isg520
Peloton Rider
Posts: 63
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Post by isg520 on Mar 2, 2016 11:44:10 GMT
I've only taken up cycling over the last few months and whilst I've grown to love it, I do find its aggravating some pre existing neck problems I have. I just wondered if anyone else is in the same boat and have any tips about coping / minimizing the effects whilst still getting out there. Any advice appreciated!
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Post by Rocket on Mar 2, 2016 11:54:03 GMT
Do you know if it is muscular or skeletal that is the cause of pain? If skeletal then you really need expert advice to rule out further damage. If it is muscular then it is probably being made worse because you are now needing to move your neck through a much greater range of movement to make effective observations. If it is pain at the extremes of movement then you could do exercises to push these extremes further out. Best done with hot towels on the area or under a hot shower. You could also seek out a physio who has one of those machines that stimulates muscles through electrical means. I've had a few sessions on one and it really worked for me. Made me breakdance like that Gary fella on the MoneySupermaket adverts. #bigbadwolf
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isg520
Peloton Rider
Posts: 63
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Post by isg520 on Mar 2, 2016 12:12:47 GMT
Do you know if it is muscular or skeletal that is the cause of pain? If skeletal then you really need expert advice to rule out further damage. If it is muscular then it is probably being made worse because you are now needing to move your neck through a much greater range of movement to make effective observations. If it is pain at the extremes of movement then you could do exercises to push these extremes further out. Best done with hot towels on the area or under a hot shower. You could also seek out a physio who has one of those machines that stimulates muscles through electrical means. I've had a few sessions on one and it really worked for me. Made me breakdance like that Gary fella on the MoneySupermaket adverts. #bigbadwolf Thanks for your reply "Gary"! I think I'd be a bit more like the builder on wrecking ball.. I have two prolapsed discs in the lower neck (c5-c6 & c6-c7) along with spondylosis. This tends to have a knock on effect with the surrounding muscles which causes alot of tightness. I know that being in one position for too long isnt going to help matters so I follow the exercises that the physio has told me do in the past, but I'm still finding the longer rides a problem at the moment. This is frustrating as I really want to increase my endurance.
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Post by r0b1et on Mar 2, 2016 17:08:16 GMT
Without knowing anything about your condition (totally the wrong kind of doctor for that!), have you ever tried anything like yoga? I've done a few yoga classes over the winter when I've been tight muscled and that has certainly helped there, I think for me it improved core strength too. I imagine you would benefit in the neck area too, I have only ever had neck trouble on centuries in the rain and cold - and nothing debilitating.
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isg520
Peloton Rider
Posts: 63
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Post by isg520 on Mar 2, 2016 17:53:59 GMT
Without knowing anything about your condition (totally the wrong kind of doctor for that!), have you ever tried anything like yoga? I've done a few yoga classes over the winter when I've been tight muscled and that has certainly helped there, I think for me it improved core strength too. I imagine you would benefit in the neck area too, I have only ever had neck trouble on centuries in the rain and cold - and nothing debilitating. Thanks r0b1et. I haven't tried yoga and its a good suggestion as it's never crossed my mind. I've tried more or less everything else - acupuncture, heat therapy, nerve root injections (they're not much fun!) etc along with regular physio, but none have had any real long term effect or benefit. I'm back in with my physio on Monday so I'll see what his thoughts are. Thanks again
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Post by Rocket on Mar 2, 2016 18:28:09 GMT
Ruptured discs are a sure cause of pain for the rest of your life. I have one at the other end of my spine, L4-L5. You just get used to it and accept a new level of pain as being your pain free level. Short of surgery which is extremely risky there is not much you can do so time to pull out the rule #5 card. I've got to the point where I can do a 4 hour ride completely on the drops and it's a fair drop for my set up.
Your key to being more comfortable must surely be restricting movement.
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isg520
Peloton Rider
Posts: 63
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Post by isg520 on Mar 2, 2016 19:41:08 GMT
Ruptured discs are a sure cause of pain for the rest of your life. I have one at the other end of my spine, L4-L5. You just get used to it and accept a new level of pain as being your pain free level. Short of surgery which is extremely risky there is not much you can do so time to pull out the rule #5 card. I've got to the point where I can do a 4 hour ride completely on the drops and it's a fair drop for my set up. Your key to being more comfortable must surely be restricting movement. Cheers Rocket. You're right, you do get used to it, I've had the problem for a number of years and have been told the risks of surgery outweigh the benefits and there's only a 1 in 3 chance of success, odds I don't really fancy. It's a balancing act for me, if I don't mobilize regularly the neck will tighten up to the point of spasm, which causes severe nerve pain down my left arm. That said, if I over exert the area this can still aggravate the condition. I've just found my last few rides seem to have taken a toll, which I'm guessing is due to my riding position or possibly vibrations through the bars. Hats off to you though, sounds like you're cracking on despite the injury too. I'd love to build up to a point where I can get up to the type of level you mention. Thanks again for your response
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Post by jondxxx on Mar 3, 2016 10:41:41 GMT
A quick google of "bike fit neck pain" brings up all sorts of advice such as link. It can be surprising how much difference very small adjustments can make. My eventual cure was investing in a narrower handle bar. Putting up a side view photo of your bike might bring some useful advice too.
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isg520
Peloton Rider
Posts: 63
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Post by isg520 on Mar 3, 2016 16:54:14 GMT
A quick google of "bike fit neck pain" brings up all sorts of advice such as link. It can be surprising how much difference very small adjustments can make. My eventual cure was investing in a narrower handle bar. Putting up a side view photo of your bike might bring some useful advice too. cheers jondxxx. i did get a bike fit of sorts from deca when I bought the bike, but it could well be that some minor adjustments at the front could be of help. Thanks for posting the link.
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Post by jim1966 on Mar 3, 2016 19:58:59 GMT
Tried all sorts to get comfortable on my T3. Wider bars, higher bars, lower bars, longer and shorter stems, under bar gel pads, double wrapped bar tape, different saddle and even the next frame size down.
Principle problem for me was pins and needles in my left hand but could be both hands on occasions and neither on others. The stiff neck thing also manifested itself too with me having difficulty looking over my right shoulder (not good if you can't do the lifesaver!).
I went to a local practitioner of the Bowen Technique who found my left shoulder/chest/neck and jaw knotted up. She "released" these knots (it hurts!) which greatly improved my range of movement. Highly recommend seeing someone - its surprising what you get used to living with over the years and how liberating it is to be able to move freely again.
Secondly, the drop bars are off. Replaced with On-One Mary Bars, Ergon grips and tiagra trigger shifters. No more pins and needles. Never feel the need to change position, which is the claim made in favour of drops, as I don't get uncomfortable at all. I no longer look like one of the crowd either which suits me fine. I thought I'd be slower as a result but still getting PR's so can't be that bad!
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isg520
Peloton Rider
Posts: 63
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Post by isg520 on Mar 4, 2016 9:41:25 GMT
Tried all sorts to get comfortable on my T3. Wider bars, higher bars, lower bars, longer and shorter stems, under bar gel pads, double wrapped bar tape, different saddle and even the next frame size down. Principle problem for me was pins and needles in my left hand but could be both hands on occasions and neither on others. The stiff neck thing also manifested itself too with me having difficulty looking over my right shoulder (not good if you can't do the lifesaver!). I went to a local practitioner of the Bowen Technique who found my left shoulder/chest/neck and jaw knotted up. She "released" these knots (it hurts!) which greatly improved my range of movement. Highly recommend seeing someone - its surprising what you get used to living with over the years and how liberating it is to be able to move freely again. Secondly, the drop bars are off. Replaced with On-One Mary Bars, Ergon grips and tiagra trigger shifters. No more pins and needles. Never feel the need to change position, which is the claim made in favour of drops, as I don't get uncomfortable at all. I no longer look like one of the crowd either which suits me fine. I thought I'd be slower as a result but still getting PR's so can't be that bad! cheers Jim. I've never heard of the Bowen Technique so I'll certainly have a read up on it and mention it to my current physio. Sounds like its definitely benefited you. I hadn't thought of swapping the bars either. I do tend to have to change my positioning on the bars regularly to avoid numbness. I find riding the hoods the most comfortable at the moment and I've only started venturing into the drops recently. Its possible that I might need a shorter stem as I do notice a bit of a stretch when I ride the drops, but wasn't sure if this was normal when adapting to a new position. Thanks again for your response
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Post by Rocket on Mar 4, 2016 11:23:29 GMT
The Jim Bowen technique? You can't beat a bit of bully
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isg520
Peloton Rider
Posts: 63
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Post by isg520 on Mar 4, 2016 13:40:16 GMT
The Jim Bowen technique? You can't beat a bit of bully If its a success, you could win a teasmaid or speed boat
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duplo
Peloton Rider
Posts: 206
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Post by duplo on Mar 7, 2016 11:39:13 GMT
I suffer from neck pain on longer rides, I tried scooting my seat forward a bit on my last ride and it worked spectacularly well. I did have to raise the seat to compensate mid ride as I wasn't quite getting a full stroke.
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isg520
Peloton Rider
Posts: 63
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Post by isg520 on Mar 9, 2016 12:35:39 GMT
I suffer from neck pain on longer rides, I tried scooting my seat forward a bit on my last ride and it worked spectacularly well. I did have to raise the seat to compensate mid ride as I wasn't quite getting a full stroke. cheers duplo, I'll give this a go too
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