Neck pain?

showtime*

I've been riding more than usual lately 15-25 miles a day and seem to be suffering with neck pain, I'm not sure if it's related to my position on the bike or not bike related at all. Does anyone else suffer similar aches/pains.

dave friend

i suffered the same pain regularly a while ago every time using the drops. now the only time i get it is when i go very low on the drops. i think the problem was straining to look up because of the position, using muscles in the neck more than i was used to, it was just a matter of getting used using them.

hope its nothing more serious than that

showtime*

That's what I'd thought it was down to, since riding more than usual and on a faster route I do find myself riding on the drops more than before. Hopefully the more I ride the better it will get. Thanks for the reply.

SCR Pedro

Hi there,

This is a problem which comes and goes for me. At times the pain can be crippling, and I can't turn my head to look behind me.

I find that doing neck stretches before-during-after helps a little, but the thing that's helped the most has probably been weight lifting. I do a shoulder press at 8 reps/3 sets.

If you think it's a serious problem then go get it checked out. You don't want to make it worse.

Pedro

Monty Dog

Neck and shoulder pain is typically due to over-reaching i.e. bars too far away / low. When riding are your elbows locked? If so, look for a shorter stem or shallower bars - you need to have a slight bend in the elbows when riding to prevent tension.

Mark Alexander

it is a common thing. when going down hill especially.
Tilting your head to one side and the other everyso often. It worked descending in the Alps 8)

COVEC

It is a very common problem that is directly associated to the length of time you go out for, I find if it is under 2 hours then there is no real issue.
However, if I venture beyond that and up to 5 hours there is a direct correlation to the amount of time on the bike and the progressively increasing amount of pain in the neck, her indoors gives me

COVEC

Stephen-Hawking

You should find that you'll get used to it, like any muscle you can build it up, I get it a bit at the start of the year when I up my mileage, I also get it when I start using my motorbike in the spring - but it goes with use.

However - if you get tingling in your fingers or a weakness in either hand, then you may have a trapped nerve, or worse, get it checked out by your doc (it's free!!) and can prevent further damage.