Sport Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy for Cyclists
Cycling is a sport that is gradually increasing in popularity and apart from a healthy and eco-friendly way of travelling, it is a fantastic low-impact way for anyone to work on improving their cardiorespiratory system and muscle strength and endurance. Other benefits include improved mental health, stronger immune system, reduced heart disease and cancer risk, improved sleep quality and also improved spatial awareness.
Common cycling injuries
Injuries associated with cycling include overuse injuries, posture related injuries and traumatic injuries. Overuse and posture injuries most commonly affect, but are not limited to, the knees, Achilles tendons, hands, neck and lower back. Traumatic injuries include minor to severe injuries with the most commons ones being fractured collarbones or scaphoid fractures (a small bone on the thumb side of the wrist). After such injuries, treatment can aid recovery by optimising movement and function.
Reducing the risk of cycling injuries
To reduce the risk of injury, it is firstly important to avoid sudden increases in intensity, duration and frequency of your training. Additionally, strengthening your core and leg muscles will be of great benefit, as well as ensuring you have the required range of movement in your joints. Finally, it is also pertinent you ensure your bike is appropriately set up, i.e. saddle height, distance from saddle to the handlebars and foot positioning on the pedal.
Treatments following a cycling injury
Treatment involves manual techniques for symptom management and increasing movement in your joints. Additionally, it entails strengthening and stretching the appropriate muscles, and working on muscle endurance where required. Finally, you will be provided with an individually tailored exercise programme, along with relevant advice and education on posture and training, in order to treat your symptoms and also prevent future injuries.
Cycling Injury Specialist
Greg Mylonas – Chartered Physiotherapist
All our therapists are more than capable of treating cycling injuries, however it is something Greg has a special interest in. He has been casually cycling since a very young age, however Greg’s passion for cycling further increased over the last few years, so he completed research on cycling-related injuries, appropriate treatment and injury prevention.
Our clinics are in Wirral, Stockport, Salford, Manchester and Middleton so please Contact Us to book an appointment.