The most common cycling injuries and how to avoid them

Cycling, like any other sport, is not exempt from causing an injury to those who practice it. Of course, there are measures and techniques that will allow you to reduce the risk of suffering an injury, as well as to avoid further discomfort. And that is exactly what we are going to discuss in this article. Below, we explain what are the most common cycling injuries and how to prevent them. Read on!

What are the most common cycling injuries?

Cycling injuries can be caused by several reasons. First of all, we find postural or biometric causes, although there are also those that are caused by disproportionate efforts in regular workouts, incorrect protocols and other factors. When talking about cycling, the most frequent injuries and what they are, we find the following examples.

Cycling knee injury: Patellar Tendinitis

It is the most frequent type of tendinitis in the knees. This type of knee injury in cycling is produced by an overload of the intersections of the patellar tendon, specifically in the intersection with the tibia. Prevention, in this case, involves adopting a correct posture, adjusting the position of the saddle and cleats in order to achieve a balance with cadence and smoother developments. In addition to avoiding changes of pace without a prior warm-up, and resting properly after each workout. In this article you can learn more about the importance of rest in cycling.

Tendinitis of the goose foot

This is another type of knee injury in cycling. This occurs at the intersection of three muscles in the medial part of the tibia, specifically the sartorius, rectus anterior and semitendinosus. This injury is usually perceived as pain in the inner area of the knee and extends to the front and lower part of it, causing difficulty walking, sitting or getting up from a chair, going up and down stairs … The best way to prevent these injuries or discomfort is to perform a biomechanical analysis to know precisely what are the causes that provoke it (it may be caused by an incorrect alignment of the knees, for example).

Achilles tendon tendonitis

Another of the most common injuries among cyclists is Achilles tendinitis. The latter is due to an inflammation of this tendon that connects the calf and soleus muscles to the heel at the calcaneal bone. In addition to discomfort and pain, it can cause stiffness in the ankle and crepitus when moving it. The most common cause of this injury is having the cleats too far forward or the saddle too high, with excessive downward flexion of the foot when pedaling. To prevent this injury, therefore, it is recommended that the foot be supported correctly on the pedal, in the metatarsal area, and avoid overloading the heel.

Iliotibial band syndrome

This injury, also known as tendinitis of the fascia lata, occurs when there is overuse and wear of the tendon of the iliotibial band (located on the outside of the knee). Although it tends to be more common in runners, in cycling it can be caused by having a too high saddle, which causes an extension of the knee above 150º, but also by working at too high an intensity. The way to prevent it, apart from not overdoing it in training, is to warm up and rest correctly, and to achieve a correct adjustment of the saddle and pedals.

Chondromalacia patella

This is possibly the injury most feared by cyclists (and by athletes in general). This is because it is a wear of the cartilage that protects the movement of the patella on the femur, its regeneration is difficult and causes intense pain. Its cause is due to an excessive flexion of the knee -something that in cycling takes place because of a too low saddle- and it usually affects to a greater extent when there are anatomical alterations in the knee of the genu varum type (they are slightly inclined inwards). Prevention, in the first case, involves correctly adjusting the saddle height, but also strengthening the quadriceps muscle to stabilize and protect the knee. It is also advisable to rethink the way of pedaling, increasing the cadence, but reducing the intensity.

Back and neck discomfort and cycling injuries

Apart from the knee, the back and neck (and, in general, the lumbosacral area) is the area that usually suffers the most injuries and discomfort, and this is due to the posture we adopt on the bicycle. The causes can be very varied, such as intrinsic factors ranging from lower limb dysmetries to hip rotations; or external factors, such as a saddle too high or handlebars too low, a saddle too far back or handlebars too far from the saddle, handlebars too high and too close to the saddle… Prevention, in these cases, is based on achieving a correct posture. In this article you can learn how to maintain the correct posture on a bicycle.

Discomfort and cycling injuries in hands and arms

Finally, we find discomfort in hands and arms, which also tend to be part of the most frequent cycling injuries. The causes, in this case, are due to overuse due to overloading by adopting incorrect postures, which causes the cyclist’s weight to be poorly distributed on the bicycle. In the case of the hands, it is common to suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome or carpal tunnel syndrome.

How to avoid cycling injuries

As we have seen throughout this article, the best way to prevent cycling injuries is to work on a correct posture and position of the saddle, handlebars and pedals; in addition to avoiding overexertion or training beyond our possibilities. Cycling training should be progressive and improve in parallel our endurance and our physical condition or fitness. In addition, we recommend that you take into account the following tips to minimize the risk of discomfort and / or injury:

Opt for indoor cycling training.

Indoor cycling training has the main advantage of providing us with a more stable terrain without slopes or obstacles that can cause us to fall, but also a greater effort or overload on our knees, legs, feet, hands, back or neck. In addition, our ZBike 2.0 indoor bike model offers a micrometric adjustment of the saddle and handlebars, so you can adopt the perfect position during your training days. Our rollers, on the other hand, will allow you to work on very stable terrain and with the most realistic cycling sensations, as is the case with the ZDrive direct drive roller and the ZPro smart roller. Our roller roller options, likewise, will allow you to improve your balance and pedaling coordination, preventing injuries due to imperfect technique. This is the case with ZRoller and RooDol by ZYCLE.

Use cycling accessories to improve your safety

Finally, we recommend the use of some cycling accessories, such as the ZCore heart rate monitor that will let you know if you are overdoing it in your workouts by obtaining the most accurate measurements of your heart rate, among others.