As soon as I start riding regularly, my knees ache. Any suggestions?
If your knees hurt only after riding, and not when you’re walking and doing everyday things, there’s an excellent chance that your problem is caused by riding too much or too hard, before proper conditioning. Or, that it’s related to how your bicycle is adjusted. These things are the most common causes of knee pain in cyclists.
We can look at you and your bike to check the fit. Likely knee irritants include foot positioning and seat-height and fore-and-aft adjustment errors.
Even if the bike fits perfectly, it’s easy to get carried away while riding, push yourself too hard and then wake up with sore knees the next day. It’s best to take it easy and build your base fitness for the first month of the cycling season by spinning easy gears (maintain a pedal rate of approximately seventy to ninety revolutions per minute). Also, avoid the hills, or at least take it easy when climbing. This type of riding will allow your delicate body joints to gradually adapt to the work load of cycling. Plus, the miles will strengthen the quadriceps muscles in the thighs that support the knees.
One common reason for aching knees is that the muscles that track your knee-cap are under too much stress. A good exercise to build these up is to write alphabets with your big toe while seated on a chair. Another very effective drill is as follows – sit on a chair, place your right ankle above your left ankle and push down with right ankle while pushing up with the left. Change legs and repeat. Do a dozen sets of these exercises several times a day.
We’re not doctors, though. If you’ve developed pain in your knee that won’t go away, you should seek professional help before riding more.
I get a numb crotch while riding. What’s the cure?
Some of the things that can cause this painful problem include: a seat that doesn’t fit your anatomy correctly; too high a seat; an angled seat that doesn’t support you correctly; and riding in one position for too long without standing or moving around.
That’s a lot of stuff to check. What we recommend is trying one solution at a time, starting with the easiest, which is to move around on the seat occasionally to change the pressure points while pedaling. And, to stand at regular intervals to take all pressure off the crotch. Many cyclists get in the bad habit of sitting in one spot on the seat. That’s fine, if it doesn’t cause problems. When numbness sets in, though, that’s plenty of incentive to get moving and standing every fifteen minutes or so on rides.
Seat position is important and easily adjusted. The seat top should be level or angled for comfort no more than three degrees up or down. And the seat should be set high enough (but not too high), so that when the balls of your feet are over the pedal axles and your feet are at the bottom of the pedal stroke, your knees are slightly bent. If, at the bottom of the stroke, your knees are locked or nearly straight, it means the seat is too high, which could be what’s causing the numbness. When a seat is too high, you can’t support as much body weight on your feet, which means a concentration of pressure on the seat, causing numbness.
Hopefully, this advice will end the numbness. Let us know if we can help in any way. Cycling shouldn’t hurt!
How can I prevent numb hands when riding?
Numbness in the hands and fingers while riding can occur because two important nerves, the ulnar and median, run right through your palms, the very same spots that support your weight on a bike. If you’re not careful, you can easily put too much pressure on these nerves and put your hands to sleep, a painful condition that can last even after you’ve stopped riding.
The first and simplest solution to try is checking your riding habits. Do you usually maintain the same grip on rides, rarely moving your hands on the handlebars? Would you describe how you hold the bars as resting your hands on them or squeezing them? Are you cycling in quality cycling gloves that fit well? Besides the numbness in your hands, are you suffering elsewhere on rides such as in your lower back, neck or shoulders?
By answering these questions, you should be able to figure out what’s causing the numbness and relieve it. Gripping the handlebars in one spot throughout a ride, and holding on too tightly to the handlebars, are two common causes.
Good gloves are also important. They must fit comfortably because tight gloves can restrict circulation causing numbness. Padding type and thickness is important.
Preventing Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) in Cyclists
Cyclists may be at risk of developing CTS due to long hours spent in one position. These eight tips can help you prevent carpal tunnel syndrome while grinding out those long hours on the bike.
CTS is a condition that occurs when the nerves and tendons running through the carpal tunnel of the wrist become irritated and swollen. The carpal tunnel is a narrow passage in the wrist comprising bones and ligaments through which nerves and tendons pass into the hand. When the wrist is overused, used improperly, or injured, swelling of the tissues in the carpal tunnel compresses the nerves and tendons. This can cause pain, weakness, numbness, tingling, and swelling in the hand and fingers.
Cyclists may be at risk of developing CTS due to long hours spent in one position, road vibration, and pressure from the hand positions we endure.
Fortunately, there are some things you can do to mitigate this condition. If you are experiencing any of the symptoms above, start with the following tips. If the condition persists see your doctor immediately.
1. Ensure that you have a proper bike fit. Positions resulting in your weight not being distributed correctly throughout the bike can put you at high risk. If your saddle is tilted downward, this can put additional weight on to your hands.
2. Vary your position on the handlebars at least once every 15 minutes. By changing your position, you reduce the risk of compression. Avoid putting too much pressure from the bars on the carpal tunnel.
3. Wear cycling gloves. Invest in a good pair that has a lot of padding or gel in the palm – cycling specific gloves have padding in the required places, unlike gym gloves for example.
4. Use good handlebar tape. You may even want to install gel bar pads under the tape.
5. Switch to a carbon bar. Carbon fiber reduces road vibration. A carbon fiber handle bar may be just the trick.
6. Stay light on the bars. Keep a loose grip. Beginners suffer from CTS more frequently because they are less confident and grip the bars too tightly.
7. Bend your elbows. Keep at least a 10 degree bend in your elbows. This dramatically reduces road shock. Keep arms and shoulders relaxed.
8. Do hand and wrist exercises. Perform these quick, simple exercises two to three times per day:
• Isometrics: Make a loose fist and use the opposite hand to press against the clenched hand. Hold for 10 seconds with palm up, palm down, and thumb up.
• Wrist circles: Hold the second and third fingers up and close the others. Draw five clockwise circles in the air with the two fingertips. Draw five more counterclockwise circles.
• Stretching: Keeping hand open and wrist relaxed, press on fingers for 10 seconds up, down, and to both sides.
If you follow these guidelines you will decrease your risk of developing this often painful condition.
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