Pains in the Neck

[Meg McKilty]

I am having pain in my neck from straining/looking upward all the time on the bike. I mean, when you're trying to do an 80 mile ride, the neck gets a little tense and starts to hurt.

Any suggestions for neck work-outs? I don't know how to work my neck muscles without trying to access a neck machine (lots of football players use them, and they have only ever been seen by me at HUGE gyms).

I try to keep my form straight and eased, and bend my elbows at the drop bars- I use them the most- to keep myself aligned, but I am having a really hard time with the neck when I hit about 50 or 60.

[KnottedYet]

How about raising your handlebars instead?

[silver]

like Knotted said, look at tweeking your fit.

I've found that one of the biggest obstacles to upping mileage is getting the rest of you body used to being in the cyclist position for that period of time. I think it takes getting used to. I find that rather than fatigue the things that make me the most uncomfortable as mileage increases are things like my bum hurts, arms hurt, hands hurt. And usually as I log more miles and lomre longer miles those things work themselves out. (the body gets used to them) or you find better gloves, or better shorts.

It also really helps to change positions as much as possible. Moving your the position of your hands, stretching our your neck, round out your back.

Have you ever done a spin class? in spin class we were taught to lead the class in upper body stretched at the beginning of the class, mid class and end of the class. easy little stretched to loosen up and not get stiff on the bike. I do these on my road bike if I feel that I'm getting stiff. Good to do on breaks too.

[LadyinWhite]

Friday I rode over to my LBS to ask him to raise my handlebars b/c I was experiencing neck pain due to spending longer periods of time in the drops.

He kindly informed me that my WSD doesn't allow for the "old school" raising of the bars. He put it up on the rack and we had a very long chat about what would be involved, changing the stem out etc etc all to get just a wee tweak of adjustment.

In the end we decided that until my muscles strengthened, I should leave the bike alone and work on my technique; doing all the things you mention - loose elbows, back straight, changing hand positions..

BUT - he also suggesting moving to a harder gear then "instinct" tells me to while riding in that position. He said that it activates lower back mucles and the body is held by it's core more, easing the strain off both saddle and bars and neck. He said it's like riding a bike no hands.

Well I came home, mulled it all over, shoved my saddle back a solid inch and headed out. Low and behold, between moving the saddle, keeping the back flat AND shifting lower - I had significantly less neck pain. I'm optimistic that over the next few weeks I'll strengthen and the pain will decrease even more.

Good luck!

[Mr. Bloom]

I have very bad neck problems. I agree with the advice from Silver and Knotted, but I encourage you to think beyond your riding as well.

For me: I have chronic neck problems that I can now trace to the "hold the phone with your shoulder" trick. After years of massage therapists and chiropractors saying "what are you doing to this muscle to make it so tight", I got ear pieces at work and home and voile! - no more pain!

I do recommend chiropractors and acupuncture for relief, but look for the cause that may be coming to a peak in your riding.

Good luck...neck pain affects everything...so treat it seriously.

[michelem]

Hi Meg,

I just finished about three months of physical therapy due to disc compression in my neck. My p/t is a USA Cycling Coach, so he understands the cycling aspect of things. Anyway, between cycling and poor posture at my desk at work (I work on the computer 95% of my work day), I wasn't helping things at all.

Anyway, one of the things he has me do is "chin tucks" and "nodding." Sit or stand upright, tuck the chin in (not down - just back) and then after the chin is tucked, nod the head down. Raise head back up and repeat. I'm supposed to do this 10x each, 3x per day. He also gave me stretch-type things to do after riding. If you have a "noodle" (it's a hard foam cylinder), lie on your back and place the noodle horizontally behind the neck - toward the top of the neck. Then, slowly roll the head from one side to the other. Another thing you can do is to create a "sling" and hang your head in it - tie the sling (I use a yoga strap, but you could use a sheet) in a loop and attach it to a door handle. Lie on your back and place your head/neck inside the sling and hang from it for 5-10 minutes a day. It lengthens the neck. You really want to be doing things to lengthen the neck when you are not riding, to counterpose the neck craning you do while riding. I also have to be really aware of my posture at the computer and try to lengthen my neck upwards (think of a piece of string attached to the top of your head and lifting it upward) rather than craning forward. The first time I did this at the p/t's office I told him it felt really different and as if my chin was pointing downward. He assured me that my chin was level and that normally my chin is tilted upward because I am craning my neck! I had no idea.

Anyway, hopefully some of these things will help you as well. He's also given me some strengthening exercises to do for my core muscles. The more you use your core while cycling, the less you will rely on your shoulder, upper back, and neck muscles to hold you upright. If possible, I highly suggest having a skilled cyclist evaluate your posture on the bike. I had no idea I was swaying my back on the bike until my p/t set it up on a trainer and evaluated me. In the flat back posture, I feel as though I'm rounding, so I certainly can't go by my own instincts! Now that I know how my posture is supposed to feel when it is correct, I can work on replicating it on my own.

Last, but not least, I echo what the others have said about bike fit. My p/t has adjusted my bike as much as possible to alleviate the problems, but what I really need is a bike that fits me in the first place. Hopefully, that will be the final piece in this big puzzle (especially since the p/t insurance has run out!).

Good luck to you! :)

[RoadRaven]

Well, yes... I do have this prob too...

But the last thing I would say is raise your handlebars, Meg... that of course depending on what your riding goals are.

For me, raising my bars is not an option, in a race situation that would increase my "wind-frontage" which would mean I work harder because of increased wind resistance.
So what I do while I am riding is stretch my beck/head from side to side occasionally when racing - if i notice it.

When training, I sit up occasionally and twist one shoulder back (keeping hold of bars with other hand of course) and do neck stretches as well when I notice.
And I or my partner rub arnica crwam or oil into my neck muscles at the end of the day. (And I do stretches like Michele describes).