Saddle, shorts or lube?

[jenniferh]

Thank you, thank you everyone. I actually felt like I knew what I was doing at the lbs today. I measured my sit bones before I went. I used the damp flour in a zip lock bag method someone mentioned in another thread. I wasn't exactly sur where on the curve to measure so I used the widest part. It was 13cm so I added 1cm to each side. That makes 15cm or 150mm. That means I should be in a 155mm saddle, right?

I planned to buy both the San Marco Salle gel flow diva lady and the San Marco Aspide Glamour so I could test the different shapes and the cut-out, but they only had the diva in stock so I got that one first. Brought it home, put it on the bike...

and it was FABULOUS! I rode the exact same path I had been taking in the stock saddle but with no burning or chafing. A tiny bit of pressure on the nose which hits just about even with tissue over my clit, but it wasn't painful. I'm not sure how it would feel on a long ride, but for now it is a good start.

I did a ride with athletic shorts and then another ride in my cycling shorts. Of corse, the cycling shorts felt best, but I was okay in street clothes too.

And I think a properly fitting saddle solved other things too. There was absolutely no pain in my hand and no pain between my shoulder blades. I wonder if I was tensing up or or baring weight differently since the saddle was hurting? No matter what, now that I can at least ride in relative comfort I can break in the bike and try a few other saddles til I find the best fit.

[KnottedYet]

Hooray!!!

I sort of thought you might be shifting weight to your hands because of that saddle. Excellent job figuring out your size!

Now the world of saddles is your oyster!

Congratulations!

[GrandPrix]

specifically asking this of knottedyet since she seems to know so much

i have pelvic floor issues, lichen sclerosus and vestibulitis - the last 2 are under control more or less but the pelvic floor issues are currently being worked out in PT....

i LOVE cycling and am off the bike as of last week by order of my PT to let things calm down -

when i get back on the bike...how do i tell if the seat supports muscle or bone? what if i squirm around too much on it - sometimes i feel comfy and other times not?

ever heard of a custom saddle maker? i had heard about this from a friend....

thanks
: ) n

[KnottedYet]

specifically asking this of knottedyet since she seems to know so much

i have pelvic floor issues, lichen sclerosus and vestibulitis - the last 2 are under control more or less but the pelvic floor issues are currently being worked out in PT....

i LOVE cycling and am off the bike as of last week by order of my PT to let things calm down -

: ) n

Measure your sit bones.

Seriously. I work in pelvic rehab AND do bike fits. I'm totally obsessed with saddle fit and what a poor fit does to women.

I really hope your PT has advanced training in pelvic floor work. (trained by Kathe Wallace is a good sign, and yes, it's spelled "Kathe"). It would also be nice if they were trained in bike fitting (Michael Sylvester, Andy Pruitt, or Eric Moen are very good names, and teach all across the US.) I would also be ecstatic if your PT was cognizant of coccygeal dysfunction/derangement. Sounds like you've got it.

I think before you spring for a custom saddle, you really need to first find a commercial one that fits you. I do have to wonder if you have wider sit bones than can be supported by the saddles you've used, and your coccyx is getting wolloped via the tendons that anchor there because the saddles you've been on cause you to weightbear on the tendons of the floor rather than on the ischial tuberosities.

I could be completely wrong...

But please measure your sit bones!

(ETA: I assume you've already been cleared of celiac disease for the L.S.)

[KnottedYet]

Just realized part of my post probably didn't make sense.
Chronic vestibulitis and vulvodynia (and often even cystitis) have mechanical causes. Very often the cause is a coccygeal derangement, which makes all the tensions "off" in the pelvic floor.

(Imagine a group of people holding a parachute nice a taut, then one of them pulls extra hard on his bit and knocks everyone else off balance, distorts the parachute, and puts big wrinkles into it. That bad boy is the coccyx. Now the parachute doesn't work right. And it gets irritated.)

Vestibulitis plus diagnosed pelvic floor dysfunction is a big red flashing sign for a mechanical problem. LS is more an autoimmune issue, which can be kicked into high gear by the other two. But you want to rule out the standard autoimmune problems for that one first.

Your PT has pulled you from riding, thinking the saddle of the bike is contributing to the problem. Mechanical contribution time. Measure your sit bones.

[GrandPrix]

hello again - replying to "knotted yet"

slowly getting better....although still some issues - but much improved

my PT seems quite knowledgeable...which is nice...

my sitbones were measured on some sit squish pad and aren't that wide - more narrow actually, i believe around 138-140

my PT has noticed some issues with my coccyx....and also my hip capsule - currently doing lots of stretches from Amy Stein's book as well as a few others my PT put in there just for me...

i also am trying a new saddle these days - i got the test version...it is called the selle SMP - heard of it? HUGE cutout which allows lots of air flow and very little pressure on vulva or perineum which is nice....

sit bones are sore though...guess that takes some getting used to?

knotted yet - you live on west coast? would be nice to have someone like you on the east coast....none of my docs/PTs are cyclists....so i just figure the cycling out as i go....

[Groundhog]

[QUOTE=KnottedYet;520966]Measure your sit bones.

Seriously. I work in pelvic rehab AND do bike fits. I'm totally obsessed with saddle fit and what a poor fit does to women.

I really hope your PT has advanced training in pelvic floor work. (trained by Kathe Wallace is a good sign, and yes, it's spelled "Kathe"). It would also be nice if they were trained in bike fitting (Michael Sylvester, Andy Pruitt, or Eric Moen are very good names, and teach all across the US.) I would also be ecstatic if your PT was cognizant of coccygeal dysfunction/derangement. Sounds like you've got it.

I think before you spring for a custom saddle, you really need to first find a commercial one that fits you. I do have to wonder if you have wider sit bones than can be supported by the saddles you've used, and your coccyx is getting wolloped via the tendons that anchor there because the saddles you've been on cause you to weightbear on the tendons of the floor rather than on the ischial tuberosities.

I could be completely wrong...

But please measure your sit bones!

(ETA: I assume you've already been cleared of celiac disease for the L.S.)[/QUOTE]

KnottedYet, I'm always so happy when medical personnel are cognizant about the inpact of celiac and its interaction with other conditions. I have celiac and I swear that docs just think it's a "food-allergy" instead of an autoimmune disease that impacts many body systems and causes or interacts with many other conditions. Kudos to you to mentioning it!