For three years now I’ve been suffering a notting/tightening of neck muscles when I ride. The longer I ride the worse it gets until about 4hrs when I can’t turn my head to the left. I can help myself by rotating my head left/right and rolling my shoulders backward to free everything up. Ibuprofen helps.
I have been having physio, which quickly accelerated to dry needling and now it prolotherapy, but it’s going on an on and not healing. I want it to stop, as for anything 4hrs or more I’m riding in pain. I do have various contributory back injuries - cracked (healed) coccyx, cracked upper vertebrae when 5yo, shattered, pinned and plated right shoulder in 2010.
I’m thinking of forking out to a specialist physio-based bike fit, and 2nd opinion as my final throw of the dice, but I thought I’d ask if anyone else has experienced a similar thing, and how you overcame it? My current physio suggests a year off the bike to let everything settle, but the thought of that is abhorrent to me right now.
Does this happen with all genres you ride of bike ? or one specific ? or are you just a Scott man only now with 1 bike ?
No, road and MTB - worse with road due to the positional stress on my neck being greater.
It's the brass.
It’s the brass.
Straps too tight?
He should get fitted at M&S.
give up on road riding, it's not worth it 🙂
Have you had a physio look at you when on the bike, if you are doing something funny with your neck it should look obvious from the side I would have thought.
I used to get over-extended neck and therefore pain, both from cycling and my work. The peak on my helmet didn't help as I would crane my neck a bit to look under it - I either did without a peak or my current helmet has a moveable peak.
That exercise where you stand with your back against a wall and pull your chin back and down is good - I think it is in the Fix Your Own Neck McKenzie book. Helped a lot.
I try and cycle with a straight back and neck, a lot of people end up in the question-mark type shape which causes more stress on your neck as you have to peer up more to see ahead.
Try a recommended chiropractor who knows about cycling. Ive had my neck and back fixed several times from crashes and it takes a few days to settle down after a visit. I cracked a neck vertabrae early twenties and regularly crash on my head. I can recommend a superb one if you're able to travel to North Midlands.
Also stretching and rotating the neck whilst riding obvs. but also if sat for the whole day infront of a computer.
I have the same problem as the OP except that I can't turn my head to the right after a certain amount of time. Happens when I ride a pushbike, motorbike or carry a rucksac. Looking left is not a problem. It feels like I'm being stabbed in the back halfway between the vertebrae and the shoulder socket.
It's been like this for about 15 years so I'm probably stuck with it 🙁
I did a long ride over Salisbury plain last year. Anybody who saw me near the end must have thought I had Tourettes. Lots of involuntary swearing when looking over my right shoulder or glancing down at rear wheel to confirm what gear I was in.
Willing to try any (sensible) recommendations from you good folk on here 🙂
I've got exactly the same issue as Jerrys. I'm thinking it may be caused by fighting the wind on a motorbike. Some days worse than others, but it never goes away completely. The physio said to exercise it as much as possible and that basically, it's old age ....
Thats exactly it ^^. My physio says its just one of those things, likely to keep happening when I'm cycling and the only way to properly stop it is to stop cycling.
I've booked a session with a local Chiropractor to get a second opinion nevertheless.
Let us know if it helps. I had a bad experience with a Chiropractor years ago, but I'd be willing to try anything if I thought it would help.
Is it torticollis? My GP took it quite seriously and I got a boatload of ace drugs which did help.
I found yoga has stopped (touch wood) my torticollis, in particular the careful back twists and stretches, not had it badly since I started. When my neck starts to get stiff out riding I put a buff on, strangely it's the hot weather that's worse as my neck gets cold from sweating.
I had a bad experience with a Chiropractor years ago,
lots of people have bad experiences with chiropractors as it seems their main focus is to make lots of money from you.Take x-rays to impress you and give 10-15 minute sessions.
Find a good osteopath that does massage as well, they loosen you up with the massage then when you get manipulated it has a very much higher chance of actually sticking, otherwise tight muscles pull you back to the bad position.
Get this myself after dead lifting, can be quite distressing, but unlikely to end in death, i use a lacrosse ball on the base of the skull, just lie on it until the muscle relaxes.
lots of people have bad experiences with chiropractors as it seems their main focus is to make lots of money from <span class="skimlinks-unlinked">you.Take</span> x-rays to impress you and give 10-15 minute sessions.
Just to balance that statement (and as a chiropractor myself) it's not. At least personally anyway. Lots of people have good experiences too and as with any decent MSK specialist - find one that's recommended and has a good reputation and you should be good. I also know of plenty of physios that do 10-15 minute sessions, particularly insurance work, so that's no indicator either.
Chiropractors are quacks of the highest order, see somebody, anybody else.
Chiropractors are quacks of the highest order, see somebody, anybody else.
Really. My local GP who has been helped massively by my treatment, her consultant husband, numerous physios, and the numerous people they have referred to me as they haven't been helped by traditional methods, seem to disagree? It may be strange, but maybe some of us "quacks" actually know what we are talking about.
Anyway, not to deviate from the OP's original post and turn this into a profession bashing debate as per STW tradition - I sincerely hope you find someone decent who can help you. No matter who it is 😀
I have foraminal stenosis on my c5 and c6 vertibrae from hitting a tree and crunching the edges ( and also separating my shoulder) in 2010. It causes the same symptoms you describe but on my right side, with occasional loss of power in my arm.
<span style="font-size: 0.8rem;">Maybe it's that.</span>
I'm sure there are some dodgy Chiropractors out there but I've had good experiences myself. There's also a fair few pro road teams with Chiro's on staff these days, I doubt they do it just to throw money away at quackery...
My homeopathic surgeon told me never trust a chiropractitioner.