Saddle sore and getting worse

cjlynch

Have Mountain biked for the past 8/9 years, Specialized Stumpjumper FSR Comp, great bike etc.

In fairly recent times I have suffered with discomfort, particularly my left 'sit bone' (ischial tuberosities) which has now caused a lump to develop (I guess this is nature's way of kinda protecting the bone end etc) next to the bone end. Consequently, I've stopped cycling for the moment (5 days so far) in order to hopefully mend. I get the feeling it could be a slow process.

However, enough waffle, what I would like to know is, and I'm sure that many 'members' have experience similar, do I need to change the saddle? It was fine up to recent times. I wear padded cycling pants, but I also virtually always stay in the saddle, even up the steepest of climbs, is that a style/stubbornness I need to change?

Any good, quality advice that you can offer would be much appreciated. I'm missing my cycling like crazy!

I look forward to hearing from you soon.


Regards



Chris Lynch

kajjal

You have probably tried this but the first thing is personal hygiene. Shower after each ride and take off your shorts as soon as you can. Wearing the same unwashed shorts for two rides let alone two longer rides can cause problems. Check shorts for damage and unusual wear. Also measure yourself up for a saddle, i had a too narrow saddle and it was very painful after an hour, now i can ride fine for hours.

Also get it checked out with your doctor. I had a infected cut on my hand once which needed antibiotics to heal.

UpTheWall

Having gone through arse pains in the past myself, here are some tips that helped me:

1) is your saddle right for your behind? Go to a bike shop that sells specialized and have a go on their buttometer. No really, they call it that. It's just memory foam and a ruler, but it tells you the width of your sit bones and hence what saddle is best given your, erm, vital statistics.

2) get new shorts. Have your shorts seen a lot of action? The chamois will tend to wear over time, losing its springiness and support.
Also, I have found, after years of riding one kind of chamois, I've had to switch to a different more padded one. I don't know whether that was riding style, increased mileage or what, but it made a difference. I swear by the Sugoi Formula FX chamois shown here (http://custom.sugoi.com/skin/frontend/s ... x-mens.jpg), and I've had a friend who had problems that were solved by switching to Assos shorts.
And although it may be considered heresy among mountain bikers, look at getting full bib shorts to keep the chamois in position.

3) your point about always staying in the saddle is worth considering. Generally it's considered a good habit as you're more efficient, and you strengthen your legs better compared to people who always jump out of the saddle on a hill. However changing position regularly, whether that's by getting out of the saddle, or adjusting your hand position, back etc. will all relieve pressure. I suspect given that you've been fine for so long, that will be a short term approach to let you ride while giving your batty the respite it needs to heal up.

4) have you changed position recently? A bike fit may be worth while. Or failing that, get the bike on a turbo and get a mate, a good mate, to stare at your lower body parts to look out for asymmetry in your riding technique. Given it's only on one side there may be an obvious difference compared to your right leg / hip movement or position. A lot of people ride a bit over to one side, or their shorts don't sit in the right position, so worth checking where your chamois sits compared to your saddle and your buns.

5) I know it sounds woolly, but ride more mindfully. Be mindful of your rump, position on the saddle, the swing of your hips, whether your legs extend the same on each side (sometimes best observed by looking at how high your heels rise). You're the person best placed to figure out what may be causing it, so gather evidence.

6) finally, it may not apply to your condition, but it's part of the bum-care regime: chamois cream. I recommend Assos chamois cream. Lather it on before each ride, to protect against all-too-common bacterial infections, and to reduce friction.
And make sure you wash really thoroughly straight after the ride. With salt after longer or hotter rides. Then if you have even the slightest bother afterwards, even the tiniest sensitivity, then put Sudocrem on the affected parts. I know, sounds like a pain in the ass (ho ho) but worth it.

All the best to you and your derriere.

S

cjlynch

Thanks Guys for that wealth of advice, much appreciated.

Thanks, and happy comfortable riding to you all.

CJL

diy

have you tried bib shorts. ? the padding stays in place better. Other option is to drop the front a bit, to increase hip angle and take the weight off.

christibritt

be careful as I had this happen to me. It's called a bikers nodule. I ended up having surgery as it quickly grew into an abscess of my i be careful as I had this happen to me. I ended up having emergent surgery. They had to cut me open and leave me open for weeks with extraordinarily painful dressing changes. It's from the seat not being fitted correctly causing loss of perfusion and blood flow to the area. You can go to a doctor and have it drained or they can give you an antibiotic to help get rid of it before it gets worse. But if you don't take care of it now it will only get worse and then you will end up in an ER. Trust me. Get off the bike for a bit and get a new seat measured appropriately for your sit bones. And see your doc now. Google "Biker's Nodule" and you will be amazed at what comes up. Many docs I went to had no idea what I had and it was another nurse I worked with that had seen this in their ER in Florida that told me about it. When I googled it, I was shocked.

davee128

I have had similar trouble in the past, and after a lot of reading, did a lot of extra work on core strength. This has made a noticeable improvement for me. I think it's to do with the angle that my hips sit on the saddle - my back is straighter and less hunched now on the bike.

I'd also recommend Conotrane. Cheaper and more effective than chamois cream in my experience. Lavendar smell is a bit "old lady" though!

Nellyspania

I've had a couple of saddle sores.

Best two preventatives I've found is proper saddle fit (I now have a sodding heavy Brooks Swift on both of my road bikes, but they fit!) and hygiene - sounds OTT but wash yer bum and surrounding before donning the shorts!

A few days off the bike and twice daily application of 1% Hydrocortisone cleared them up.

If you have a subcutaneous lump then get the GP to look at it