Do you feel pain when riding? Learn the correct riding posture →

The weather is getting warmer

More people are riding bicycles

I always feel pain in my body while riding.

From knees, hips, waist to shoulders, wrists...

The pain is different every day.

Image source: soogif

What exactly causes pain in the body?

How to ride correctly?

Knee pain

When riding, our legs will bend back and forth at a frequency of more than 5,000 times per hour. Among them, the vastus lateralis, biceps femoris and gastrocnemius are the main muscles for pedaling. If the seat is too low or too high, coupled with irregular riding movements, knee pain will come.

A seat that is too high or too low can cause knee pain. If the seat is too low, it is difficult to straighten your legs when pedaling, and it is difficult to exert force. Local muscles cannot exert force, while some parts of the body will exert too much force, such as the patella (commonly known as the kneecap) or quadriceps (a large muscle on the front of the thigh). Continuous high-intensity force will cause soreness in the front of the knee.

When the seat cushion is too low, it is also easy to turn "outward" or "inward". At this time, the direction of the toes is inconsistent with the direction of the knee force, which will cause the pressure to be concentrated on the weaker side of the knee joint, which will cause damage in the long run.

When the seat cushion is too high, the soles of the feet are easily suspended in the air, and the force is not smooth. Since the straight-line distance of pedaling is too long, it is easy to over-stretch and the knees will suffer additional wear and tear.

Image source: soogif

Improper pedaling frequency can also cause knee pain. The pedaling frequency refers to the number of times the pedals rotate once in 1 minute. If the pedaling frequency is too low, you need to pedal harder, but the human knee joint is limited in strength. Under strong pedaling, it will bear more pressure and wear, causing the cartilage to become thinner and causing pain. If the pedaling frequency is too high, the knee will be overloaded, causing pain behind the kneecap.

For amateur long-distance riding, it is recommended to maintain a cadence of 85-95, a cadence of 90-100 on flat roads, and a cadence of 70-80 when climbing long slopes.

Butt pain

It is mainly related to long-term cycling. When riding for a long time, the gluteus maximus is overused, edema compresses the sciatic nerve, causing pain or numbness in the legs or buttocks, also known as piriformis syndrome.

Numbness in shoulders and hands

When we hold the handle with our arms straight for a long time and our shoulder joints are internally rotated, due to the mutuality of force, the handle will also give us a reaction force, which will eventually be transmitted to the vicinity of our shoulder blades.

Image source: Photo Network

When the scapula is under pressure for a long time, the muscles of the scapula are in a state of passive stretching and pressure for a long time. Over time, these muscles will cause swelling and weakness. In severe cases, the surrounding axillary nerve will be compressed. The axillary nerve innervates the skin on the outside of the shoulder and the back of the arm, causing numbness in the shoulders and hands.

If you lean too far forward while riding, most of your body weight will be on your shoulders. If your neck is raised too far, your neck muscles will be overloaded, which can cause neck pain.

Perineum pain

The hard seat and bumpy road surface will cause the perineum to be under long-term compression and stimulation when riding, which will affect the local blood circulation and cause pain and discomfort in the prostate area. For women, it will also cause compression of blood vessels and nerves in the genitals, causing numbness and pain in the perineum.

Lower back pain

When riding, if the waist is relatively straight, it will increase the burden on the waist and easily cause fatigue and injury to the waist muscles.

Image source: soogif

01

Adjusting the seat height

When the pedal reaches the lowest position, bend the knee slightly (the knee angle is about 170°).

Image source: Photo Network

02

The height difference between the handlebar and the seat is less than 5 cm

Generally speaking, the height difference between the handlebar and the seat is less than 5 cm. If the handlebar is adjusted too low, the body will lean too far forward, the wrist will be overloaded, and fatigue will occur easily.

Image source: Jiangsu Provincial Sports Bureau

03

Keep your elbows slightly bent

Keeping your elbows bent at a certain angle allows your arms to absorb the impact and relieve pressure on your shoulders if you hit a pothole or bump in the road. It also helps to increase your balance and reduce the risk of falling off the bike.

04

Use your abdomen to push

Focus on engaging your abdominal muscles. In this state, you will naturally straighten your back and relax the other muscles in your arms and shoulders.

05

Pedal with the ball of your foot

Using the toes (the front 1/3 of the sole) is the most labor-saving way to pedal. This posture can increase the amplitude of the foot's up and down swing, thereby driving the Achilles tendon to pull the muscles on the back of the calf to move the entire muscle group. It will not feel strenuous, and it is easy to exert force, with high efficiency. In addition, the general design of the locking shoe is to buckle on the forefoot.

Image source: Photo Network

06

Relax your shoulders

If your shoulders are not lowered and relaxed while riding, you will feel discomfort in your back and neck. To facilitate the flexible rotation of your neck and to prevent back discomfort, keep your shoulders relaxed while riding and do not stretch them toward your ears.

Finally, if you have chronic pain or experience related health problems such as discomfort in the limbs, joints, neck, waist and back after riding, you should go to a professional rehabilitation institution for diagnosis, treatment and evaluation in time.

Happy spring riding everyone!

Image source: soogif

Comprehensive source: Beijing Medical Network, Beijing Tsinghua Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Sports Daily

China Bicycle Magazine, Hunan Science, Jiaxing Second Hospital

END

Compiled by: Dang Min

Editor: Guru