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Achilles
Tendons
If you have pain in the Achilles tendons, the tendons at the
back of the ankle that connect the calf muscle to the heel. in
these
tendons,
it usually indicates a problem in pedaling technique.
Achilles tendon problems often result from "ankling" during
the pedal stroke.
This is occasionally related to
- having the saddle
set too high therefore forcing the cyclist to point the toes
excessively to reach the bottom of the pedal stroke.
- or having
your cleats set too far forward,
- or otherwise pedaling
with the toes.
The farther forward the contact between the foot
and
the pedal, the greater the stress on the Achilles tendons.
Ankles
Ankle pain while cycling can again be the result of "ankling" while
pedaling. Pain may also result from being flat-footed, in
which case orthotic shoe inserts are a likely remedy.
Another possible cause of ankle pain is a bent pedal or crank
which will cause the foot to wobble back and forth as the pedals
turn.
Back
Back pain is usually caused by poor cycling posture.
Good cycling posture is different to that required for sitting
or standing. Correct cycling posture must facilitate the pedaling
action, and also must enable the rider to cope with the jolts
that result from road irregularities.
When riding a cycle, the back should be arched, like a bridge.
If the back is properly arched, bumps will cause it to flex slightly;
this is harmless. If you ride
swaybacked, bumps will cause the back to bow even farther in
the forward direction, which can lead to severe lumbar pain.
Some back-pain sufferers modify their cycles with extra-high
handlebars so that they can sit bolt upright. This is actually
counterproductive in most cases, because a straight spine has
no way to "give" when the bike hits
bumps. Road irregularities will therefore jam the vertebrae together,
often aggravating existing back problems. The bolt-upright posture
is
comfortable only if you're sitting stationary on the bike abd
not moving faster than
a brisk walk. Riders
who for
any reason require such a position should use some form of suspension
e.g. a sprung saddle or suspension seat post.
Feet
Foot discomfort is often the result of inappropriate footwear,
specifically shoes with soft soles. It can also be the result
of riding
in a too-high a gear, which results in excessive pressure by
the foot on the pedal.
Fingers
Numbness of the fingers is a potentially dangerous symptom, as
it can often relate to carpal tunnel syndrome. This is
one of many problems which can result from bad upper body posture.
- The Two Bump Problem
Like your bum, the heel of your hand has two bumps, with a
sort of valley between.
There are important nerves which run through this valley and
it is important to avoid excessive pressure here.
Beware with padding. If you use thick handlebar
grips, or gloves with too much gel padding, the "bumps" that
are best able to carry weight will press through the foam, but
the foam in the middle will press back at the valley. Thus, as
with saddles, too much gel can worsen the problem it was
intended to correct!
Wrist angle.
Numbness can also be related to poor wrist positioning. Generally,
the wrist should be held so that the hand is pretty much in
line with the forearm. If your hand is bent upward from
the forearm,
the nerves can get pinched, causing numbness.
Knees
Cycling, done properly, is much less stressful to the knees
than many other aerobic activities, because there's no impact
involved.
Nevertheless, knee injuries do occur, again usually as a
result of poor technique or position.
- Gear Selection
A principal cause of knee problems is over-stress caused by
using too high a gear.
- Saddle Height
Another common cause of knee problems is incorrect saddle adjustment,
particularly if the saddle is too low. See my article on
Saddles for more details on this.
- Cleat Adjustment
Some knee problems result from incorrect placement of shoe
cleats. Everybody has a natural angle that their feet take
when cycling.
When you ride with plain pedals, your foot assumes this
angle,
and everything is fine.
However, if you use cleated shoes and matching
pedals, it is important that the cleat is adjusted so as
to permit your foot to be at its natural angle. If your cleats
are misadjusted,
the resulting twist on your lower leg will affect the alignment
of the knee joint, and cause problems.
This is less of an issue if you ride pedals with "float" in
the cleat attachment. Most newer clipless pedals offer
at least some float.
- Lateral Movement - Chondromalacia
The knee joint is basically a ball-and-socket joint, with
the ball at the bottom of the femur and the socket at the
top
of the shinbone.
A common cycling-related injury is called "chondromalacia",
and has to do with irritation of the cartilage pad in the "socket" which
provides lubrication for this joint.
Chondromalacia is often blamed on lateral movement of the
joint, and a common prescription is to strengthen the quadriceps
muscles
which run along the front of the thigh and along side the
front of the kneecap. It is these muscles which provide lateral
positioning
for the joint.
- Long Cranks
The longer your cranks are, the further your knees will have
to flex on each stroke. Different riders will have different
amounts
of flexibility, but riding with longer cranks
than you are used to can definitely cause problems.
Hands
If the skin of your hands gets sore, cycling gloves can help.
Neck
Neck problems are most often due to poor cycling posture. An
occasional source of neck trouble is poor adjustment of a helmet. If
the helmet is too low in front, the rider is forced to tilt
the
head upward to keep the helmet from blocking their forward
view.
Sharp backward bends in the neck can cause severe problems,
so make sure that your helmet is properly fitted for your riding
style.
Riders with a more aggressive riding position need to wear
their helmets farther back than those who sit more upright.
Poorly fitted glasses can also cause this problem.
Posture
Many inexperienced cyclists adopt a posture which allows their
upper bodies to be supported entirely by their bones. This
has the advantage that it requires no muscular effort, but
can lead
to discomfort or injury when road shocks are transmitted through
the rigid bones. This discomfort may affect the back, hands,
wrists, shoulders or neck.
Posture faults are mainly found in three places:
- The back
should be arched, like a bridge.
- The elbows should be slightly
bent, not straight and locked.
- The shoulders should be pushed
forward so that the muscles in the front of the chest help
carry the weight of the
upper body.
Many cyclists make the error of letting their upper
spine dangle forward, held up by the collar bones.
Rolling the shoulders forward counteracts the bending
of the arms, resulting in the same general angle of the
upper body
as a relaxed,
bone-supported posture provides, but with the resiliency
of muscles providing shock absorption.
Shoulders
Shoulder discomfort is again generally due to faults
in the rider's posture. It can also be caused
by having the saddle angle too low in front: This
tends to make
you slide
forward
as you ride,
and
you wind
up using your hands to push yourself back into position.
If you have pain in just one shoulder, it may be
due to an asymmetry. Are you bending your arms both
the
same amount?
Are you holding
one of your shoulders higher than the other?
Some people have one arm longer than the
other. For these people, it may help to deliberately
set the
handlebars
slightly
askew with respect to the front wheel, turning them
away from the longer arm.
Wrists
Wrist pain is often casued by poor upper body posture. It can
also be caused by having the saddle angle too low in front: This
tends to make you slide forward
as you ride,
and
you wind
up using your hands to push yourself back into position.
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