Form follows function is a concept we greatly appreciate not only in modern architecture but also in the entire anatomy of the human body. Looking at the biking, in general, we might see some flaws about the posture, and being in this for an extended period of time might cause you more aches after than you want. Most of these are easy to predict and therefore equally easy to prevent.
On that note, people who have preexisting health conditions that don’t allow them to perform strenuous activities should consider using power-assisted motorized bicycles. No matter how much care they take, their body may not cope with the physical stress. A power-assisted bike takes some of the burden off their bodies, allowing them to ride longer and faster with little physical stress.
Here we present 5 problems with tips to help prevent the biggest problems while bicycle riding. Of course, these do not replace proper adjustment of your equipment, they are meant to be a supplement after you took down the helmet in your hostel at night or before on you sit down on your couch to watch TV.
1. Postural balance
Looking at the posture, one of the muscles most septic to shortening is the pectoral major and minor. An anterior position of the shoulder can be complicated for many reasons including nerve compression, breathing problems, and global shoulder complaints. As a cyclist, you know these tingling sensations in your fingers or occasional numbness? They can actually be caused by your shoulder position. The condition is called Thoracic Outlet Syndrome and can sometimes be misinterpreted as a Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
Pectoralis Major/ Minor stretching, statically to prevent shortening. The muscles group shown on the left are mostly phasic style which makes them more prone to shortening over long times. Even though, the tonic-and-phasic-muscle theory has mostly been disproven in modern science as a rigid system, in most people the theory still holds true.
2. What you don’t use, you lose
The muscles not being used are easily being neglected by our bodies. If you now bike every day, your body will send most of its nutrients to the muscles being used. The last thing you want is to create a dysbalance in your body between antagonist/protagonist.
3. Passive stretch on structures for prolonged times
What is meant is your back, yes you sit most of the day bent down forward. The posture you have on your bike even the best possible will include a spinal curve that is different from an upright position while walking. What you want to do is avoid any protrusion of your intervertebral disks. Biomechanically speaking, as you flex the back, the forces increase in the front of each vertebra. This will then create a force on the intervertebral disk towards the back and pushing its fluids out of place.
4. Save your engine
Your knees are worth gold on this trip. There are many things you can do to maintain good condition. Let’s start from the beginning, biomechanically. Many people stand with a so-called hyperextension, it allows us to conserve energy while load-bearing. However, this energy conservation comes at a great cost: increased friction on the joint surface and placing excess stress on the ligaments in and around the knee.
5. Motion is lotion
This catchy term is always true for the human body, but as a cyclist, we want to focus on the neural system for now. The peripheral nervous system is compiled of cords running throughout the entire human body. As one takes up certain postures for a prolonged time (as in biking) with possible pressure points (your wrist on the handlebar), risks increase for problems. The passageways become narrow due to inflammation and we get numbness, pain, or hot/cold sensations.
This Guest Article was written by Valentin Nerding, BSc in Physiotherapy