Neck Pain and Headaches, Bike Position

Neck pain and headaches affect many cyclists and triathletes. The occurrence, and severity increases when a cyclists transitions to or consistently performs long distance cycling (2 hours or greater). It is fairly obvious why bike positioning could increase neck pain and headache symptoms. Cyclists hold relatively the same position for extended periods of time. This results in tightening of the muscles, stiffening of the spinal joints, and decreased blood flow to those structures. Eventually, with enough tightening and stiffening of these structures, pain will develop. This post will cover strategies to eliminate neck pain and headaches due to bike position.

Bike Fit

First and foremost, you need to have a bike that is the right size for your body and you need to have a bike fit by an experienced bike fitter. If you are already prone to having bouts of neck pain and or headaches, this is important to mention during the bike fit process.

There is a range of positions that will work for you in terms of a bike fit. It all depends on your goals, flexibility, strength, and injuries. If you are relatively flexible, no history of injuries, and are racing in races that are less than 30 minutes, a bike fit specialist will put you in a very aggressive position to get as tucked as possible (speaking generally but this is true for road and TT bike positions). This position will likely result in very fast times but is not meant to be ridden for long endurance style riding. If you are prone to neck pain or headaches, and your goal is to train for an Ironman, then the bike fit specialist will put you in a less tucked position and focus more on comfort that aggressive aero positioning.

Bike Positioning

Bike positioning is different than bike fit. How? A bike might be fit to you and your needs perfectly but you need to know how to hold yourself while riding! The video below explains key points on how to position your upper back, neck, and head to help with neck pain and headaches.

What Can I Do to Help With My Neck Pain and Headaches?

You need to practice riding in the position discussed above in the video. Over time, it will feel natural, you will feel stronger, and you will notice less symptoms. After bike rides, to help manage your neck pain and headaches, it is important to stretch, foam roll, use a lacrosse ball to loosen up the tight muscles. Specific neck strengthening exercises are also encouraged to help support your neck and head better while riding your bike. The last thing that will help, is gradually increase your time on the bike. Do not go from a casual rider, riding 30-60 minutes at a time, to trying to ride 3 hours with the local Saturday cycling meet up.

How Can Chiropractic Care Help with My Neck Pain and Headaches?

dTo help speed up the resolution of these symptoms, chiropractic care can help. Check out another post of ours describing chiropractic care for headaches. Treatments such as joint mobilization, myofascial release, and targeted exercises will be used to treat the symptoms. Sports chiropractors are trained to evaluate the musculoskeletal system, and use hands on treatments to reduce biomechanical dysfunction.

Adjusting the joints in the neck helps reduce stiffness in the joints and improves range of motion. Myofascial release breaks down tight tissues that compress joints and can also cause myofascial pain. Myofascial pain can also refer pain, and example is muscle tension headaches. Finally, targeted exercises will be prescribed that will help you the most. It is possible that you have tried many types of stretching but you need to focus on strengthening the muscles. Taking the guess work out is one of the benefits in seeing a sports chiropractor.

We treat many cyclists and triathletes in our clinic who experience neck pain and headaches. Peak Form Health Center is located in Mission Valley, San Diego. For scheduling, please schedule a new patient visit online at www.peakformhealthcenter.com! If you are out of the area, please email frontdesk@peakformhealthcenter.com to see if a telemedicine appointment is right for you!