How To Prevent 3 Common Cycling Injuries

If you’re out on your West Midlands road bikes a lot, chances are you’ve already had an injury or two. The more exercise you do, the more likely it is that you’ll suffer a few aches and pains so you do need to know what to do to tackle the problem straightaway. Here are some of the most common cycling injuries and what you can do if you do succumb.

Achilles tendonitis

This is an overuse injury that’s caused by inflammation. If you’re feeling tenderness, stop training and get ice on your leg to bring the inflammation down. You can also take Ibuprofen but in order for this to be most effective you need to take it over a period of days, not just when you feel pain.

To prevent it in the first place, it might be because your bike saddle is too high. Try lowering it and then see if this makes a difference.

Knee pain

Knees are annoying and cyclists often have problems with them because so many different parts of the knee can be affected at any one time. Look at the position of the saddle and where your feet are on the pedals as this can have an impact on your knee. Is your saddle too high or too far back or forwards? If your cleats aren’t placed well on your shoes, your feet could rotate strangely and put pressure on your knee.

Wrist pain

Are you feeling tingling in your hands? It might be because you’re putting too much pressure on your wrists. You can invest in good padded gloves to relieve pressure on your nerves in your wrists – but change where your hands are regularly on the bike as well.

Find more tips on the Total Women’s Cycling website.