Author Topic: Injuries and discomfort  (Read 18094 times)

Injuries and discomfort
« on: 23 August, 2019, 10:08:21 pm »
What was the most common problems with health on PBP?  I had neck mussels go at a very early stage! Around 800ks, this has happened a couple of times before on long rides but not every time.  I had a cheap neck brace with me as insurance but spent some time with a physiotherapist at a non control control.  She was fantastic, advice being it is not damaging but will effect eyesight if you can only focus downwards.  She said that every slight weight on the head had a huge impact on the muscle in the neck and whilst saying it was not recommended did say riding without helmet would ease the problem for a while.

This I did which made a huge difference, and got me a good 250ks further without needing brace.  In the end it was black and no helmet and eyesight did start to get a bit worse.  However finished and all good.

I did see another couple of riders with neck braces at finish.  Does anyone know if exercise can help and if so what?  Or is it just something to live with.

phil dubya

  • It's a fast bike, but the engine's knackered.
Re: Injuries and discomfort
« Reply #1 on: 24 August, 2019, 07:08:16 am »
I would (and have) used a sports physiotherapist to sort out various issues, they can provide exercises to strengthen areas of weakness.

Additional using a physio for cycle positioning may sort the use altogether.

I used physiofixx at stowmarket, Bob Granger was a physio at Team Sky and a keen cyclist and runner.

Many cyclists seem to think that they just have to suffer there issues.  Don't live with the problem, get it fixed.

T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: Injuries and discomfort
« Reply #2 on: 24 August, 2019, 07:58:02 am »
I did see another couple of riders with neck braces at finish.  Does anyone know if exercise can help and if so what?  Or is it just something to live with.

Rest until it's better before trying to exercise it. Possibly get a GP's or a physio's advice first.

Think about your position and anything that might have obliged you to keep your head racked back as far as it will go for long periods, e.g. riding on the drops into a headwind for hours at a time with insufficient rest.  I had to do that on a 1000k in 2014, and from around 750k on I had Shermer's Neck.  It took three or four days' rest after the ride before I could hold my head up for more than 10 seconds at a time.
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

simonp

Re: Injuries and discomfort
« Reply #3 on: 24 August, 2019, 11:25:43 am »
I have the numbness in my fingers.

Knees got sore but much better now.

Double vision after about 1130km; had to stay off the drops.

Neck starting to go after about 1200km but near enough the finish to get away with it. WaveCel helmet is heavier than normal helmets; in 2011, 2015 I had no helmet and no neck issue.

Num soles of feet.

Very stiff quads which will need some work.

Re: Injuries and discomfort
« Reply #4 on: 24 August, 2019, 11:57:49 am »
Very much like Simon, I have:
Numb fingers (making holding a knife and fork quite a challenge)
Numbness in my feet/toes, but its not too bad
My bum is pretty sore, but in fairness I didn't do as much maintenance as perhaps I should.
I have a very sore R achilles and calf, which started at halfway. I basically rode through it - and am paying the price now.
Quads are reasonably sore, but interestingly not as bad as after some shorter brevets.
No neck issues, and very little shoulder discomfort. I put this down to having a bike fit and working hard to get a position that was properly long-distance comfy. It took a bit of tweaking through the qualifiers, but after the 600s, I was pretty happy - and so it worked out on PBP.

Alex B

  • Headwind specialist
    • Where is there an end of it?
Re: Injuries and discomfort
« Reply #5 on: 24 August, 2019, 12:55:18 pm »
A slightly tingling left little finger and little toe, and aching legs, but overall not too bad.

My neck was going towards the end, and this is the first time this has happened to me. Might be tempted to wear no helmet on similar length events in future (did I just admit there might be some?)

Pleased to avoid any repeat of the "gentleman's issues" I had after LEL, achieved through using a cut-out saddle (Gilles Berthoud 'Aspin') and Assos T.cento bib shorts with their wondrous 'Kuku penthouse'.

Re: Injuries and discomfort
« Reply #6 on: 24 August, 2019, 01:51:37 pm »
My left ankle area is a bit sore, possibly aggravated by walking up and down the Eiffel Tower yesterday

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Chris S

Re: Injuries and discomfort
« Reply #7 on: 24 August, 2019, 03:54:58 pm »
I still have some nerve issues in my hands and feet from 2015. I'm not alone in having semi-permanent damage from ultra-distance cycling, and those who can seemingly do it over and over again with little or no ill effects are fortunate.

Tomsk

  • Fueled by cake since 1957
    • tomsk.co.uk
Re: Injuries and discomfort
« Reply #8 on: 24 August, 2019, 10:11:46 pm »
'Audax Fingers' left hand, edge of pinkie and ring fingers. Not unfamiliar wih this, hopefully ok by Christmas.

Cyst on top joint of middle finger, infected. Stopped at Broomfield hospital on the way home: prescribed antibiotics, visit to hand trauma clinic tomorrow for draining. It's my most arthritic and lumpy joint to start with, so definitely didn't like the experience!

Everything else ok: bum, neck, back, right hand, toes etc. Somewhere on the return, George Hanna noticed I was riding lopsided out of the saddle, so I started on the ibuprofen there and then.

Re: Injuries and discomfort
« Reply #9 on: 25 August, 2019, 06:30:53 am »


I did see another couple of riders with neck braces at finish.  Does anyone know if exercise can help and if so what?  Or is it just something to live with.

Rest until it's better before trying to exercise it. Possibly get a GP's or a physio's advice first.

Think about your position and anything that might have obliged you to keep your head racked back as far as it will go for long periods, e.g. riding on the drops into a headwind for hours at a time with insufficient rest.  I had to do that on a 1000k in 2014, and from around 750k on I had Shermer's Neck.  It took three or four days' rest after the ride before I could hold my head up for more than 10 seconds at a time.

Some neck issues are simply avoidable by ensuring helmet fitting and rim of glasses does not for you to tilt your head up to see in front of you.

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Re: Injuries and discomfort
« Reply #10 on: 25 August, 2019, 08:09:46 am »
I caught cold/flu between start and leaving Carhaix on outbound leg. Was feeling pretty average and trying to a avoid sleeping in. controls out of respect to other riders.

Given 6500 people, many recently arrived via international travel and time spent at close quarters, I imagine this cannot have been unique.

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stefan

  • aka martin
Re: Injuries and discomfort
« Reply #11 on: 25 August, 2019, 11:34:28 am »
Little fingers on both hands are more numb than usual

Bepanthen proved to be a good locally available substitute for Sudocrem and did the job in sorting out some emerging saddle sore problems

SPD sandals (with cleats set as far back as possible) worked brilliantly - no hot foot problems at all, which has been a recurring issue for me

Dodgy gut meant that I spent more time queueing for the loo than sleeping, at least as far as Mortagne when a massive over-sleep reset that particular statistic.
Member no. 152 of La Société Adrian Hands

zigzag

  • unfuckwithable
Re: Injuries and discomfort
« Reply #12 on: 25 August, 2019, 12:19:04 pm »
sprained ankle a day before has given some niggling pain during the ride. i had a folded suture saturated with pain relief potion tucked into my sock; squeezed some more potion onto my ankle during the ride. five days after the pbp the ankle is still a bit blue and swollen.

first 3.5 digits on both hands a bit numb (median nerve compression), most likely caused by moving saddle forward for a better position on aerobars.

heavy shower before brest meant riding with wet feet for over ~650km, which resulted white wrinkly swollen soles and pongy shoes.

redfalo

  • known as Olaf in the real world
    • Cycling Intelligence
Re: Injuries and discomfort
« Reply #13 on: 25 August, 2019, 02:09:33 pm »
most noteworthy is my body part that did not make any problems at all: my right knee, which has recovered fantastically since an open stellate patella fracture some 15 months ago. I was riding with more titaniums in the knee than on the bike, and an active support bandage, and everything worked out fine.

during the ride no issues with numb fingers and toes. in the subsequent days, moderage numbness in left pinkie and toes (was much worse in 2015 and after LEL 2017- maybe switching from STi levers to bar end shifters paid off)

over the last 300 or so km some serious chaffing in some very private parts, and subsequent  in 'tingle in the dingle'.
If you can't convince, confuse.

https://cycling-intelligence.com/ - my blog on cycling, long distances and short ones

Re: Injuries and discomfort
« Reply #14 on: 25 August, 2019, 08:11:14 pm »
upper respiratory infection/kennel cough from riding extended periods in the cold. Last time it happened was after LWL, and it developed into pneumonia so hoping for better luck this time.
How much can a koala bear?

Re: Injuries and discomfort
« Reply #15 on: 25 August, 2019, 09:18:26 pm »
Numb little finger on left hand (it had almost recovered after last month’s Celtic Knot 1000). Bit of chafing on the old chap (sort of self-inflicted in that I registered it was happening after Tinteniac on the return but couldn’t be arsed to investigate for a few km).  Hypertrophy of the appetite.  Faint sense that I don’t know what to do next

Re: Injuries and discomfort
« Reply #16 on: 25 August, 2019, 09:57:17 pm »
I have the numbness in my fingers.

Knees got sore but much better now.

Double vision after about 1130km; had to stay off the drops.

Neck starting to go after about 1200km but near enough the finish to get away with it. WaveCel helmet is heavier than normal helmets; in 2011, 2015 I had no helmet and no neck issue.

Num soles of feet.

Very stiff quads which will need some work.

My neck muscles went at 1050Km and had to deal with that till the end. Also have numb hands and toes/balls of feet.

Re: Injuries and discomfort
« Reply #17 on: 26 August, 2019, 08:19:31 am »
Numbness to both balls of feet and both little toes.

Also a rash around my groin and upper thighs that appeared after a 20min power nap on the grass at Loudeac on the way out. I can’t work out if it’s from my sweatyness or something I’ve sat on?

Re: Injuries and discomfort
« Reply #18 on: 26 August, 2019, 08:52:10 am »
My shoulder injury was triggered again by a stupid fellow train passenger on the stair cases of Venlo railway station a week before the start.
When I started to feel my shoulder again I raised the bars by a centimetre, resulting in saddle issues. Finally I had to pack in St. Nicolas de Pélem because I couldn't pull the bars anymore during climbing. The shoulder is still sore. I guess it'll take another week or two before it returns to normal.

Re: Injuries and discomfort
« Reply #19 on: 26 August, 2019, 09:37:49 am »
Just slightly numb and tingly fingers. Mainly down to using different handlebars that I'd only done 50 miles with before. Lots of swelling on my legs but they were swollen before I started. Legs are no longer swollen but still got the slightly tingly fingers.

Re: Injuries and discomfort
« Reply #20 on: 26 August, 2019, 10:04:20 am »
I have six tingly fingers (down from seven immediately after finishing)
Right knee IT band is giving me jip. Hoping to foam roller that today along with popping some ibuprofen.
I got proper cankles afterwards but they've gone down again now much to the relief of my sandals - feet were beginning to look like a joint of pork inside my birkenstocks!

Re: Injuries and discomfort
« Reply #21 on: 26 August, 2019, 11:47:19 am »
The broken left ankle (5 weeks previously) eventually stopped play, though indirectly in that it was my right leg which got painful with over-use from subconsciously favouring the 'good' side.  It was always going to be touch and go. 

LittleWheelsandBig

  • Whimsy Rider
Re: Injuries and discomfort
« Reply #22 on: 26 August, 2019, 12:24:51 pm »
Undercarriage is quite noticeable, as is one side of my lower back. I suspect the saddle is a touch high and the short leg is the cause. Hands are on the cusp of damage but ok.
Wheel meet again, don't know where, don't know when...

Re: Injuries and discomfort
« Reply #23 on: 26 August, 2019, 04:51:31 pm »
Point where IT band attaches to the knee is quite sore preventing me from going out to enjoy a cycling the lovely weather. Left pinky and right thumb a little tingly but not too bad.

Re: Injuries and discomfort
« Reply #24 on: 26 August, 2019, 05:49:10 pm »
Managed not to catch that cough that's was going around.
Feeling ok no physical problems, unlike the last two.
I thank 3 years of yoga for that.
But I had some odd flight or fight moments in the tough night sections and aural delusions that are still making me wonder if I'll do anything this long again