‘Beach Rd’ Pains for Cyclists

It’s Spring in Melbourne and despite the cooler weather sticking around, there are a lot of people dusting off the winter cobwebs off their bikes and hitting up Beach Rd and beyond. Whether it is for their exercise fix or increasing their time in the saddle in preparation for their next riding event or competition cycling places a lot of stress and strain on the body.

Over the last few weeks I have been seeing a lot of patients coming in after their first initial week of cycling. Whether it be lower back pain, neck pain, shoulder or even foot and ankle, these are all far too common. These particular injuries are generally due to overuse, loss of flexibility and core strength due to detraining.

Things to look out and consider when riding include:

• Do you always feel pain and discomfort in the same regions?
• Do you feel like you are over-reaching for the pedals?
• At each stop/traffic lights do you feel you have to stretch?
• Do you feel you can not spend as much time in the drops as usual?

These are the main tell-tail signs that your spine is not moving or functioning correctly.  A full spinal and nervous system assessment would be the best way to improve joint mobility and function to maximise performance outcomes for both the recreational and competitive cyclist.