Sore neck? A dilemma

[Fuji Girl]

Maybe you can shed some light on this:

I did a 25 mile ride on Sunday, and now the muscles in my neck are really sore, especially the muscles on either side. My shoulder muscles are really sore too. Am I craning my neck and hunching my shoulders without realizing it? Or does my bike need to be adjusted?

Any ideas?

[Dianyla]

My shoulder muscles are really sore too. Am I craning my neck and hunching my shoulders without realizing it? Or does my bike need to be adjusted?
Maybe a little bit of both? If your bike isn't adjusted right, you may have no choice but to hunch over. Also, working on core muscle strength can help, so that you aren't just propping your entire upper half up on your arms.

[tprevost]

I agree w/ Dianyla, could be a little of both. I tend to hunch myself and have been working really hard to relax my shoulders. When I hunch them, my neck hurts and gets tired and sore.

You may want to have someone look at the way your bike is adjusted as well just to make sure!

Tracy

[velogirl]

Maybe you can shed some light on this:

I did a 25 mile ride on Sunday, and now the muscles in my neck are really sore, especially the muscles on either side. My shoulder muscles are really sore too. Am I craning my neck and hunching my shoulders without realizing it? Or does my bike need to be adjusted?

Any ideas?


Are you riding a road bike? How long have you been riding? In our early riding history, we begin to strengthen the muscles in our neck and shoulders that support our head in a riding posture.

One of the most common reasons for shoulder pain I've seen is a handlebar that's too wide. This causes you to contract the the muscles at the center of your shoulders which will lead to discomfort as you increase your saddle time.

A rule of thumb in proper bike fit is that your bar should be no more than 1-2cm wider than your shoulders (measured from A/C joint to A/C joint). This allows you to simply extend your arms in front of you and place your hands on the hoods (like you're shaking hands). I've found that most women will be very comfortable on a 36, 38, or 40cm bar. However, because of our long inseam, many women are placed on frame sizes too large for them, so they also end up with a bar that's too wide (because it's fit for a man's larger shoulders).

So, my first suggestion is to have someone measure your shoulders and then measure your bar (from the center of one drop to the center of the other). If the bar is more than 2cm wider than your shoulders, you need a new bar.

Lorri (who does bike fit for a living)

[Fuji Girl]

Yes, I have a road bike (I guess I should've probably mentioned that earlier). I don't think it's due to my bars being too wide - I have a WSD bike that came with 38 cm bars that seems fit my shoulder width really well.

What is involved with a professional bike fitting? And how much does it cost? I think I might invest in that, not only for the neck/shoulder thing, but also for cleat placement. My toes went numb on yesterday's ride, and while that's happened before, and it was worse yesterday than before.

[nuthatch]

Fuji, not to distract you from the bike fit issue, but Saturday was cool here and I have a tendancy to clench up when it's cooler weather. I had to keep reminding myself to change the position of my hands and flex my feet as I rode on Sunday. I still came home with some aching bits!

It was really one of the first nice days we've had here in the area to get out and do a long ride. I can't remember if you are out riding all winter or not (someone here on the boards is an all-winter Chicago rider), but I'm finding I have to retrain myself now that I'm back outside for long rides, to keep stretching things out as I ride.

[Nanci]

Assuming your bike fits correctly, I still think it takes a while, months, to strengthen the neck muscles- but once they are, you will suddenly realize you haven't had neck pain for a while.

Nanci

[Lise]

FWIW, I went on the longest ride I've done for months (16 whopping miles) on Sunday, and the right side of my neck/shoulder is very tense and sore. Feels like the sternocleidomastoid, which connects the whole area. Makes sense that I'm out of shape with regard to the bike. Time to stretch, get out the yoga tapes, and get strong for the bike again! Lise

[tulip]

Any chance you ride with straight arms? That could be because of bad bike fit, and/or poor form. Bend your elbows, strenghthen your core, and review your bike for proper fit.

[Ninabike]

I have neck problems too and one of the things I read about which I try to keep in mind is to make sure your helmet is not too low over your forehead, i.e., make sure you can see ahead without having to tilt you head up too much. Also, having sunglasses wherein the upper part of the frame doesn't obstruct your view is important. I also get neck strain from working on my computer too long - so I think tension, or lack of relaxation, has a lot to do with it.

Nina

[MomOnBike]

You know, once I got the recumbent, I haven't had a bit of neck/shoulder/wrist pain...

(sorry, I couldn't resist...)

{slinking off}

[sydney_b]

You know, once I got the recumbent, I haven't had a bit of neck/shoulder/wrist pain...

(sorry, I couldn't resist...)

{slinking off}

tch tch. and i thought you were such a model of self-control.

;)

[mellic]

I might be able to shed some light on this. Most riders angle their trunk forward when they ride to distribute their weight centrally on the bike. When leaning the trunk forward the head needs to be tilted back slightly in order to see where you are going. This constant backwards tilt of the head requires the muscles in the back of your neck and parts of your shoulder to be contracted all of the time. This constant contraction of neck and shoulder muscles can often result in pain and over time the muscle tissue can knot causing tightness and headaches.

This has been a problem for me since I started riding seriously. I have quite a long neck and the muscles in my upper body hardly ever get used so I often experience neck and shoulder pain. Before my ride I stretch my neck by putting my hand on the back of my head and pushing into it at various angles. During the ride I tilt my head forward every 10-15 minutes so the muscles at the back of my neck can relax for a bit.

If the muscles in your neck and shoulders become really knotted go get a massage from a sports specialist.

[Lise]

That makes sense. I'm going to get fitted to my new bike on Tuesday. I'll ask the LBS guy for tips on that, too. Thanks.

[MelC]

I can't remember if I read this tip on this board or some other one but it sounded like a great tip to relieve neck tension on rides - draw the alphabet with your head every once in a while while you are riding (or all the time if you don't mind looking like a bobble head doll).

Mel

[kaian]

I had big problems with neck/shoulder pain last season. I actually bought a larger bike because the fitter felt that I was too cramped up on the one I had. For me it was a combination of factors. I had (and still have,though it's better) a very foward posture just in general. My shoulders kind of slumped forward and I habitually had my head pushed out ahead of my body when I would walk or sit in front of the computer. So...I went to a chiropractor for a while and the adjustments helped, however, I ultimately ended up going to physical therapy to get rid of the inflammation and learn how to strengthen the area well. They showed me some alternate sleeping positions, too, which has helped. The PT has done wonders, though I have yet to test it on the bike outside on long distances.

My advice is get fit correctly, strengthen your core, strengthen your neck, shoulders, and upper back, work on your posture on and off the bike, make sure there aren't other things adding to your neck discomfort (having a poor set-up when working on a computer, bad posture when sitting, etc...), also if you have TMJ (clenching or grinding jaw/teeth), get that taken care of. That contributes to neck tightness/weakness/pain. The other thing I would suggest,too, is focusing on keeping your shoulders relaxed when you are on the bike. Several times I have found myself shrugging them upwards (tightening them) while I was riding. Try not to do that. On long rides, get off of your bike every 15-20 miles and stretch (with your helmet off). Make sure to increase intensity/distance slowly and give your body time to recover.

Heating pads/warm compresses can help warm those muscles up before riding and cold or warm packs can help after a ride. Massage is great, too, if you can spend the $.

I'd be happy to share strengthening exercises I learned with anyone who is interested. Feel free to PM me. Good luck!

[Tiffanie]

and thought I'd search first. This forum has so much great information! http://www.tinklebelle.com/Smilies/images/thmbup.gif

My last ride it felt as though I was craning/tensing my neck for most of the ride. I was aware of it practically the entire time. My bike fit is good so I know it's not that.

So it looks like I just need to give it the test of time and see how it goes from there.

Thanks everyone! :D

[Dogmama]

I just had a cervical fusion, so I'm an expert on neck pain :mad:

My physical therapist is also a cyclist :D - the only way to go! Here's what he says about neck pain:

1. Make sure that your shoulders are not drawn up to your ears. Bring them down and back. Even when you're driving, on your computer, etc. You can usually get a little more downward motion in your shoulders.

2. To stretch your neck, do the "tuck 'n' roll". Shoulders are down, head is level. Push your head backwards. Now look down. You want your cervical spine to form a "C" curve. Hold for ten seconds (or as long as the stop light allows.)

Also, just moving your head all the way to the right (ten seconds) and left (ten seconds) is good.

He does NOT like the "draw the alphabet with your nose" (I'm the author of that one) because he said neck vertebrae are not designed to move like that.

Never, ever stretch your neck by looking backwards. Compresses the disks. You know - the position of our necks on our road bikes. Yeah, that one.

Signed - she who road her bike with her cervical brace on (drivers really move out of the way for that!)