Injury Prevention for Cyclists Jun 28 2018

Cycling is a great sport to keep you fit, get you outside and encourage a little healthy competition, even if it’s just with yourself. Like all sporting activities, there is always the risk of muscle injury and muscular overload, particularly due to the repetitive nature of the activity.

One way of ensuring that you avoid sustaining poor movement patterns on your bike or encouraging increased tissue loading in one area of the body is to go for a bike fitting. There are specialist bike fitters in London that will review the angles of your joints and spinal position and tailor your bike to fit you. This can prevent injury and improve muscular performance and bike comfort. Fittings are usually in the vicinity of £100 but for the keen cyclist, they can be priceless.

A common problem I find amongst cyclists that commute to and from work on their bike is their lack of emphasis on stretching. Most people will enter the office, shower and start their day. This means that the leg and hip muscles can become short and tight. The hip flexors (muscles that run from the back to the groin area) are particularly prone to becoming tight. The muscles work hard in a shortened position when one cycles and they stay in a shortened position throughout the day if you’re sitting at your desk.

Short hip flexors can be problematic for a person’s biomechanics and can contribute to pain, particularly in the lower back.

It’s important to maintain your flexibility as a cyclist so I would recommend you stretch your hip flexors, hamstrings, quadriceps, calves and back regularly to optimise your biomechanics and reduce your risk of muscular injury and pain.

If you are interested in injury management or injury prevention then please contact us for further advice or to book an appointment.

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