About 18 months ago, I developed a swollen ‘tube’ down below in the perineum area. Went to DRs, ultrasound showed nothing sinister, was given antibiotics and it all went away. Happened again about a month ago, antibiotics again, and all fine. However, its developed again today. Each time it’s appeared I’ve been for a 3hr road ride the day before, but I do 80 – 100 miles a week on the road bike anyway so this isn’t unusual. I’ve got a specialized saddle with a groove down the centre, so I can’t see this being the problem. I did get a few bangs from holes in the road whilst going at speed, so I don’t know if I’ve bruised anything, if the infection has reoccurred, or of it’s anything else. It doesn’t hurt but it’s uncomfortable. Has anyone else had a similar problem? I’d be devastated if I had to stop riding, as it’s the only thing I do outside of work and family. I will go back to the DRs, but would appreciate any advice or similar stories. Thanks…

worth trying another saddle? maybe your pipes are aligned slightly differently?

I’ve had the same type of saddle on my mountain bike and road bike for 7 years, so I don’t think so, but I’d be willing to try an alternative.

Is the saddle the right width, I have had severe discomfort on my Standard Spesh saddle that came on my Allez, I got my sit bones measures and got a Body Geometry Saddle the correct width with a hole in the middle. I am usually twisting and turning on the saddle after 15-20 miles, I did 25 today to test the new saddle and it was vastly better and far less fatiguing.

You could be putting pressure on the area concerned for the condition to reoccur.

Make sure your saddle is at the right angle:the tip should be slightly angled down such that the seat is slightly off horizontal.

highclimber – Member
Make sure your saddle is at the right angle:the tip should be slightly angled down such that the seat is slightly off horizontal.

Says who? Entirely subjective, not to mention saddle-dependent.

Flippinheckler – that’s an interesting idea, how and where did you get your ‘sit bones’ measured?

how and where did you get your ‘sit bones’ measured?

It’s Spesh Body Geometry so here – http://www.specializedconceptstore.co.uk/

It’s not that scientific – basically a foam pad that you sit on and the indentations left by your bum bones are measured. The space between them determines the fit/width of the saddle etc.

bontrager do them too

how and where did you get your ‘sit bones’ measured?

You can DIY with a sheet of corrugated cardboard and a coffee table.

Just to share my experiences with ‘lumps down there’.
I had a lump where the top of your thigh meets the side of the scrotum, right in the crevice. It came and went on 2 week on/2 week off cycles.
It started as a lump then seemed to elongate before going.
Riding the bike made it worse or made it reappear after I thought it had cleared up. I lived with it for a few months then during one spell I couldn’t sit down, so went to the doctors. He diagnosed a ‘fungal’ infection and prescribed thrush cream!! It disappeared after 2 weeks as normal so went for a bike ride and it flared up the day after. Back to doctors, this time it was a bacterial infection so was given penicillin. Again went after 2 weeks, but I kept of the bike and it came back within 2 weeks.
Back to doctors and he was honest enough to say he didn’t know what to do. He gave me some steroid cream, which I googled and it said don’t use to reduce swelling without something to tackle the cause of swelling, but what the hell surely doctors know best. Disappeared after 2 weeks then came back, as sore as ever, without me having been on the bike.
Back to doctors but my usual GP was on holiday so took pot luck. Now it is a lump not a skin infection and I got referred to a ‘lumps and bumps’ clinic. As soon as consultant saw it she diagnosed an ‘infected sinus’ and would take it out, but couldn’t operate immediately as it was infected. Prescribed antibiotics.
[Also said that one thing that shouldn’t have been used was the steroid cream!!]

Now there is another long story on how the surgeon changed from the one who saw me initially to the one who stood over me with a knife [local anaesthetic] and had different ideas of the problem as the lump had almost gone after the antibiotics [he wanted, in his words to ‘put a camera up my back passage’], but I’ll skip that adventure.

Anyway he went in and took out what he thought were infected sebaceous cysts. 6 stitches.

I got the lab results from my GP and was told they were epidermal cysts that had become infected and haemorrhaged with the infection travelling along sinuses . The fact that they had become infected and it had travelled made the surgery harder as instead of ‘popping’ the cyst out they had to guess how much extra tissue to take out and can’t be sure they got it all so it may came back.

The doctor said that there is a lot of bacteria, etc in this area and the rubbing seen during cycling can accelerate or promote it getting into the skin.

I tried cycling a month after the op but was sore after half an hour so left it another couple of weeks, it was better then, but it was many months before that side stopped feeling ‘different’ when I cycled. Good news is that it’s not come back.

Hope my experiences help, maybe help to know what questions to ask.

Might need a minor op to remove the infection completely to avoid this reoccurrence. Very common I was told.
Edit; I was riding again no problem after about 3 weeks.

Thanks for all of your replies, especially whimbrel! Decided on a two-pronged approach so far – back to the GPs, and spending loads of money at my nearest Concept store

Tell your missus it’s a blockage due to a buildup of dried semen and the only cure is regular vigorous intercourse interspersed with lengthy massage sessions.

You’re welcome.

Thinking about it, suction may also help.

Good one Cougar LMAO

get the missus to give it a massage (gloves may be required… for her, not you)

Cougar – thanks, but after 16 years together I’ve had to resort to buying her ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ today.

I’m sure that was an entirely altruistic purchase.

That’s what I told her!