Hidden Dangers of Riding a Bicycle

re: Hidden Dangers of Riding a Bicycle

GypsyGyrl — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 23:20:09 GMT

Men and women both are at risk for developing Pudendal Nerve Entrapment (AKA: PNE). Riding bikes and horses can bring on PNE. There are many other causes of PNE too. Over the years, I have become an expert at this diagnosis because I suffer from it. Most physicians are not familiar with this. I know, because I was married to one, and had to find this diagnosis on my own after 2 years of going to doctors and hearing "it's all in your head!" In my case, there were many contributing factors that brought this on, IE: bicycles, spinning classes, riding horses, leg discrepancy, and a posterior rotation of my hip. There are many specialized physical therapist that are able to treat this diagnosis. I have had this for 7 years. The first 2 years, I had 24/7 burning pain in my groin and private areas. I still have burning pain, but it is much more tolerable. Soon, I will receive "injections" in hopes to live a pain free life. For more info, check out: www.pudendal.info/.../IntroductoryFAQ.htm. Best of luck to all who are suffering.

re: Hidden Dangers of Riding a Bicycle

elmet — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:38:07 GMT

I've been an amateur road cyclist for twenty years and have experienced numbness in the past. Since converting my bike seats to the kind with a slit down the middle, I don't have any more problems since all the pressure on the perineum is relieved. These kind of seats are more common than not these days.

re: Hidden Dangers of Riding a Bicycle

Ed Kasprycki — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 14:46:46 GMT

okay the pendulum of healthcare is swinging too far to the extreme again. The next thing we might as well do is become the boy in the plastic bubble.

re: Hidden Dangers of Riding a Bicycle

gmmeagher — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 03:15:02 GMT

Men & women can benefit from the "EASY SEAT" from Hobson Bicycle Seats. My son and I both have one. They help a lot. I am 68 and I ride every day in the spring and summer, about 3/4 to 1 hour each day. Just cruising the bike paths and paved streets. I have no more numbness or discomfort.The seat costs about $60 and it's well worth it. Hobson has a web site. Try one. You'll like it.

GMM

re: Hidden Dangers of Riding a Bicycle

brinogordon — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 02:46:24 GMT

I started biking again about 5 years ago (I was 35 then) and ended up with a sore spot on my pelvis and recurrent prostatitis. I could still rock it in the sack, but things were a little sore. So I did the bike fit thing, went through a bunch of saddles, finally found a combo that worked. I also bought a recumbent for flat trail rides (recumbents suck on the hills). Got it under control. I love biking so giving it up wasn‘t an option. Mountain bikers of a certain age should think about springing the extra $500 for a full suspension bike - saves the banging and lets you go longer.

Bike shorts have a very thin layer of padding, and while I wear them for the compression and "stability" they provide, they won‘t really help you if the weight of your body is crushing your junk. Look at the cut-out seats and go to a real bike shop so they can set you up with a properly sized bike.

As far as the danger - drivers are not nice, in general, and should be avoided. I still ride the road on quiet country routes, but stay away from the herd. Off-road is where it‘s at. You don‘t get the raw speed of a racing bike on the road, but it‘s fast enough. I don‘t think I‘d ride in a city unless I really had to.

I side with Gary Null on the free radical debate - compensation is key. If you push your boundaries physically, you need to compensate with juicing, vegetables, fruits and supplements.

re: Hidden Dangers of Riding a Bicycle

mgrkeyre — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 02:36:35 GMT

I did Ironman triathlon for 6 years. A few years after I finished I started to get pain in my groin. Turned out to be varicous vein in the jewels. Dr said it was probably due to long hours in the saddle. Bought a recumbent for exercise last year but couldnt get into it (to slow when your used to fast road bikes.)

re: Hidden Dangers of Riding a Bicycle

ozseppo — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 00:33:12 GMT

The idea is to clear the pipes after a ride. Find a consenting partner, or self serve. Everything stays in working order, natural pain killers are released to sooth those sore legs, and growth hormones released to repair those muscles. Works well for the guys n gals. Shake a leg!

re: Hidden Dangers of Riding a Bicycle

edchr — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 23:29:16 GMT

get a recumbent, sit on your but ,not on your perineum

re: Hidden Dangers of Riding a Bicycle

DanielMiljkovic — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 22:28:11 GMT

I'm a regular mountain biker (4-5 hrs a week) and I found that, in addition to the pressure on the groin I found the sweating and chafing was causing me health problems, so I developed a range of anatomically designed underwear that is excellent for cycling - just google "obviously underwear"

re: Hidden Dangers of Riding a Bicycle

Maurine1 — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 20:18:48 GMT

Years ago at a church sale, I found (for fifty cents!) a bicycle seat with two side-by-side pads instead of the usual triangle. My husband, who is 74 and likes to ride 5 or more miles at a time around our neighborhood, likes it a lot. I wish I had one for me, since my Flatfood Technology bike seat slants upward some and exerts too much pressure against sensitive areas if I ride very long. I've had to rig up something to raise the sides and back to compensate.

re: Hidden Dangers of Riding a Bicycle

DrSkipper — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 18:53:19 GMT

I'm sick of this. It seems that Dr. Mercola believes that everything you eat and every physical activity will kill you. Don't ride a bike or you won't get an erection. Don't eat wheat because it contains gluten. Don't take multi-vitamins because vitamin XYZ causes XYZ cancer. Don't talk on your cell phone because you'll get brain cancer. Don't get your children vaccinated or they'll be autistic. Don't drink out of plastic bottles or you'll blood will have BHA's in it. Don't drink pasteurized milk because all the helpful enzymes are denatured.

Look - I have to eat and I have to get to work. I'm not going lie sleepless at night worrying whether or not I will won't be able to get it up because I ride my bike to work, or if I'll get brain cancer from using my cell phone for less than 100 min/month.

re: Hidden Dangers of Riding a Bicycle

curious7 — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 16:49:28 GMT

Bike riding is good exercise, but as with anything, one must do so with caution. Lance Armstrong wound up with cancer of the testicles, and according to some Doctors, cyclying had some contribution. As men we should make sure the seat is proper for a man, and select properly padded riding shorts. The seat should be grooved in the middle, and properly so. There are online suggestions as to how to choose a cycling seat, and any bike shop worth it's salt should be able to properly advise you.

Next there is the helmet thing. My nephews complained about being treated as babies because they were told to wear a helmet, that is until a friend of theirs fell from his bike and suffered a life altering brain injury. Again go oline children and adults research the information available. Brains are precious, and you only get one.

re: Hidden Dangers of Riding a Bicycle

thegap — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 16:13:24 GMT

http://www.selle-proust.fr/

Here is another way to ride your "tradibike" and even to race. It is very easy to be comfortable and secure on this saddle. It suppresses the compression of nerves and arteries and the stability is the same after a few kms. As a matter of facts the volume of the penis is of no importance in this subject and females could experience the same problems with insensibility of the sexual area. Mountain riding is obviously at odd of major trauma of this anatomical area because of the irregular surface of the ground.

re: Hidden Dangers of Riding a Bicycle

Dr Rik — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 16:02:37 GMT

I have talked to bicycle shop owners and they argue vehemently for crappy little seats. I don't need any of that competitive racing stuff. Why in the world do you need padded shorts? Get a bike with a decent seat. If the shop doesn't sell a decently ergonomic bike, find another bike shop. That's what I did.

re: Hidden Dangers of Riding a Bicycle

BruceDHiggins — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 16:01:28 GMT

There are mountain bike padded shorts that look like cargo shorts, not lycra or spandex. Try REI.