Something You Have to Know About How to Prevent Injury in Cycling

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Since the first bicycle appears, cycling has become one of the most popular ways to keep fit, lose weight, commute and relax. According to the report, in America, there are 80 million cyclists now. Although cycling can bring people many advantages, it still has some inevitable shortcomings. The most common disadvantage is injury causing by cycling.

The studies showed that there is a large number of cyclists get physical problems: 48 percent get neck problem, 42 percent have injured their knees, 36 percent damage their groin and buttocks, 31percent hurt their hands and 31 percent suffer from the back problem of cyclists. Most of them get injured from the high-speed cycling and high-intensity training. While some injuries cannot be avoided, cyclists still have some things can do to prevent most injuries. Following are several types of cycling injuries and the ways to prevent them.

Neck pain

When your neck stays a position for a long time while riding, you will get the neck pain. Neck pain is caused by tightness in the muscle that starts from the base of your head and runs along the sides of your neck. If your handlebars are too low, your neck has to strain to look forward. And the way to prevent this problem is that you can do shoulder shrugs and neck stretches regularly. Stretching the muscle can relax your neck and make it easier to maintain the proper position.



Lower back pain

With the raising of the people’s life quality, people become lazier and lazier and spend longer time on sitting. Hence most of the 21st century people have back pain problem. For cycling, riders spend time in the same position for a long time without relaxing will also hurt the back pain muscle. The repeated and continuous posture means that a lot of stress going through the spine. Except doing some stretch job, you also have to do the warm-up. As a cyclist, you should warm your body from head to toe to prevent the cycling injury.

Knee pain

Knee pain is the most common injury of cyclists in the sport and this is usually because of overusing the knees. When cyclists are riding, their knees do the bent and unbent work again and again. Generally, riders can fasten their feet to the pedals with the cleats on the bottom of their shoes but they are not in the correct position, it will cause sharp pain in the knees. Therefore, you have to care about the position of your shoes and adjust the cleat will be helpful.



The ITB (Iliotibial Band) Syndrome is frequently referred as a problem in many knee injuries, which is also caused due to the repeated bending and straightening of the knees. In addition, the height of saddle is also a reason that leads to ITB Syndrome. If your bike saddle is too high then your knee tends to over straightens, and the knee will over bend if it’s too low. So you have to set the right saddle position that makes you comfortable. Ideally, the saddle height should be adjusted to allow a small knee bend when the pedal reaches the very bottom of the revolution. Moreover, patella and quadriceps tendinitis should also be concerned. They are other common knee overuse injuries.



Achilles Tendonitis

Achilles Tendonitis is a kind of inflammation because of overuse. Make sure your bicycle is suited for you and your shoe cleats are put in the proper position. If you feel pain, you should stop riding for a while and rest for few days. If it becomes worse, your foot will be swelling. If it does, put ice on it and it will be detumescence and give you some comfortable feelings. You should also check your saddle—not too high or too low.



Foot Numbness

Usually, you feel numbness after a long distance cycling or high strength interval training. When you can’t feel your feet, you should think about your shoes whether is proper for you. Make sure the cleats are not too far forward or it will increase the pressure around the ball of the foot. If you do too much hill riding, your foot can also get a lot of pressure and it will cause foot numbness, too. It is important to purchase the shoes that are too narrow to squeeze your feet too tight.



Muscle Tightness

When you’re continuous riding, you will use the muscle of thighs and calves and they will be too tight. You may not feel it while riding because your body is too smart and has adapted the prolonged motion. Too much tightness may cause tearing, so care about your muscle and take a break while cycling and relax your muscle. Warm up before you start and cool down when you’re done.



Saddle Sores

Saddle sores are caused by the friction between your skin, clothing and the saddle. It is a kind of skin disorder that develops by sitting in the saddle for a long time. You can wear the right and comfortable shorts. You can also use a cream to help relieve the uneasiness of the skin friction against the saddle. You have to stand up now and then, avoiding sitting so long.



As a kind of aerobic exercise, you can strengthen the power of your muscle and keep you fit. However, you cannot ignore its shortcoming and risk when you’re riding. Prevention is better than cure at any time. Protecting yourself no matter what exercise you take.