Surely you have at some point experienced neck pain, lower back pain, or numbness in your feet and hands when you go cycling. These discomforts, which can lead to a muscle or joint injury, are often the result of adopting a poor posture on the bike. When we go riding on the road or in the mountains, we spend a lot of time doing physical exercise, and this puts stress on our muscles and joints, which is worsened if the bike is not properly adjusted to our body measurements. For this reason, it is very important to choose the correct bike size based on our height, leg length, and other factors. But we must also not neglect the adjustment of other elements, such as the height at which to set the saddle, the height of the handlebar, or how to determine the crank length we need. Riding a bike with incorrect adjustments is a source of injuries that can be prevented. We have compiled the most common injuries caused by poor posture on the bike, their causes, and what to do to avoid them.
Numbness in hands and feet
It is quite common that after long hours on the bike, the cyclist starts to feel tingling and weakness in the hands or feet, as a result of strong pressure on the handlebars or with clipless pedals. This condition is called paresthesia and is nothing more than the numbness of a part of the body due to nerve compression or poor blood circulation. To avoid numbness in hands and feet, part of the solution is to make the contact surface for hands and feet more comfortable. An effective solution for the hands is to wear cycling gloves with gel inserts or to change the handlebar grips for softer, more cushioned ones. To know which to choose, we recommend our guide to types of grips for mountain bike handlebars. As for the feet, it is possible that the pedal cleat tension is too tight and does not allow some lateral movement to relieve muscles and tendons. Or that the shoe is too tight and you need to loosen the laces or the adjustment wheel a bit—in the case of cycling shoes with a boa closure. Likewise, try stretching your arms and legs every 10-15 minutes while riding, moving your wrists and fingers. Also, check how to adjust the cleats on your cycling shoes to avoid straining the muscles and joints of the foot.
Overtraining also carries the risk of suffering muscle contractures or cramps in the thighs and calves
Knee pain
The knee is the essential joint for pedaling and the one subjected to the most wear. That’s why it is essential to adopt a good posture on the bike that allows for proper knee flexion while pedaling. This mainly depends on having the saddle at the correct height and properly leveled with respect to the horizontal plane of the ground. The most common knee injury due to poor posture is patellar tendinopathy or knee tendinitis. According to physiotherapy specialist Jordi Soriano, the most frequent symptoms that may indicate the onset of tendinitis in the knee are sharp, localized pain in the lower part of the kneecap, which can become more intense at rest. It is highly recommended to treat patellar tendinitis with a doctor or physical therapist as soon as it appears. This is because it is an injury that is at high risk of becoming chronic if not addressed in time. 2017/09/dolor-de-espalda.jpg">
Neck pain
Although it is not so involved in cycling, in the superior of the body, problems such as neck pain also tend to appear. These are located in the neck or trapezius area. They can be due to a posture that is either too hunched forward or too upright when sitting on the bike. A good choice of bike size that ensures a correct distance between saddle and handlebars can help prevent this type of injury. Also, if you have not found the right bike size, you can make adjustments to components such as the stem (by installing a shorter or longer one) or by moving the saddle backward and forward on the rails. On the other hand, check that the saddle is level and not tilted forward, as this will cause you to be positioned too far over the handlebars and both your neck, shoulders, and trapezius will suffer after several hours of pedaling. A properly leveled saddle at the correct angle helps prevent neck pain when cycling.
Glute pain in most cases is caused by not choosing a saddle with the right width
Lower back injuries
The lower back also suffers when cycling, and the appearance of pain in this area is closely related to adopting poor posture. Especially if you ride a bike with aero geometry. There are several causes of lower back pain in cyclists, although we highlight these five pointed out by the experts at Ciclismo y Rendimiento:
- Pedaling with the torso very upright due to handlebars that are too high.
- Arms too extended because the handlebars are too far from the saddle.
- Saddle set too far back.
- Uneven saddle, with the nose higher than the rear part.
- Asymmetry on the saddle.
To prevent pain from appearing in the lower back that could lead to chronic injuries, it is important to check the adjustments of both the handlebars and the saddle. It is very important that, if you are going to do long training sessions or races, you spend a few minutes checking the position of the saddle, its setback or forward position, as well as verifying that the handlebar height is correct for your height, type of cycling, or the posture you want to enhance (aggressive, controlled, etc.).
Hip injuries
They are not as common as the previous ones, but a posture that is too tucked over the handlebars, where the hip is forced more than necessary, can cause significant discomfort in the area, even leading to spinal deformities such as lordosis. Preventing this injury fundamentally involves having the saddle set at the correct height. A simple and common adjustment that, nevertheless, must be done correctly.
Muscle injuries in thighs and calves
The thigh muscles, such as the quadriceps, adductors, or hamstring, are the perfect target for all kinds of discomfort related to cycling. It is inevitable to experience some of them at some point if you practice this sport regularly. Usually, the cause is overtraining, which produces discomfort and muscle fatigue that goes away in a few days with proper rest. This type of ailment can be prevented by training progressively and respecting rest periods (one or two days per week), to avoid overloads or cramps.
Likewise, the saddle height is, as in the cases described above, paramount for preventing leg injuries. A seat that is too high will make you overwork the back of the thigh (hamstrings), as well as the calves and the soleus, leading to contractures, cramps, or strains. On the other hand, a seat that is too low will directly affect the front of the thigh (quadriceps) and the knee joint, producing an imbalance in muscle effort that will translate into discomfort and possible injuries.
Buttock pain
Finally, we finish with one of the greatest enemies of every cyclist, especially beginners: glute pain. The glutes play a major role in the pedaling movement (especially when standing up) and bear much of the pressure when sitting on the saddle and maintaining posture on the bike. It's common that, if you're not yet very used to cycling or if you ride sporadically, your butt will start to hurt after a few minutes or hours. This doesn't have to mean injury, but rather a lack of training and weakness in the area, which will disappear as soon as you start riding more frequently. Also, if you want to minimize the pain or delay its onset, choose cycling shorts with a good chamois that reduces or cushions the pressure on the muscle. However, chronic glute pain can cause significant discomfort and even the onset of sciatica. To avoid this, it is necessary to correct your posture on the bike, properly adjust the saddle height, and choose a saddle that matches the width of your hips (ischium bones). It is also advisable to do progressive training and avoid overtraining.