Trapezius painful when on road bike

497adam

I'm having problems with my left shoulder when on the road bike(doesn't seem to be a problem on mountain bike) for anymore than an hour. It feel like the trapezius is cramping/going into spasm and is very painful. Changing my hand position on the bars doesn't seem to make any difference. Does anyone suffer with this have any advice? thanks guys

gaffer_slow

it might be worth you looking at some stretching before paying $$ for a bike fit

diy

Ok, so the traps are funny old muscles - they are all interconnected to the neck etc.


Its probably the lower riding position that is causing the issue as you crane your neck back, coupled with narrower bars and possibly higher seat.

You got to stretch them out.. and then you might want to strengthen them a bit, but you cant work them until they are pain free.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WElIDKxmyQo

from 9 mins on there are some.

497adam

Thanks guys. I forgot to say I have had problems in the past pre cycling days and then I broke my right collar bone and shoulder about 4 years ago.

diy

It might not be mobility/strength then. Clavicle brakes can sometimes leave you with uneven bone surface, which can cause issues with the muscles and tendons. worth trying the mobility stuff, gently, stretching makes such a difference to aches and pains, yet its the first thing to drop when we are time crunched.

If you have gym membership see if they run body balance, or pilates classes

497adam

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19655785#p19655785]diy[/url] wrote:

It might not be mobility/strength then. Clavicle brakes can sometimes leave you with uneven bone surface, which can cause issues with the muscles and tendons. worth trying the mobility stuff, gently, stretching makes such a difference to aches and pains, yet its the first thing to drop when we are time crunched.

If you have gym membership see if they run body balance, or pilates classes

The break was the other side but it made the left worse being one armed for a couple of months.
Have started trying to do some shoulder work/strengthening and I am considering have a professional bike fit (http://pedalprecision.com have seen these near me, has anyone used them? seem to combine fit with injury assessment)to make sure I'm in the best position to not to make it worse. In the short term I wondering if there is anyway to strap or tape my shoulder so I can continue getting out on the road bike?

rafletcher

Try and strengthen it - and see a physio too.

Things like rowing / low rows, shoulder presses 9with barbells sat on a swiss ball), side and front arm raises all help to build the trapezius up.

kajjal

If your bars are quite low compared to the saddle a quick change is to flip the stem into the upright position. You may have lack of flexibility after the injury and this will get closer to your mountain bike setup.

KheSanh

A few suggestions along with what the other guys have advised a bike fit is always a good starting point.

Stretching/yoga, obviously the top half but also do a lot of legs and lower back. It's a good idea to stretch every day and a few longer sessions 3 or so times a week and hold the stretches for 1 to 1.5min each. Flexibility helps you feel more comfortable on road bikes I think.

Foam roller is also good for that area. Lie on the foam roller starting off around the rib cage (don't do your lower spine) and roll down over the roller to the base of the neck region. Just go slow and stop at any sore points. Best to do after each ride and a few times a week.

bikes`n`guns

Bike fit.

I had a similar issue and found wider bars helped. To the point where my stem height was lower than before the bike fit.

I had been raising the bar height to try and combat the neck / shoulder issues.