Sudden increases in distance or time on the bike might be the biggest contributing factor to a cyclist sustaining a âgradual onset injuryâ. Add in the fact that many GPs recommend resting completely for a set time and such an injury can be frustrating experience. To help you understand what this is, how to avoid or best manage it, let's compare it to binge drinking.
âI rode 130km on Sunday, and my knee started to niggle at 80km, but I managed to finish. It got quite sore afterwards and I could barely walk the next morning when I first got out of bed. It still hurts now in the morning, but then it warms up and I can ride again â although I can feel it with every pedal stroke.â
The above is a common example of a statement we often hear at The Body Mechanic from an injured cyclist. Letâs call this person Riccardo. Riccardo believes that his knee injury occurred 80km into that particular ride. That is not the case.
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If you drank 13 beers in one session, was it the 13th beer that made you drunk, or did the first 12 have a major contributing influence?
For Riccardo, it is unlikely that his latest Sunday ride was solely responsible for his pain. It is most likely from an accumulation of many rides over the past months and maybe even years. Factors such as sudden increases in distance, an issue with his riding position, and poor body maintenance can all be contributing factors, but it is also possible that âmore of the sameâ may also have caused his issue.
The normal treatment approach by the medical world for an injury such as this is to âice it for a couple of days and take some anti-inflammatory medication. Rest for four to six weeks to allow the knee to settle, then get back into your cycling gradually.â We believe this treatment model is flawed.
You can read more at BikeRadar.com