The summer season is ideally suited for taking beautiful long cycling trips. Even if you are not an experienced cyclist, you can easily cover long distances with an electric bike nowadays. However, cycling fun is not so obvious for everyone. In fact, many (inexperienced) cyclists suffer from saddle sores. To give all cycling fans a nice and pain-free cycling summer anyway, we have listed some tips to prevent saddle sores in this blog.
Three causes of saddle pain:
- You have the wrong saddle
- The saddle and/or your bike has an incorrect adjustment, therefore you sit in the wrong position
- You are insufficiently practised
When cycling, you sit with all your weight on a fairly small surface and then you move around a lot. If you do not sit properly, or your saddle is not adequate, nerves and blood vessels can become compressed and saddle pain occurs.
So what does a saddle need to meet to be fundamentally sound? First of all, a saddle must be sufficiently hard and have the right width and shape. No two people are built the same, so our buttocks can't be fitted into one shape either. The good news: a suitable saddle can be found for every seat and for every type of saddle sore.
Four forms of saddle sores and tips to prevent them
- Chapped skin due to friction
- Saddle sore at the front
- Saddle pain at tailbone
- Saddle pain at the sit bones
Chapped skin due to friction
If you have a soft saddle, e.g. made of gel, it is indeed comfortable for shorter distances. For longer distances, it is not suitable because sooner or later you will get a sweaty bottom because you sink into that saddle. The heat builds up and causes more friction, which in turn can lead to chapped or even broken skin.
Tip: Try a harder saddle that you sit on top of, rather than sinking into. Also consider your clothing. Trousers and/or pants with seams can become viciously chafing as the bike ride progresses. Therefore, wear seamless clothing and possibly cycling shorts or pants with chamois.
Saddle sore at the front
If you have a sporty bike and therefore sit more forward or the tip of your saddle is slightly raised, you will have more pressure at the front. This can pinch the nerves and blood vessels in your crotch. This should be avoided, as it is not only annoying and painful but can even lead to prostate problems in men.
Tip: Sit more on your sit bones, after all that is what they are for. Tilt your pelvis so that you lean back more. You can also try if a saddle with a recess at the front gives relief.
Saddle pain at tailbone
This saddle pain is often characterised by the fact that you cannot get off your saddle after cycling. Getting off hurts. A softer saddle is then regularly recommended. This is not a good thing! This is because you sink even further into the padding, which only increases the pressure on the tailbone. You may also have a saddle that is too narrow and therefore does not sit properly on your sit bones. (Also read the tip under painful seat bones)
Tip: Keep training so that you grow glutes. Build up the kilometres slowly. If you continue to have problems, there is a special tailbone saddle. This sturdy saddle has a groove that relieves the tailbone.
Sore sit bones
This often occurs at the beginning of the cycling season and in untrained cyclists. The various muscles around our seat bones are too weak and cannot absorb the pressure properly. This is also a matter of training. Often, this saddle pain disappears after a few rides. If this type of saddle pain does not disappear, the cause is usually the wrong width of the saddle.
Tip: Measure the width of your sit bones. Some bike shops nowadays have a special measuring device for this but you can also do it yourself. Take a piece of cardboard and lay it on a firm surface you can sit on, such as a low table. Then sit on the cardboard and press your sit bones firmly on the cardboard so that imprints appear. Next, measure the distance between these points. Then you will know how wide your saddle should be.
More tips:
- Do a bike measurement at a bike shop and see if you have a bike that suits you in terms of size.
- Exercise your buttock and leg muscles. With strong leg muscles, you can pedal well, which will loosen you up slightly from the saddle and therefore reduce the pressure on your seat. With regular cycling, you also train your gluteal muscles and cultivate buttocks. In many cases, saddle pain then decreases.
- Pay attention to good cycling posture. By sitting slightly forward, you distribute your body weight over the saddle and handlebars. With both sit bones you should sit on the wide rear part of the saddle. You will automatically get a more forward posture if you increase the distance between the saddle and the handlebars and lower the handlebars slightly.
- If you start cycling again after a long time, build up the kilometres slowly. This will create habituation. This is also much nicer for your neck and shoulders.
- While cycling, stand on your pedals regularly to relieve your seat and try to keep pedalling. This will loosen up the muscles and blood vessels that have been squeezed.
- Wear suitable cycling clothing. Choose material that breathes and wicks away moisture. So do not choose cotton or synthetic fabrics. Special cycling shorts or cycling underwear with chamois will take the pressure off and wick away moisture.
- Saddle pain can also decrease if you lose some excess weight. Try to lose a few kilos, which in turn saves pressure on your seat.
- Place the front of your feet on the pedals and not the middle or heel. Pedalling firmly often becomes a bit more difficult as we get older because our foot joints weaken. You can solve this by wearing an orthotic. In any case, wear shoes with a firm sole.
- If you have an e-bike, you can ride long distances more easily. Then try using the pedal assistance less. This is because the less hard you pedal, the faster you will slide forward on the saddle.
What can physiotherapy do for saddle pain?
If you keep having complaints after a bike ride and it is not because of your bike or saddle, make an appointment. Together with you, we will look for the cause. We can take a close look at your cycling posture and, if necessary, train your leg and buttock muscles together with you. Feel free to contact with us by calling 085-5000333 or emailing info@friskfysio.nl.
