Lower extremity and spine pain in cyclists

Abstract

Introduction. The number of cyclists increases each year. Some people treat cycling as a passion and practice it at every possible occasion, while for others it is a mean of transport or a form of relaxation at the weekend. However, very few people realize that cycling can also have a negative impact on their health. Objective. To assess the prevalence of lower extremity and spine pain in cyclists, and evaluate the influence of various factors causing it. Materials and method. The study was performed on 167 subjects during amateur cycling competitions in the Greater Poland and Kuyavian-Pomeranian Provinces. A specially prepared questionnaire was used in the study. The questions related to the pain caused by cycling, the character and the localization of the pain, and the presence of warm-up and stretching. Results. Knee pain was reported in 40% of the study subjects (mostly anterior pain -26%). Spine pain was reported in 41% of the studied athletes, where 26% was related with the lumbar spine. Variables, such as age, weight, age, BMI, training experience and number of hours devoted to training per week had no influence on the incidence and the localization of leg pain, but it had influence in the case of spine pain. Stretching after cycling was the factor which significantly distinguished the studied groups with regard to the incidence of knee pain. Conclusions. The most common type of leg pain was knee pain (anterior knee pain) whereas spine pain was most commonly reported in the lumbar spine. Statistical analysis showed that spine pain is more often reported by people who are older, have higher weight, and people who spend more time training per week. Warm-up and stretching after cycling are recommended to cyclists who experience pain.

Association between Mountain Bike and Folding Bicycle Usage with Lower Extremity Pain

“…12 Low handlebar height and high saddle height could cause the body to bend while cycling, hence the increased risk of neck pain, intervertebral stress, vertebrae interdiscus pressure, or viscoelasticity deformity in soft tissues of the lumbar, and give load to the lower extremity while cycling and cause a greater lumbar flexion and anterior pelvic tilt. 5,[12][13][14][15] Bicycle handlebar that is too high could influence the backbone to be anatomically straight, yet cause all loads to focus on the hips and cause hip pain, which also cause the power that is channelled to the foot while cycling to be lower. 16 Saddle that is too high could cause the knee to flex more and burden tibiofemoral joint, anterior cruciatum ligament, posterior cruciatum ligament, and knee menisci due to high force from quadriceps femoris muscles towards distal and cause discomfort while cycling.…”

“…Lower extremity pain caused by sports could be categorized into two, acute pain and pain due to overuse. 5 Acute pain is generally caused by injury during sports. 5,6 Pain due to overuse is a pain caused by micro-trauma that previously was not felt by the body and happened repeatedly until noticeable pain occur.…”

“…5 Acute pain is generally caused by injury during sports. 5,6 Pain due to overuse is a pain caused by micro-trauma that previously was not felt by the body and happened repeatedly until noticeable pain occur. 7 Cycling is one of the sports that become a global trend, including Indonesia, in 2020 until now.…”

“…10 A research that evaluated lower extremity and back pain concluded that the most occurrence of pain in the lower extremity was in the knee region, with a result of 40% out of all research subjects, and another research showed that 43.4% out of all research subjects that suffered from gradual-onset lower extremity pain due to cycling occurred in knee region. 5,11 The aim of this research is to know the relationship between uses of mountain bikes and folding bicycles with lower extremity pain.…”

Effects of Cycling on Spine: A Case–Control Study Using a 3D Scanning Method

“…On the other hand, overuse injuries occur in those who ride bicycles regularly and can be caused by inadequate preparation or an incorrect pedaling position [22]. In a recent article, Cyr reported the need for a spine assessment and recommended a bike fit assessment to counteract neck pain in cyclists [23].…”