View Preention Image. Inserts Mediterranean vegetable recipes align the bones of your injurh and more evenly distribute the Alpha-lipoic acid and insulin sensitivity of your pedal strokethereby taking stress off the knees. Cross-train: Cross-training, or alternating your exercise routine regularly, improves and maintains overall fitness without overstressing or overusing certain parts of the body.

Cycling injury prevention -

At the ideal saddle height, your heel should just graze the pedal at the bottom of your pedal stroke. You can also change up your hand positions on the handlebars every so often to give your back a break.

Knee pain is another common complaint among cyclists, especially pain in the kneecap. This type of pain is typically due to overuse. Many studies also suggest that the bike fit and alignment, lack of training, and inappropriate equipment are major contributing factors to knee injuries among cyclists.

Instead, drop your heel and make sure your knee remains over your foot throughout your pedal stroke to help remove the stress from your knees while you pedal. If you feel knee pain in the back of your knees, your saddle might be too high.

Properly adjusting it should help! After a long ride, you might experience a numb or tingly feeling in your hands. These symptoms could signify a medical condition called ulnar neuropathy also called handlebar palsy , caused by compression of the ulnar nerve.

Sometimes, wrist pain can also result from the incline of your saddle. Ideally, your saddle should be parallel to the ground, but some cyclists tilt it slightly forward or back to enhance comfort while they ride.

Alternatively, if your handlebars or grips are too low or too far away from your body, you may experience some hand or wrist discomfort. By adjusting the bars to shorten your reach, you may reduce hand and wrist pain.

Wearing gloves with gel padding or using padded bar tape may also help cushion the contact area. Hip pain is often caused by overtraining and overworking the muscles in your behind. Being seated for long periods can compress your arteries or veins typically the iliac arteries and veins located in the abdomen and pelvic area and cause a lack of blood flow or damage to blood vessels.

Sitting on your saddle incorrectly or suddenly spending a much longer time than usual in the saddle can also cause hip pain. Although common among cyclists and other athletes, hip pain is relatively easy to fix with adjustments to your riding posture and bike, including the saddle and handlebar positions.

Making sure your saddle is straight, tilted correctly, and at the proper height can help eliminate hip pain and general discomfort while riding. Some cyclists also use cutaway saddles, which are designed to reduce pressure on your muscles and move slightly with your legs as you pedal.

Preventing injuries is the best way to stay consistent on your bike. Instead of reacting to injuries after they occur and having to dial back your training significantly, adding certain exercises to your routine can help you stay in the saddle regularly.

Strength training exercises are a highly effective way to prevent sports injuries for several reasons. First, they strengthen your muscles, tendons, ligaments, and bones. This provides additional protection from injury when your body takes on the stress or shock of your movements during exercise.

And secondly, they reduce bodily imbalances. If your shoulders and neck feel tired on your ride, hop-off and take a break. Make sure to fit your bike to your body, adjust handlebar height, and adjust your stem length.

Lastly, keep your neck and shoulders flexible by targeting them in your regular stretching routine. Carpal Tunnel syndrome can be experienced from cycling. Wearing gel gloves can help cushion and comfort the hands and wrists and add a layer of protection to your hands in the event of a fall.

Your knee is essentially a hinge between your hip and ankle. Muscle tightness and improper bike fit are the most common culprits for knee pain. More on this later!

Patellofemoral syndrome is the highest overuse injury that occurs in cycling. This is commonly pain at the front of your knee and around your kneecap the patella. Maintaining strength, having proper form, and proper stretching can help prevent patellofemoral syndrome. The patellar tendon works with the muscles at the front of your thigh to extend your knee so that you can kick, run and jump.

Saddle sores are, well, no fun at all. You might be familiar with the painful skin lesions that can develop on the parts of your body in contact with your saddle. The most common types of saddle sores are ulcerations, folliculitis, furuncles, and chafing. These inflamed, red sores can be caused by infected hair follicles and skin rubbed raw to various degrees.

Prevent saddle sores by having a properly-fitting saddle, wearing proper lycra cycle shorts or a padded lycra baselayer under baggier shorts , using chamois cream, and changing your shorts as soon as you finish with your ride.

Road rash in cycling is caused by falling off your bike and grazing your skin on the tarmac. If you experience road rash , thoroughly wash your wound, carefully cleaning away any road debris left on your skin.

After cleaning, dry and use an antibiotic ointment, bandage, and change your bandage daily. Watch for possible infections and seek medical attention if your wound gets worse! The most common broken bones are the clavicle collarbone , wrist, hand, femur, humerus upper arm , and ribs.

While crashes can be inevitable, there are ways to minimize injury when falling off a bike. Global Mountain Bike Network has a video on how to crash on your mountain bike here , and Global Cycling Network has a video on preventing common road cycling incidents here. Bikeability Checklist Americans are increasingly bicycling to commute, for exercise, or just for fun.

FITTING A HELMET HOW TO FIT A BIKE HELMET Every bike ride begins with putting on a helmet. Size can vary between manufacturers. Follow the steps to fit a helmet properly. It may take time to ensure a proper helmet fit, but your life is worth it.

For the most comprehensive list of helmet sizes according to manufacturers, go the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute BHSI website. Regardless of the reason for the crash, prevention is the name of the game. There are things you can do to decrease your risk of a crash.

First, know some of the latest bicycle safety facts:. Ride responsibly, and remember: All states require bicyclists on the roadway to follow the same rules and responsibilities as motorists.

Be focused and alert to the road and all traffic around you; anticipate what others may do, before they do it.

This is defensive driving—the quicker you notice a potential conflict, the quicker you can act to avoid a potential crash:. BIKE RIDING SAFETY Rules of the Road By driving predictably, motorists get a sense of what you intend to do and can react to avoid a crash.

Drive where you are expected to be seen, travel in the same direction as traffic and signal and look over your shoulder before changing lane position or turning.

Avoid or minimize sidewalk riding. If you must ride on the sidewalk remember to:. No one learns to drive a vehicle safely without practice and experience; safely riding your bike in traffic requires the same preparation. Start by riding your bike in a safe environment away from traffic a park, path, or empty parking lot.

Take an on-bike class through your school, recreation department, local bike shop or bike advocacy group.

UR Medicine is a Alpha-lipoic acid and insulin sensitivity participant in the Stop Injkry Injury Campaign. To help keep kids in preevntion game for life, STOP Maintaining a balanced gut microbiome Trauma and Overuse Prevention targets the sports that have the highest rates of overuse and trauma injuries. The development of STOP Sports Trauma and Overuse Prevention Sports Injuries was initiated by the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine AOSSM. Download the Cycling Injury PDF. Knee Pain The knee is the most common site for overuse injuries in cycling.

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6 Easy Ways To Find Your Perfect Riding Position Cycling is Cycliny cheap and convenient type Alpha-lipoic acid and insulin sensitivity transport with very low environmental impact, and is an enjoyable inkury activity for all Cyclng. Cycling can improve your prevntion and Blackberry and basil infused water health. Pedalling is a low-impact activity that improves muscle tone without stressing your knee and ankle joints. Cycling is particularly good for cardiovascular fitness, which means reduced risk of heart attack and stroke. Nevertheless, injuries can occur, both as a direct result of cycling and in accidents. Only seven per cent of transport-related cycling injuries involve collisions with other vehicles.