments in saddle height and cleat position can make a world of difference if you are feeling twinges in your knees.
2. Lower back pain
Another repeat offender is lower back pain, and the most frequent root cause of this is having too short a reach on your bike (the horizontal distance between the bottom bracket and the centre of the top of the head tube).
The knock-on effect of short reach is that a rider will subconsciously arch his or her back in trying to compensate for the poor position. A rider will then also use their thighs, as opposed to their glutes, to pedal, and the combined outcome is lower back pain. A correctly measured reach is essential to help avoid lower back issues.
3. Rhomboid, trapezius and neck ache
Now that we know what effects short reach can have on your physical form on the bike, it’s time to call out long reach and help avoid the issues it can provoke.
Long reach will give you grief all around your shoulder, neck and upper back area, and will compound the small but ultimately significant impact that posture issues in daily life will already have paved the way for.
A tweak to stem length, seat setback, handlebar width or drop on your handlebars can all make massive differences to your reach, and finding the right balance between them will vastly improve your comfort and form on the bike and avoid further issues such as hand and wrist numbness.
4. Saddle rash (or worse, sores)
Without getting too intimate, there’s a world of discomfort that cyclists can face when it comes to saddle pressure.
Saddle height and width are both key points to address here, as sitting off-centre leads to pressure points.
A quality chamois in your cycling shorts is another crucial piece of the equation. Applying a specialised cream liberally to your chamois pre-ride will also help reduce friction and discomfort, and is also important in keeping things hygienic and bacteria-free.
5. Hot or tingling feet
Sounds odd, but it’s very real. Shoe fit, cleat position, pedal choice and even socks are all factors in this, and once hot or tingle foot starts on a ride it’s very hard to stop it without stopping your ride completely. The net result of this problem is a reduction in power and efficiency a rider is able to put through the pedals.
Making sure your shoes are not too tight (or loose) and are a width that works with your foot, that your cleat position isn’t too far forward or back, that the pedals you’re using are the most compatible with the shoe and sole material you have, and that your socks are the right density to fit comfortably with your shoes (and don’t have any ungainly seams running along your toes and applying pressure that can build over a ride) can all help address this area.
The “fix all” solution
An accurate bike fitting can solve all kinds of programmes
© Brian Chapel / Red Bull Content Pool
With so many possible injuries and niggles, and so many small but significant tweaks and alterations that can be made to your bike to help solve them, it can be hard to know where to begin and even if you’re making the right changes.
The “holy grail” of good form on the bike and, therefore, proactive rather than reactive injury prevention according to the most experienced cycling coaches is a comprehensive bike fit.
Being measured up professionally and having all the minor but very significant points addressed will stand you in the best possible stead for an injury-free ride and, just as importantly, have you riding at maximum comfort, too.
Stretching regularly can also help increase flexibility, and will also aid the aches that a few hours on the bike will incur. The more you stretch, the more supple and able your body will become at absorbing the stresses and strains even a well set-up bike will put on your body during longer training rides.