Cycling is a great way to get around and is excellent exercise. However, people are not designed to ride a bicycle in such a way as to avoid neck and other pain. According to Cycling Weekly, people who ride bicycles for any protracted length of time are courting something called Shermer’s Neck. The constant jiggles and vibrations that you can experience starting at the handlebars and translating through the arms to the back, neck, and shoulder muscles on long bike trips can translate into neck pain unless you are very careful.
Tips for Preventing Neck Pain While Cycling
One way to prevent neck pain after a long bicycle trip is to pay attention to your position while you are riding. The key to avoiding neck pain while cycling is to properly situate your handlebars. If you must reach too far to grip your handlebars, the vibrations that translate up your arms and shoulders can result in neck pain after a trip of any duration. Make sure that you can reach your handlebars easily and that they are of the proper height. That way your arms will not be over-extended. You should also not grip the handlebars too hard while riding your bicycle.
Sometimes, for whatever reason, you develop neck pain after a long bike trip anyway. Fortunately, as a story on KABC in Los Angeles reports, a number of exercises exist that will help to alleviate any pain you might experience before you hop on your bike to go for a long-distance ride.
Use a soft foam roller across your back, arms, and chest for about ten minutes after you conclude your ride. The procedure has the same effect on a bike rider’s body as stretching exercises do for a runner. The roller will release a lot of accumulated stress, making you loose and flexible enough for a stress-free bicycle ride.
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