There seems to be an increase in the number of cyclists in Singapore recently. It’s a common sight to see people riding their “foldies” along the park connectors. I enjoy cycling alot and my bike has been my main source of transportation during my studying years. There are different purposes of riding, such as for transportation, competitions and leisure.
Cycling is an enjoyable sport and I hope everyone can enjoy it fully without injuries.
Basically there are a few very common injuries for cyclists, they are namely;
1.Achilles Tendonitis
2.Patellar Tendonitis
3.Lower Back Pain
4.Neck Pain
For this Post, I will focus more on Achilles Tendonitis.
Achilles Tendonitis
Achilles tendonitis is an injury that is caused my overuse of the tendon which will eventually result in inflammation. There is a difference between Achilles tendonits and Achilles tendon rupture. Achilles tendonitis is a much more painful and sudden injury that requires immediate medical attention.
Causes of Achilles tendonitis from cycling is usually due to poor bike fit and improper position of shoe cleats.
How to deal with it: Stop all your training and use ice to calm down the inflammation.
If the cause was because of wrong bike fit. It is due to the being saddle too high.
When this happens, the foot will be constatnly in a plantarflexed (toe pointed down) position.
This causes constant contraction of the calf muscles which may lead to inflammation in the long run.
How to Fix this?
You would have to lower your seat and make sure that your cleats aren’t pushed all the way forward towards the toe. This will help to even out what muscles you’re using to pedal.
It also allows the foot to dorsiflex (toe pointed up) during the bottom portion of the pedal
stroke.This eases the tension on the Achilles.
Sports massage:
I start from hamstring, as there is a great web of fascia connecting out muscles. However, the main focus
will be to loosen the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles. i would ease out the tension by using deep effluerrages
trigger point therapy to speed up the recovery process.
Lastly I woud finish off by taping therapy.
Hope this article is of help to those enthusiastic cyclists out there ! Enjoy your ride !!
Achesfree 