Cycling related overuse injuries

[Wahine]

I often go over research articles and educational materials while I eat lunch at work. Here's something I was reminded of today.

Origins of persistent injuries and pain syndromes in cyclists:
Poor bike fit
Improper sport skill (eg poor pedaling technique, cleats, shifting)
Improper physical preparation (flexibility, strength, posture)
Training errors (inappropriate intensity and volume progression)

There's a lot more going on here with pain while cycling than just bike fit. It's another good reason to seek out a PT that knows how to do bike fitting. A PT can help a cyclist evaluate the other contributing factors in addition to fit.

[salsabike]

I have been thinking lately how much I appreciate your commitment to a sort of public-service set of posts here on TE. Thank you for that. :)

[Wahine]

You're sweet. I hope all's well. I think of you very often when I look at my ginko leaves. :D

[smilingcat]

Sometimes the obvious gets overlooked. Common sense really but we never seem to grasp it. Thank you for reminding me.

Overtraining. yup!!
Improper physical prep. yup!! not enough stretching. I'm too stiff. my chiro and masseuse i see every two weeks always remind me to stretch. for some reason I just can never find the time to do so... :( No wonder I'm injured often!! Just need to stretch first thing in the morning with gentle warm-up. Hamstring, calves, quads, psoas (sp)

[Catrin]

For me all of the above plus cross training that focused on working my tight hips and flexors from riding stopped my overuse injuries and also stopped me from tweaking previous injuries. I was resistant to this idea when a PT strongly suggested it but he was right!