Bruised Sits Bone

Hello,

Two years ago, I was professionally fitted with to a men's saddle as the bike fitter claimed I had narrow sits bones. That fitting left the right side of my pelvic area inflamed and swollen (not the soft tissue, but the area between my thigh, pelvis and butt). Although I complained to the bike fitter, he told me to just get used to it as I was 'learning' to 'properly' ride on my sits bones.

I eventually listened to my own body and went back to my old saddle. However, the area that suffered the injury has never fully recovered and in August my doctor diagnosed me with a bruised sit bone.

I have not been able to recover from this. I've tried resting and even refrained from getting on my bike for 3 months, hoping it would heal. I went for a ride last weekend and the pain immediately returned. I even feel it when I'm sitting in my office chair.

I am very frustrated by this injury and am seeking some advice on how to heal it. Has anyone had this issue and if so, how did you heal it? Did more padding in your shorts help? A wider saddle?

Thank you for listening and I would appreciate any advice you may have so that I can get back on my bike!

Two years?
I'd go see somebody. I don't know who, but an M.D., a bike fit person (a different one), a midwife who cycles, a massage therapist (who cycles), an accupuncturist (who cycles?)...like I said, I don't know who, but two years is a long time to put up with a discomfortable bum.

Have your sitbones continued to bother you while you have been off the bike? If not, I would not be surprised in general if someone who had been off the bike for a few months experienced some significant sitbone soreness the first week or two on the bike. I know it happens for me it I take a lot of time off in the winter. I'm not suggesting that your saddle isn't a problem, you may very well need a different one, but if the pain returned out of the blue it may not be an aggravation of your old injury, but just a normal response to starting riding again on an unconditioned tush (possibly exacerbated or accentuated by a poorly fitted saddle).

What did the doctor who said you had a bruised sitbone tell you to do?

I bruised my tailbone once and it hurt like heck everytime I sat down or sat up for several months, went to a doctor and he told me to use a hemorrhoid pillow for a few months - to make sure I wasn't sitting on the tailbone and it could heal. I was in middle school at the time, so my Mom just took a square decorative pillow, cut a hole in the middle & sewed it up.

My friends all brought pillows to school with them & sat on them so I wouldn't feel stupid.

But anyways... Maybe if you do something like that and make sure that you're not sitting on your sit bone at all for a couple of months it'll let it heal. Otherwise you're reinjuring it everytime you sit down.

Yeah, if it is a real bone bruise, then it can take a long time to heal. I had bruised my talus, and it took many months to heal. Of course walking and all didn't really help if I stepped the right way to aggravate the bruise.

You might want to research ischial bursitis. I was diagnosed with that last month after having pain for several months. I got a cortisone shot and I'm easing back into cycling now.

Good luck!

Kate

Thanks everyone for the advice. I'm seeing a PT next week to see if it's really a bruised sits bone or ischial bursitis. I hope to get back on my bike soon without pain!