Concussion
Crashes are a part of cycling, and unfortunately so are head injuries.
Concussions are a form of brain injury resulting from a direct blow.
Wearing a helmet significantly reduces the chances of injury, but cannot completely prevent
concussion.
Achilles tendinitis
If you’ve got pain in the Achilles through cycling the it’s likely to be Achilles tendinitis,
which is an inflammation commonly associated with overuse.
It can also be brought on by poor bike fit or an issue with cleat position.
Patellar Tendinitis
Tendinitis of the knee.
This is commonly associated with having your saddle too low, or if you grind a big
gear and your glute muscles aren’t working as hard as they should be.
Broken Clavicle
Otherwise known as a broken collarbone, this is the most common ‘break’ in cycling,
commonly caused by putting your arm down to save yourself in a low speed crash.
Once you impact the floor, the collarbone is often the weakest link of the chain, and
first to snap.
Pro tip: try to keep hold of the handlebars when you crash!
Broken scaphoid
If your collarbone isn’t the weak link in a fall, then your scaphoid bone often is.
The scaphoid is one of the carpal bones on the thumb side of the wrist.
Often not visible on X-rays, this fracture is frequently mistaken for a simple wrist
strain.
When the scaphoid breaks it can cause significant problems because there is only blood supply
into one end of the bone.
Left untreated, if there is a fracture, it can lead to avascular necrosis, which,
effectively, is cellular death of bone.
Fractured pelvis
If you don’t put your hand down to break your fall, the first point of contact with
the ground when you crash is often your hip.
Pelvic fractures are common amongst amateur and professional cyclist alike, and as fractures
go, this one is particularly painful.
It normally doesn’t lead to any major complications, unless it was a particularly
bad break.
Saddle sores
Basically, saddle sores are a skin disorder, and the biggest cause appears to simply be
long hours in the saddle.
However, not riding with a chamois, riding in dirty shorts, having your saddle too high
or using a cheap saddle can also cause this unwanted irritation.
Plus wearing any items of clothing under your shorts will not help!
Lower back pain
You’ll often hear cyclists complaining of this when riding.
In addition to feeling twisted or ‘blocked’, the discomfort often means riders are unable
to get full power through the pedals.
It’s often caused by a bad bike fit, long hours spent in an un-natural position, and
the constant vibration coming from the road.
Lower back problem can lead to feelings of a-symettry in the pedal stroke.
It’s important to make sure these issues, if they continue, are addressed because if
you continue riding it can lead to problems elsewhere such as your knees.
Neck pain
Similarly to lower back pain, soreness or sharp pains in the neck can normally be put
down to spending a long time in a fixed position.
This leaves the neck in extension for long periods of time which can impinge the neck
joints leading to irritation.
Equally, a faulty bike fit can lead to the same issues.
Numbness of the hand
Officially known as Thoracic outlet syndrome, or TOS, this is a condition where the blood
vessels or nerves are compressed as they pass from the neck region to the arm, resulting
in numbness and/or pain in the arms and hands.
This is often a result of tight muscles around the neck area, and can be relieved
with proper stretching, which will in turn promote circulation in that area.
The typical area that can cause entrapment of the thoracic outlet is the neurovascular
bundle (which is the nerve and the blood supply) which can get trapped by the scalene muscles
and the first rib.