How to avoid neck pain by bicycle: tips to improve your posture

Caring for the back is one of those maxims in which every doctor, physiotherapist and a biomechanics expert of sport always insists. The lumbar zone is one of the most attention. However, among cyclists, sometimes, discomforts are concentrated above, specifically in the cervical area. The neck is evil when bad positions are adopted for long periods of time, but saying that is being alone on the surface of the problem. If we want to know How to prevent these ailments And how to treat them when they arise, we must analyze their origin in depth.

Why does our neck hurt?

It is important to differentiate between neck pains that arise occasionally and that can be understood as a cause of concrete action, and chronic pain.

Among the former may be the discomfort that can be suffered, for example, When an aerodynamic posture is adopted In a descent, especially for cyclists who practice rapid routes such as Triathlon. When the pain is not due to an apparent cause and, in addition, it is repeated every time we go out by bicycle, we must continue asking questions. When do we notice the pain, from the first pedaling or when we have been on the armchair for more than 30 minutes? ¿We have made some modification on the bicycle to which we can blame the discomfort? Does it also happen when we use another bicycle model?

The main causes

One of the main reasons why neck pain between cyclists arises is because there is a Incorrect distance between the armchair and the handlebar. If the bicycle is not our measure, and for example the picture is too long, we will be making a posture with the hyperextendid arms, which takes tension to the cervical and shoulder zone.

👉 How to avoid doll pain when you go by bicycle

If the problem is the opposite, and we are too close to the handlebar, we will tend to shrink the head under the shoulders and areas of both the neck and the trapezios will be loaded. The height difference between armchairs and handlebars It is another of the main causes of neck pain. If we are forced to extend it too much to look forward it is because the armchair is too up compared to the handlebar.

How can you avoid it

Remember the importance you have Choose correct bicycle size, paying special attention to the length of your legs. Hitting with the right bicycle size you will be cutting, of root, not only The possible discomfort and in the neck, but throughout the back, hips and knees. If you are going to use a triathlon bicycle, you must choose a lower box size than you would choose for a road bike. How much minor? Between 2 and 4 centimeters.

The most advisable to end neck pain is to make adjustments in the bicycle elements until you find the correct position. Adjust the distance between the armchair and the handlebar lengthening or delaying the first, Place the power later or further back And the handlebar goes down enough. It also gives the importance it deserves to How the armchair is placed, and we are not talking about whether closer or further from the handlebar, but about whether it is too inclined forward. In this case you will be overturning an excess weight on the handlebar that will make your neck and shoulder muscles and the dorsal zone reside.

Think about your neck before and after pedaling

Remember that before climbing the bicycle it does not take advantage of a few minutes to make some parts of our body enter into heat through Heating routines and stretching.

Although the legs of the legs are usually the protagonists of the heating, perform some Soft movements with the neck, backwards and side by side. Always slowly and within the natural range of neck movements. You can also tilt your neck in lateral flexion, so that your right ear approximates your right shoulder, and make the same movement with your ear and your left shoulder. After a training or competition day, do not forget to pay attention to the cervical zone through another stretching session. Your muscles in the area will appreciate that you download them and in this way they will be ready to rest until next time.

👉 7 frequent injuries for carrying an incorrect posture by bicycle