So In January I got a stiff neck and crazy trap pain after a few rides which got gradually worse. After a few weeks rest and purely road biking i went off-road again and within a few rides my neck went stiff again. Not crazy bad but enough to irritate.

During some gym work somethinh pinched somewhere in my shoulder or neck and the pain returned. 5 weeks later it’s still getting better but my nerves in my fingers are a bit numb.

I know that one a two more mtb rides will set me back again.

Has anyone had similar experiences and discovered a magic cure?

i find new helmets these days have longer peaks so you have to arch up more to see the trail!

Go and see a physio for a massage. they’ll sort it but it may hurt

What Rich said + bars with more up and back sweep.

I’ve spent the last 6 weeks having sports massage..my physio thinks I’ve got a case of computer desk neck. Tightness because my trap is contracted as I’m typing and mouse-ing.

I’m not convinced. It’s lingering

I’ve got a stiff neck from last Tuesday’s bike ride. But I did land on my head…

A link between neck pain and finger numbness could be vertebrae related (? C6-C7, not sure though). I had similar after long periods on the bike and also had long-term nerve damage in my fingers, thought they were unrelated issues apart from the cause but found stretching in a certain way sorted it and let the nerve damage recover. Tightness in my legs, hips etc was having a knock-on posture effect on the bike, added to general issues from being sat at a desk. Positional changes on the bike didn’t resolve either issue, only the stretching before and after rides.

yep trapped nerve have regular neck rubs to fix till the last one herniated disc mild but felt like the devil him self had struck me

Find a Physio that can do mylofacial release, my ankle/drooped foot is now working normally after my first session, that’s after 8yrs of being told by the nhs/spinal clinic and my doctor that it was due to my previous spinal cord injuries and nothing could be done.

you could try rolling your bars forward or back to straighten up your wrists and arms. Long shot

Jameso.., I’m interested in your ordeal. My legs and back on the same side are particularly tight. I’m rubbish at stretching. Always leave it till last minute then forget.

What stet he’s helped you the most?

OP – you sir, are exhibiting the symptoms of nerve impingement.

After spending most of the winter not being able to sleep properly and losing over half the strength in my right arm, you have my sympathy.

What stet he’s helped you the most?

Not saying if stretching will help your case to be clear, that’s one for a physio I think. I hardly stretched at all in the past. Tried a few and found this was very effective at reducing the effect of what seems to be short hamstrings, also stopped the lower back tension I got on some hilly rides. Not sure how/why but it worked.

Scienceofficer I think is right, it’s a possible sign of trapped or pressured nerves and that could be a disc issue or it could be hip/back tension causing knock-on effects in the neck. The nerves that go down to the fingers are bundled in the base of your neck so what you’re feeling in those areas may well be linked. Be careful with things that cause finger nerve damage, it can take a very long time to recover fully.

Once your physio has it sorted i’d recommend doing yoga.
I’ve started doing this 15 minute Yoga most mornings and its helped me no end with flexibility and injury prevention.

I have something similar after nearly breaking my neck in an accident with a car, the doctor diagnosed it as torticollis (wry neck). Mine is bad when my neck gets cold, actually worse in summer from sweat cooling my neck. I carry a buff to put on for things like road sections home etc. When it’s really bad my entire neck and left shoulder seizes and I have to lift my head with my hands to get it off the pillow, walking and sleeping are very difficult.

Sitting at a computer all day doesn’t help but my treatment was physio to help prevent and diazepam/cocodamol to relax the muscles during spasm, heat pads also work very well. Stretching out the neck muscles will help recover and also prevent.

Go and see a good chiropractor 🙂

Seen a chiropractor and things were to sore for manipulating so we left it. more recently a physio manipulated my spine and neck with limited impact. I think I’ve got some hidden knots and weak posture. certainly going to be putting all efforts in to clearing this!!

Before you let any Physio/Chiro types at, get it X-Ray’d. I did,and it’s my 4/5 vertebrae that are crumbling/dry jointed. Any of the above treatments carried out on my neck could have disastrous consequences. I’m probably at the extreme end of ailments like this,but it’s best to know. Loads of specific excercises/stretches keep me riding,but sometimes the pain is overwhelming, and I find myself looking down instead of out front. The numb fingers thing is definitely relevant to most neck/shoulder/ligament injuries,so don’t read too much into that.
Physios etc can only surmise what’s going on inside.

Good luck

I have, but I also used my face as a brake on Summer Lighning a few weeks ago so that probably didn’t help?