Neck Pain

[hibiscus09]

Hey guys -- when I did my 46 miler on Sunday, I did notice that for about the last 10 miles my neck started hurting right at the base of my neck in the back. It was pretty stiff feeling by the end of the ride. I had been by the bike shop recently & told the guy my elbows and arms were getting kind of numb when I was riding so he raised the seat & the handlebars & put a new stem on my bike. That worked -- no elbow and arm numbness anymore. Now -- neck pain! :D Does it take a while to get used to riding the distances & maybe that will go away over time? Or does this sound like another adjustment needed? I had considered moving my saddle forward to decrease the reach but I wasn't sure whether that would help or not.

[Grasshopper]

I'm newer than you at this, but I'll still mention it - do you ride with your upper body relaxed or tense? If tense that might be part of it.

I wish I knew more to help - I've had back and neck pain for 15 years and I know it sucks!! (did the wine help :) :) )

[hibiscus09]

Thanks grasshopper! I thought about that -- I may be tensing up -- probably still holding on for dear life! LOL Yes, that's why I drank the wine & it definitely helped! :D

[Grasshopper]

LOL! I still grab so tightly with my hands that my elbows want to lock up! I have to keep waving at people to keep them moving! It's getting better though.

Now my hardest thing is remembering to keep my abs tucked in - for some reason I just want to let them sag - by the end of the ride I expect them to be scraping the ground under my bike... that's causing me some lower back pain - but it's my own fault!

Well, good luck with it - it could still be your bike!

[Veronica]

I read somewhere that you don't want to keep your abs too tight because it constricts your breathing as you ride. Funny I never really think about my abs during a ride. I've got too many other aches and pains to consider. :D

Veronica

[Grasshopper]

Veronica, I think you're probably right. If I try to hold them too tightly that does seem to happen. But I have to "tuck" them just a little to help support my back. It's very weak right now. Getting stronger though - I can really tell a difference!

[Veronica]

We use to have a 30 minute yoga class before Spin classes. I could really see a difference in my flexibility and core strength doing that twice a week. It wasn't popular enough so the gym canceled it.

The other yoga classes aren't scheduled at very good times - like when I'm at work and I miss it.

Veronica

[Grasshopper]

I use to be religious about attending yoga classes but I've let it slip over the past year. I can really see how cycling and yoga would work well together. I'll have to pick it back up. I started doing pillates - that seems to flow well with cycling too.

[emily_in_nc]

Hibiscus,

I too had neck pain early in the riding season (March-May), but it has gone completely away as I have continued to ride more often and longer distances through the summer. It is entirely possible that yours will too if you have recently increased your distance riding.

Good luck!
Emily

[hibiscus09]

I've been strength training for the last 7 to 8 years. I probably should have been doing yoga! I've stretched along the way but I don't feel very flexible. Lately, I just want to be flexible -- I tried a Yoga tape by Kathy Smith & I really felt inflexible after giving that a try! I'll have to work on that.

Emily -- thanks! I was wondering if it may be something that will go away as I grow more accustomed to riding longer distances. :)

[DoubleLori]

I hate to be discouraging on this subject, but DON'T ignore the pain thinking that it will go away. I have permanently damaged my neck by doing this, and now I cannot lift my head up to level anymore--I must look down all the time. Now I ride a recumbent (at least I am riding again (YAY!)--I was having to use a wheelchair part time and was on the verge of not being able to work!). Get your bike adjusted so that the pain will go away (get a professional fitting), and if that doesn't work, get a recumbent NOW before it is too late! If I had only known 4 years ago that my mysterious symptoms (numb feet, numb legs, numb hands, numb arms, dizziness, and chest pain) were due to spinal cord compression in my neck, I could have gotten a recumbent then and not have gotten so much worse. I didn't know until this year because the pain in my neck that I have had since 1981 never got much worse than it had been all along. Spinal cord compression is mostly painless (at least it doesn't hurt at the site of compression), but it produces weird symptoms remotely in most other parts of your body. During the past 4 years I was tested for almost every disease known including endocrine disorders, metabolic disorders, and full cardiology workup, until a new MRI of my neck showed that my spinal cord is being compressed. I am trying to get surgery now, but since I am doing better now that I am keeping my neck bent forward all the time, I may have to wait for it to get much worse before I can convince the neurosurgeons to do surgery.

Definitely if you start to get symptoms in your feet, STOP! Spinal cord compression may show up first as foot numbness because these nerves are located near the periphery of the spinal cord and are among the first to get compressed. (Of course you can get foot numbness from shoes that are too tight, but if the numbness persists when you aren't riding, this could be a major problem!)

[hibiscus09]

Thanks Lori -- I'm sorry you've been through all of that! My sister fell about 5 years ago and besides cracking her jaw & knocking her 4 front teeth out (she was about 48 at the time), she also compressed her 5th vertebra. That gave her more trouble than anything & after having all sorts of issues all over her body due to it and being put on neurontin and all sorts of other medication, she is finally feeling much better over the last year. What a mess! She also had really bad foot problems due to the injury.

[Terry]

Another possiblity is where you are placing your hands and at what angle. If you are riding with the elbows bent/outward, thumbs slightly turned downward (in order to hold on to the bar with the thumbs to reach brakes with fingers) then you may be over using the rotator cuff. That will also cause neck pain in that you are recruiting other muscle groups to help give more support the neck via the upper trapizius/levetors. Also, gripping the bar more than you think over a longer period of time will cause some over-use syndrome of the smaller muscles of the arm/shoulder. The muscle on the thumb pad is a very over-used muscle and we forget to baby it/stretch it. That is where hand yoga comes in handy. I teach it in my classes about everyother week or so.

Do you have a chiropractor who can to check for misalignment?

I agree; don't wait and let it get worse. Consult a professional and get a second opinion.
Terry

[hibiscus09]

Thanks Terry! :) I did Yoga today to try to stretch myself out some. My hubby thinks I may be tensing up too much -- I'll concentrate on relaxing. I don't have a chiropractor -- I've never been to one. There is a massage therapist at my gym & although I've never received a professional massage, I may be visiting him soon. I have been stretching my hands out regularly while I ride. I think I need to get out of my neighborhood -- I've been doing most of my rides in there on a 1.2 mile loop. I cross 2 4-way stops and have to brake each time. There are also brick pavers at the 4-way stops that rattle my body to death when I cross them.

[Grasshopper]

yeah, that can make for some tension. Take that baby out to the country and ride past some farms! You'll be amazed how appealing a cow looks at the end of a long ride :) heehee!!

[DoubleLori]

I didn't want to scare anyone from my story of neck pain progressing to spinal cord compression. It took 18 years of a WHOLE lot of riding including 11 double centuries to get my neck so damaged. I had some earlier clues, but I didn't know what they were so I ignored them--getting dizzy after riding, for 2-4 days, even though I knew I wasn't dehydrated was the first symptom I had and I probably had that going on periodically for 2-3 years before my feet went numb.

Unfortunately, given how long it took me to get a diagnosis, if I had tried to get one when my milder symptoms first started occurring, I would not have been able to.

If any cyclist is having neck pain and mysterious symptoms that the docs can't diagnose, switching to a recumbent for at least a few months trial might be a good thing to do, just to see if there is improvement or not.

[hibiscus09]

I appreciate your input Lori. You didn't scare me. After all my sister went through, I knew where you were coming from! :)

[Dogmama]

One way I've dealt with neck pain is to write the alphabet with my nose in the air. Sounds weird, but just moving your neck area can really help! Usually by the time I get to "E", it's better. Make big letters.

Here's another radical idea. Take a break, get off the bike & stretch. Releasing the tension will help.

[Grasshopper]

Dogmama,

That sounds like a really great idea - writing the ABC's in the air....but I'm worried - will we be all over the road if us newbies try it? :D :confused:

[hibiscus09]

LOL -- that's what I thought! Very cute idea though -- the neighbors already think I'm a nut after watching me fall all over the place in the clipless pedals!! I guess I'll entertain them some more. :D

[Dogmama]

Originally posted by Grasshopper
Dogmama,

That sounds like a really great idea - writing the ABC's in the air....but I'm worried - will we be all over the road if us newbies try it? :D :confused:

Make smaller letters <grin> and practice in an open area, away from traffic!

[missliz]

I've been though a different set of injury hell, but you definately want to nip problems in the bud. I'm seeing 2 here.
1- Core strength issues. If you feel like your gut is hanging out and your lower back is hurting, you're begging for SI joint trouble. I've got it, wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. Get thee to the gym and work on the abs and pelvic floor muscles. Yoga and Pilates are super for this, but so is just hitting the floor and running through a good set of ab exercises. Crunches will fix a lot, done daily. Get some help and find out if you're doing them right. You can roll out of bed, get on the floor, and do 150 good crunchies in about four minutes.

2- If the refit fixed one problem but started another, go back. You may just need a tweaking. Better to check now than hurt. Neck pain can come up out of shoulder problems, and that can be from the fitting.

Lizzy

[hibiscus09]

Thanks missliz! I went back and the shop has ordered narrower handlebars for me. Hopefully, that will help. In the meantime he has tilted the handlebars back towards me & I feel like I can get a bend in my elbow that way.

I've been lifting regularly at a gym for 7 years now. I'm pretty strong in general -- I work all body parts but always make sure to do abdominals and my lower back also. I have started Yoga recently because I wasn't too sure about my flexibility. :)

[Grasshopper]

Thanks Misslizz. I'm pretty good about doing yoga but I've slacked on my ab exercises - now I have the motivation to do them!! I do love pillates :)

[missliz]

You're very welcome, ladies.

Lizzy