Common Cycling Injuries

In this section of our Knowledge Base we aim to identify and provide recommendations for a solution to the most common cycling related injuries that you may suffer whilst Track Cycling.

This is meant as a basic guide and we do not aim to diagnose or cure your issues. Professional medical advice should of course be pursued if you consider your perceived injuries warrant this.

We recommend searching for one of the following professionals in your area–

Osteopath

An osteopath provides a link between Sports Therapy and Chiropractic techniques. They can treat muscular based conditions/injuries with the aid of skeletal manipulations to assist in getting you back on the right path.

Sports Therapist

A sports therapist assists in the maintenance of the muscular systems with the aim of continued optimal performance. They are experts in the recovery from and the avoidance of sports related injury.

It is very important that you consider the professional credentials of an Osteopath or Sports Therapist to ensure that they are qualified and registered with the relevant body.

Whilst you may consider your local GP/Doctor to be an option, it is advised to consult a professional such as an Osteopath or Sports Therapist who can then make further treatment recommendations prior to, if required, a Doctor. A GP’s knowledge can be limited in this area so specialist treatment is always preferred.


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Numb Hands, Tingling Fingers
 


Assessment:
This is a common symptom of Ulnar Neuropathy, caused by the compression of the ulnar nerve that controls sensation in the outside of your hand.

Cause: Your cycling setup is channelling too much weight through your hands. A correct setup does not need any of your body weight to be resting on the handlebar, they are just for placing your hands on.

Solution: Follow our guide to correcting your Track Cycling setup - Click Here

The length of your Top Tube/Stem combination. Too short and you’ll be leaning over the handlebars and causing a weight imbalance thus resulting in the nerve compression.

Saddle Height, if too high you’ll increase the drop to your handlebars and cause a weight imbalance at the front end of your bike.

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Shoulder/Shoulder Blade (Scapula) Pain
 


Assessment:
Cyclists often experience pain in the Trapezius and Rhomboid muscle groups around the Scapula (Shoulder Blade) area of your back.

Cause: Cycling posture causing you to over reach for your handlebars, thus over-stretching the Trapezius and Rhomboid muscle groups.

Solution: Follow our guide to correcting your Track Cycling setup - Click Here

The length of your Top Tube/Stem combination. Too long and you’ll be stretching to reach the handlebars and causing pain in your upper back. In most cases this would be experienced whilst off the bike

Handlebar Width, if too wide you’ll again be over stretching your entire upper body/shoulder area.

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Lower Back Pain

This is quite common in all walks of life, however even active people like cyclists can experience lower back pain. This can be due to a number of reasons in this section we discuss a few of these that are most apparent to cyclists.

-Hamstrings

Tight Hamstrings can cause referral pain in the lower back without you even knowing you have a problem in the Hamstring area. Some excellent stretching guidelines can be found by Clicking Here

 -Setup

As with the majority of cycling related injuries that are not caused by a crash, setup can be the underlying cause. Ensure you have read all our setup guidelines, paying particular attention to your Frame Size in relation to your height, and your current saddle height. Follow our guide to correcting your Track Cycling setup - Click Here

 -Stretching

The majority of cyclists do not stretch enough, an excellent guide is the following - Click Here

 -Core Strength

Regardless of what you think of gym work, all humans need to do an appropriate amount of core strength work to cope with the demands of life. Whether it is carrying the grocery shopping, bending down to tie your shoe laces or carrying out exercise such as cycling, without core strength annoying aches and pains. Some great Core Strength exercises can be found by Clicking Here

 -Sciatica

Many people can get easily overwhelmed by Sciatica related back pain, do not worry, follow the guidelines mentioned within our guidelines in this section of our Knowledge Base and you’ll be on the way to a pain free life.

 -Adrenal Pain

Overtraining or a stressful lifestyle can cause pain around your kidneys, commonly referred to as Adrenal Pain. Research overtraining and adrenal fatigue if you think this could be affecting you.

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Knee Pain


Cyclists often experience Knee pain the vast majority of cases are caused by one of three factors –

-Setup

As with the majority of cycling related injuries that are not caused by a crash, setup can be the underlying cause. Ensure you have read all our setup guidelines, paying particular attention to your Frame Size in relation to your height, and your current saddle height. Follow our guide to correcting your Track Cycling setup - Click Here

 -Cleat Alignment

Check your cleats are set up correctly. Remember, just because you have floating cleats does not mean you have a correct setup. Follow our guidelines Click Here

 -Stretching

The majority of cyclists do not stretch enough, an excellent guide is the following - Click Here


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Hamstring Pain

Assessment: Cyclists can experience tight hamstrings and referral lower back pain.

Cause: Primarily a lack of stretching, however over stretching of the legs due to excessive gap between pedal and saddle.

Solution: Click Here for stretching guidelines and Click Here for our guide to correcting your Track Cycling setup.

Check your saddle height as if it is too high, you’ll be experience pain due to your hamstrings becoming tight through this stretching.