Cycling and Injuries

There are two main types of injuries associated with cycling; acute injuries and chronic injuries.

1. Acute injuries usually involve collisions with vehicles or objects.

2. Chronic injuries, which are also known as overuse injuries, are often caused due to repetitive strain during movements that occur continually during the cycle.

The most common sites of injuries involve the neck, knee, groin, hand and low back.

a. Neck- Chronic neck pain in cyclists are thought to occur due to constant hyperextension of the neck in order to keep the head upright. Conditions that could enhance this problem could be heavy helmets, weak back muscles or low handlebars.

b. Knee- Chronic knee pain is often felt in the front and the outside of the knee. Knee pain in the front is often due to the repetitive bending of the knee during the ride and the pain on the outside of the knee is either due to weakness in the hip musculature or incorrect saddle height.

c. Groin- Chronic groin pain is due mostly to prolonged sitting on a poorly fitting saddle. Compression of nerves or other vital structures in the groin region can lead to pain and injuries.

d. Hand- Chronic hand pain can present with numbness, tingling or weakness and is often due to compression on the handlebars. This sustained pressure and vibration can lead to hand problems.

e. Low back- Chronic low back pain is usually due to constant bending forward and core weakness. Conditions that could amplify this problem include improper saddle height and a weak core.

Since the majority of these issues involve both biomechanical and structural issues, it is important to address both the physical setup of the bicycle as well as the dynamics of the rider. Also, a rehabilitation program can be implemented which can help alleviate a lot of these problems.

Resources

1. Asplung, C. Knee pain and bicycling. 2004. The Physician and Sports Medicine 32(4).

Sitting- This Generation’s Smoking

Studies have shown that the tendency of people to be inactive has drastic health consequences. Heart disease, obesity, and diabetes are just a few of the diseases correlated to inactivity. With the rise in popularity of video games, television and computers, sitting has become the new norm. People spend hours at work in front of a computer screen, sit in their cars through their daily commute and then come home and sit in front of the television for the whole night. Routine and exhaustion turn this habitual lifestyle into a vicious cycle that creates unhealthy living habits.

We’ve been told for years that smoking kills. We have seen the warnings on cigarette packages, on public service announcements and listened to countless experts tell us the health risks involved with smoking. We know it’s unhealthy. We also know that over-indulgence in fatty foods and drinking alcohol are also unhealthy.

However, many people don’t consider inactivity to be of the same caliber. Since it involves not doing something as opposed to actively making an unhealthy choice, it gets minimized in the grand scheme. This is dangerous thinking.

There needs to be a surge back into activity. Motion is crucial for the body to perform. Setting a goal of being physically active everyday is something that every person should strive towards.

Taking micro breaks at work in order to get out of a sustained posture is important. Whether that means simply getting up and doing a lap around the office, or actually getting out of the building and walking outside during lunch break, breaking up the day with some form of activity is good for the whole body. Many people do not have the luxury of changing their commute to work, but going for daily walks or workouts at home is an easy way to start being active.

Sitting puts a large strain on the spinal joints and can eventually lead to pain or dysfunction. Activity helps both mental health and physical health, which can help to combat pain and stiffness.

Ensuring your work station is ergonomically friendly can also prevent some of the strain on joints. Simple adjustments to raise the monitor level to eye level and keeping shoulders and elbows in a neutral 90 degree configuration can help alleviate some of the postural stresses involved with sitting.

Try and make a healthy decision today. Get up!