Upper back and neck pain

RobAMerc

Hi guys,

I was wondering if anyone knows a remedy for this after a longer spin on the bike.

Last year on the ROK it was my main problem - my legs were not bad but my neck was absolutely killing me.

I am on bike no 3 trying to get rid of this and this one is defo better but after 4 hrs yesterday it started again, and my upper back and neck muscles today are pretty bad.

Does anyone know whats the issue here ?

I put in a fair bit of mileage these days (for me) so its not that I am not used to it.

Any ideas ? I could just keep my head down but I imagine the pain would be alot worse under a bus.

Thanks
Rob

TinyExplosions

I'm suffering similarly, and I suspect it's the drop in height from saddle to handlebars -what's yours like? (easist way is to lean bike against door, balance pancil on the saddle and make a mark, repeat for the top of the bars). I was about 4" when I started, and in pain, and have reduced it, but haven't been on a long enough spin to try it out

irishmotorist

I've recently been upping my miles and was out for 4.5 hours on Saturday. I think that I felt similarl - but I had it across my shoulders a small bit too. Probably more stiffness than pain. I was fine after a sleep though.

Based on where I felt the stiffness, what I'm going to try next time is doing some stretches around that part of the body before heading off. For stretching my upper back I'm going to stretch both arms out straight in front of me as far as I can, parallel to the ground. For stretching my chest, I'm going to sort of join my hands behind me (not actually clasp, just so that my arms are in a V shape) and push my shoulders back like I was trying to stand up dead straight. I'm hopeful that will help me a bit.

Raam

Make sure to stretch while on the bike also. Turn your head from side to side, shrug your shoulders. Vary your position.

RobAMerc

TinyExplosions wrote: »

I'm suffering similarly, and I suspect it's the drop in height from saddle to handlebars -what's yours like? (easist way is to lean bike against door, balance pancil on the saddle and make a mark, repeat for the top of the bars). I was about 4" when I started, and in pain, and have reduced it, but haven't been on a long enough spin to try it out

Thanks for the info,
I had a look at this last night, the saddle seems to be level with the bars or at most 1/2 inch.

I am a bit of an odd shape I know in that I am 5'11 with only 30 inch legs ( so my upper body is long ) - but my 56cm bike feels great on short runs - much better than the previous two.

This is becoming a major issue for me and I am starting to dread the thoughs of the pain after another long ride.

Maybe the stretches will help - I generally do some alright but not normally till I am in pain.

has anyone heard of ergo bikes that are supposed to be more comfortable ?

Bicyclegadabout

Not a permanent solution, but I find this stuff works wonders:




Don't pick your nose after using it though.

Vélo

Bicyclegadabout wrote: »

Not a permanent solution, but I find this stuff works wonders:




Don't pick your nose after using it though.

Or scratch your mickey:eek::eek:

72hundred

^^^

hahaha

Lil' Smiler

Speaking from a Therapists point of view... i would see it as being as a result of your posture on the bike. Your upper body is rounded as you cycle thus increasing whats known as a kyphotic posture (rounded back).

Try getting some regular massage maintenance work on your back and combine that with stretching and strengthening of your core muscles.

Cassiel

Go with the basics for a start.
How much stretching do you normally do and upper body/core muscle strengthening exercise?
How much of the 4hrs would you spend gripping the drops, racing style?
Would you define the grip on the bike as fairly pliant, loose arms, bent elbows, relaxed shoulders or the opposite, a tense, firm grip?

~Ah, some sound advice above in the 8 minutes it took to write this

RobAMerc

Cassiel wrote: »

Go with the basics for a start.
How much stretching do you normally do and upper body/core muscle strengthening exercise?
How much of the 4hrs would you spend gripping the drops, racing style?
Would you define the grip on the bike as fairly pliant, loose arms, bent elbows, relaxed shoulders or the opposite, a tense, firm grip?

~Ah, some sound advice above in the 8 minutes it took to write this

I do 0 stretches or upper body work out tbh, cycling is my exercise - although I do stretch legs before I start.

I would have a fairly straight locked arm and loose grip on the bars I reckon.

If I am honest my posture wouldn't be great anyway and suspect your diagnosis of rounded shoulders would be fairly accurate of me normally never mind on the bike.

Gym for me ?

72hundred

On a related topic;

What's the best things to do if you notice you've a cramp/stitch starting in one of your muscles? Calf muscle seems prone to it...

Best to get off and stretch out or just push thru the cramp?

I decided wrongly or rightly the latter was the better opinion just now on the commute home, and after a few about 500m's the cramp had gone. Although wasn't pleasant pedaling with a cramp in full swing.

72oo

DirkVoodoo

Main thing is to get some fluids with a healthy dose of electrolytes into you quickly. Simply pushing through wont help, have a drink and get off the bike for a quick stretch.

72hundred

yeah thanks, i'll hop off the bike next time for a break.

doozerie

72hundred wrote:

yeah thanks, i'll hop off the bike next time for a break.

Or stretch on the bike. This is feasible for a calf stretch when your feet are secured to the pedals (via clipless or toeclips) - otherwise there is a risk of your foot sliding off the peda. Get off the saddle, straighten the problematic leg by dropping the pedal on that side and push your heel towards the ground while pointing your toes towards the sky.

If the stretching isn't enough then you may have to massage the calf too - again you can do this on the bike if you are comforable with cycling one-handed, although if the cramp is severe certainly the safest thing to do is to stop the bike to deal with it. Also, stretch your calves after the ride too (after every ride, in fact, and not just the calves).