Pain in the neck, nape and numbness of the hands while riding a bicycle, with its intensive use, appear very often. Their cause is primarily an incorrect posture resulting from inadequate regulation of the bicycle. Read on for solutions to neck pain, neck pain, and hand numbness while cycling, and what to do if they do occur.

Pain in the neck, neck and numbness in the handsare ailments that both beginners and experienced cyclists struggle with - it is difficult to find a two-wheeler who says that when riding and after riding, he never fails it didn't hurt. Fortunately, it is usually easy to diagnose the reasons for this state of affairs and implement steps to counteract them.

Pain in the neck, nape and numbness of the hands on the bike - what causes them?

  • Causes of neck pain

If you are wondering why you develop neck pain during or shortly after cycling, there may be several answers. First of all, the fact that you assume a tilted position while driving, and thus - in order to be able to see well what is happening on the road - you crank your head. This is an unnatural position and unnatural muscle tension.

Every day, when we move our heads in turns, we tighten and relax the neck muscles, and cycling with a constant bent posture requires constant tension. As a result, the blood vessels that carry oxygen to the muscles in the neck narrow, leading to hypersensitivity of the muscle fibers and cramps. Sometimes these ailments can even cause cervical migraines, which are headaches caused by compression of the cervical nerves, and manifest themselves as pain radiating from the back of the head to the forehead.

If the pain persists after adjusting the bike, your muscles may be damaged or inflamed and you should consult your doctor.

  • Causes of neck pain

Neck pain on the bike also causes a forced lean position. Then the blood circulation within the soft tissues is disturbed, and hence - their damage. These changes concern the thoracic and cervical spine, where the brachial nerve plexus is located, responsible for the innervation of the arms. Disorders intheir functioning is caused by pain in the shoulders, neck and neck. Moreover, the unnatural stretching of the arms during cycling contributes to overloading either the levator of the shoulder blade, which causes pain in the entire shoulder, or in the scapula joint, which in turn leads to pain in the shoulder plexus and the thoracic spine.

  • Causes of hand numbness

Also, numbness of the hand appears as a result of adopting a wrong posture. Our position on the bike has three points of support: legs on the pedals, buttocks on the saddle and hands on the handlebars. The legs are supported by the pedals, but the buttocks and hands are responsible for maintaining the weight of the torso. The former are used to it every day, unlike the hands. The situation is also made worse by the too low position of the steering wheel, because then there is even more weight on the hands. Similarly with the length of the frame - the longer it is, the more we have to stretch our arms forward. No wonder your hands feel numb.

Cycling - He alth Benefits

How to position the bike to avoid neck and hand pain?

The key is to properly adjust the bicycle. Pay attention to the correct setting of the saddle and the height of the handlebars - the height of the saddle is best set using the LeMond method or the Holmes method, a description of which can be found in the article below. The saddle should be horizontal, with no inclination at an angle.

After the saddle, you need to properly set the handlebar - in the case of a trekking bike, at the beginning of the season it can be placed as high as the saddle, then you can lower it. Road cyclists keep the seat and handlebars low to get the most aerodynamic position.

Correct positioning on the bike will prevent pain in the neck and hands

Correct positioning is also a key to avoiding neck pain, neck pain and hand numbness when cycling, and largely dependent on the adjustment of the bicycle.

  • Dutch bike- the most comfortable position, close to the right angle between the back and the ground, the grip of the handlebar is close to the chest. The handlebar is placed higher (up to 5 cm) than the saddle.
  • City bike- back position with a slight inclination to the ground - 30-70 degrees. The handlebar is at the same height or up to 5 cm higher than the saddle.
  • Trekking bike- the right position requires a back inclination of 30-60 degrees to the ground.
  • Road bike- requires a large back inclination, because getting the right speed is more important than comfort. So the tilt is 15-30 degrees, and the saddleis located higher than the steering wheel. This position should definitely not be taken during recreational riding, as it increases unnatural muscle tension and may cause pain.

Exercises for neck pain, neck pain and numbness of hands on a bicycle

We can also cope with pain ailments from time to time by getting off the bike and doing a few simple relaxing exercises.

Exercises for neck pain

The way to deal with neck pain is to remember to relax and tense her muscles while riding. These gentle movements are not an obstacle during exercise and do not require a lot of work. It is also worth taking a break while driving and doing exercises to stretch the neck muscles:

  • touch the head with your left hand and tilt it to the left. Press your hand on your head and at the same time your head on your hand as if you want to counteract its movement. Hold this position for 20 seconds, then touch the head with your right hand and tilt it to the right (also pressing one against the other) and hold for 20 seconds - repeat the exercise 2 times;
  • incline the left ear towards the left shoulder and hold this position for 30 seconds, then do the same with the right side of the body - repeat the exercise 2 times.

Remember also about the helmet - preferably it should be light and not put additional strain on the neck, and it should not have a visor that limits the field of vision and forces you to tighten the neck muscles even more. The visor is usually not needed for recreational riding.

Exercise for neck pain

A pain in the neck will be helped by shoulder exercises, which should be performed every half an hour after cycling or when painful ailments appear:

  • stand upright, slightly straddling, with arms freely lowered along the body. Then lift your shoulders up and point them backwards in a circular motion - repeat the exercise 10 times.
This will be useful to you

Remedy for hand numbness when cycling

The risk of hand numbness will be reduced if you equip your bicycle handlebar with horns, which significantly improve the comfort of riding and the adoption of a comfortable hand position on the handlebar. It is also worth wrapping the handlebar with a wrap that dampens vibrations. Also remember to adjust the steering wheel so that the torso is slightly supported on the hands, but its weight does not rest completely on them.

Numbness and chafing of intimate parts while cycling

This is a particularly painful problem that most often affects men. The numbness of the penis while cycling is the result of prolonged pressure on the blood vessels and nerves that are responsible forfor transporting blood to the corpora cavernosa of the penis. It is on these nerves and vessels that we sit while cycling. The prostate is also exposed to injuries (impact, pressure).

To help yourself, you should shift the pressure from the perineum to the pelvis, which will be helped by taking a position as upright and close to the steering wheel as possible. It is much easier to find it when riding a city bike and trekking bike than on a road bike. It is also important to have the appropriate spacing of the pelvic bones, which allows saddles not less than 13 cm wide. So the saddle should not be narrow and neither too soft (the one in which we sink into), nor too hard.

Women experience much less intimate symptoms related to cycling. There may be chafing, which will also be minimized by a suitable saddle - wider at the back (women have wider hips than men) and narrower at the front. Also neither too soft nor too hard. Gel saddles are very comfortable, and if you do not want to buy a new one - you can buy a separate gel overlay, which will increase the comfort of riding.

Category:

ABC of exercises