im recently new to xc riding and im loving it but when i go for a ride (not to technical around my way as it's flat east anglia) but if i do say 20 miles after i get back, have a drink, relax etc my neck stays stiff and tight, mainly at the back? it lasts for most of the day and i end up taking ibuprofen to relax it. Its not agony, dont get me wrong but when i ride my arms, legs etc are kind of pumped along with my neck, but the neck doesnt seem to relax after wards like the rest of me.
any ideas?
I often get pain in the top of my shoulder, this comes and goes as I ride though, and soon clears up when I finish.
I do suffer from the occasional cricked neck and am gonna seek to have some acupuncture to see if it can clear it up, currently suffering having slipped a step whilst carrying a TV down stairs, should have gone riding instead!!
Do you ride at all otherwise ? ie are the muscles conditioned enough? Does it happen on a road bike ?
You could try relaxing on the bike - it's easy to tense up, and that wouldn't help. Could possibly lift yours bars/shorter stem if you're already doing the other stuff.
I've had trouble with the muscles in my neck going into spasm (the worst was the first time - a month of headaches, physio helped a little but not much) after being far too tense on my road bike years back. A road bike's now too crouched to ride, mtbs are ok. Still occasionally get tension headaches.
Don't lean on your arms - drop your shoulders and elbows and just leave neutral weight of your limbs on the bars.
well my stem is only a fraction lower that the top setting it came on so its not "slammed" the the headset and i have swooped bars rather than flat.i commute each day on my hybrid and that prob has lower bars that my full sus.i presumed cos of larger bars on the full sus and legs that arnt super strong yet im pulling on the bars a lot to aid pushing down on the pedals perhaps??
could it be my neck muscles are just getting worked a lot and have yet to build up to the conditions?
What did you ride before?
To mee it sounds as if your position on the bike is quite stretched out and you are lifting your head up, thus working the neck muscles.
Could try a shorter raised stem, move the saddle forward, or just see how it goes as your ride more and your neck gets stronger.
It means you've got a really, really fat head.
Re relaxing the neck post-ride, I find a hot flannel often works - or just have a soak in a hot bath.
I have suffered quite badly of late. Started with doing some road riding and has now got quite bad. Went to osteopath and he sorted it but not completely.
I get problems with neck pain too, but I've found what triggers it, usually long climbes make me tense up my shoulders/neck without me thinking about it, or when I'm trying to stay with someone much faster than me, again I tense up... Since making an effort to stay relaxed, rolling my shoulders, stretching, keeping my neck lose, the problem seems to have gone away for me.
yep it hink its poss me trying to keep up with a quick bunch than me and im getting really tensed up in the neck.my position is quite up right compared to full on xc riders so dont think its that.i think im pulling on the bars a lot to get the power down and thus having my shoulders constantly tense.... i think....
Relax more, maybe buy a lighter helmet.