Improve Your Cycling Efficiency and prevent injuries
CONTENT
1.Cycling – old but emerging sport.
2.Importance of bike fit
3.Optimum posture on bike
4.Efficient cycling techniques
5.Common cycling injuries
6.Ride pain free – Prevention of injuries
7.Questions and Answers
Cycling as a sport
THEY SAY THAT, Sore muscles, aching bones and pains in areas of body that you didn’t know existed. This is the life of an adult trying to get in shape.
Why take up cycling
BENEFITS
- Creative thinking
- Promoting the flow of oxygen in your brain
- Circadian rhythm
- Social benefits
- Cycling high
- High RISK diseases
BIKE FIT
Proper fitting ensures maximum comfort and a great ride with superior power.
While most bikes are technically sound, improper positioning on the bike can result in disappointing ride.
Bikes come in a limited number of shapes and sizes. Cyclists do not.
Bike manufacturers use adjustable components so their bikes can be made to accommodate a larger cross-section of riders.
A trained bike fitter knows which adjustments need to be made to each of these components so that human and machine can truly become one.
Who needs a bike fit?
Anyone who plans to spend any length of time riding a bicycle will benefit greatly from a professional bike fit.
A good fit can also improve riding performance, because it allows the rider to use multiple muscle groups in the most effective and efficient manner
A proper fit can:
Improve overall rider comfort
Help prevent cycling-induced repetitive stress injuries
Reduce or eliminate back, knee, neck and wrist pain
Reduce or eliminate saddle discomfort and genital numbness
Reduce or eliminate numbness in the hands and fingers
Reduce rider fatigue
There are many variants when setting up a cycle, but many people get it wrong from the outset by choosing a road bike that is the incorrect size for them.
- Saddle height
- Cycling knee position
- Cycle riders reach
- Bicycle hand position
- Bicycle pedal foot position
- Bike frame size
The advantages of maintaining the correct cycling position include:
Greater cycling comfort More efficient cycling Improved bike handling
COMMON CYCLING INJURIES
KNEE PAIN
one of the most overuse injuries. Cyclists fasten their feet to the pedals with cleats on the bottom of the shoes. However, if they are not positioned the correct way, the result is sharp pain in the knees that won’t go away. Cyclist’s knee and patella and quadriceps tendinitis are other common knee overuse injuries.
LOW BACK PAIN
Spending time in the same position for a long time without a break will hurt any muscle. This is even more of a problem in cycling because the natural position of being on a bike means a lot of stress going through the spine. In order for the pedal strokes to be stronger, the body must be in a flexed position which can easily result in back pain. So set your back straight in the right position for the specific frame of your bicycle.
FOOT NUMBNESS
Can’t feel your feet? Don’t panic. It’s quite common. The biggest cause (other than cold weather) is improperly fit shoes.
Make sure the cleats are not too far forward increasing the pressure around the ball of the foot.
Too much hill riding is another cause because it has to do with a lot of pushing and that mean a lot of pressure on the foot.
Make sure your shoes are not squeezing your feet too tight and that they are not too narrow
Neck Pain
This is caused by tightness in the muscle that starts at the base of the skull and runs along the sides of the neck all the way to the shoulders.
They get too tired because they carry the entire weight of the head in extension for a long time in the same position time while riding.
Exercises to prevent cycling injuries
Why warm up?
Warming up is essential to prepare your body and mind, to perform at its very best
Warm up session typically includes of
- Stretching – dynamic stretching
- spot jogging
- range of movement exercises
Why cool down?
A cool down helps return your body to its pre-exercise state and will aid recovery.
A progressive cool down will help remove metabolic waste products from your muscles.
You may find that your body has become stiff after being in a fixed position on the bike for hours and stretching will help
Static stretching where you hold the position for a longer period (30 – 45 secs) helps post cycling.
Apart from the basic stretches, these are few other important stretches ;
- The indian knot – glut and piriformis stretch
Strengthening exercises
Back ex tensors gluts upper back muscles
Focus more on strengthening these muscles
Your quads and calves are already overworking, stretching them would be
Few strengthening exercises
- Bridges – single leg bridge bridge with marching,etc.
- Planks – side and front
- Squats
- Skater squats
- Foot intrinsic
Thank You
Dr. Rajani Patil Cell- 9867137118 Email- orthosports.rajani@gmail.com Shivaji Park I Khar