Traumatic Injuries: These occur when direct trauma is applied to a part of the body e.g. falling off a bicycle. In most instances there is very little an athlete can do to prevent these. Recovery time is based on the severity of the trauma and how the injury is managed. For this reason it is essential to get an accurate diagnosis from an experienced professional. The professional can then advise you on how the injury should be managed and how best to return to your chosen sport.
Overuse Injuries: These are injuries caused by a cyclist placing excessive stresses on thier body. They can generally be prevented and if not properly diagnosed and managed they can lead to prolonged periods off training and competition. There are many reasons for overuse injuries occurring:
Too rapid an increase in the volume or intensity an athlete is training at. This is self explanatory and one of the most common reasons an athlete will present with injury for example going from cycling 50 miles 5 times a week to cycling 100 mile 5 times a week. This represents a 100% increase in volume in one week and will most likely lead to injury. Another example would be a cyclist who goes from cycling 50 miles 5 times a week at 130 heart rate to cycling 50 miles 5 times a week at 180 heart rate. This represents a large increase in intensity and predisposes to injury.
Poor sociological circumstances: There are several things that an athlete or any human being cannot survive with out. These include food, water and sleep. An athlete who does not get appropriate amounts of food, water and sleep is leaving themselves more open to injury. It is up to each athlete to find out what amounts of each work best for themselves. Changes in lifestyle, climate and training will alter the amounts of food, water and sleep needed. Changes in the amount of food, water and sleep you are getting will subsequently alter the amount of training you are able to do.
Psychological Weaknesses: Every athlete knows the importance of psychology for performance. It is also a vitally important area in injury. In my opinion athletes who are under psychological stress for whatever reason e.g. relationship problems, exam stress, bullying etc are more likely to get injured. Sports psychologists can be used to identify reasons and establish management plans for psychological stresses.
Medical Weaknesses: Again this is another very obvious area that can lead to injury. An athlete who is medically unwell is more likely to pick up an injury if they don’t modify their training appropriately. For this reason it is vital to work with a good sports medicine doctor.
Physical Weaknesses: Almost every athlete will have areas of physical weakness, which will make them more prone to getting injured. Their physical weakness may be an area of previous injury or an area of natural biomechanical weakness e.g. a cyclist with a leg length difference. Athletes should liase with a chartered physiotherapist regarding ways of identifying and managing areas of physical weakness.
The most common cycling related overuse injuries I would see include knee pain, shoulder and neck pain, and lower back pain. In most cases the injury is contributed to by poor posture and use of the painful area. I will give out some basic strengthening exercises for these areas.
These exercises should only be done pain-free.
If you are experiencing any pain during them then modify the exercise until it is pain-free or cease doing the exercise and get professional advice. If you are injured it is always worthwhile to seek a professionals advice on the cause and correct management of the injury.
