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Pelvic pain is common with bicycle riding, whether indoor or outdoor. If you have ever ridden a bike for an extended amount of time you know the groin and pelvic region get uncomfortable. There are some things you can do to relieve that pain whether you are a recreational bicyclist, avid spin class or Peleton rider, or a competitive cyclist or triathlete.
1. Wear padded shorts. These will give you some more cushioning and comfort while riding.
2. Do pressure relief techniques while riding by unweighting the body slightly during cycling. You don't have to completely stand up from the bike but just by unweighting the body weight on the seat will give a temporary break to the direct pressure on the pelvis.
3. Change your seat. Get a more cushioned seat, a different shaped saddle or a seat with a cutout in the middle is the most often recommendation to help relieve pressure.
4. Stretch after you cycle. Stretch your groin and hips.
5. Ice to decrease inflammation that may be in the pelvic region after a like bike ride.
6. Get your bike fitted for you. Especially if you are cycling lots of hours and miles a proper bike fit for you can make a world of difference on how you feel while cycling.
7. See a pelvic floor physical therapist. We have worked with many athletes, especially cyclists and triathletes who have chronic pelvic pain and numbness that sometimes leads to sexual dysfunction (pain with sex or erectile dysfunction). We treat men and women. We will do a full body assessment to see how we can optimize your movement for better pressure distribution while cycling.
8. This is a bonus tip. We created an online strength and mobility program just for cyclists with pelvic pain. Check it out here.
We have a follow up blog to this blog where we demonstrate 3 exercises to help reduce pelvic pain with cycling. Check that out here.
Call or email us to discuss how we can help you be able to cycle longer and without discomfort.
Please share this blog with your fellow athletes because I am sure this is more common than people talk about. It may prevent them from having more serious problems such as sexual dysfunction due to saddle anesthesia.
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