Just like any physical activity, cycling can lead to injuries. Whether it’s an injury caused by a faulty bike pedal, a mishap from another road user, or just fatigue, you have to be ready once you experience any sudden pain. 

Fortunately, the common injuries related to cycling are easily treatable. You don’t really need to immediately pop a pain reliever or rush to your doctor. In this blog, we’ve identified the top 5 bike injuries and how to treat them. 

1. Head Injuries

Head injuries are the most fatal injury for cyclists. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), almost 80,000 of cycling-related road accidents are associated with head injuries. 

How to treat it:

Since head injuries can be really fatal, it’s best to see your doctor immediately once you experience concussion from a bike accident. The treatment can be quite expensive, this is why it’s best to just avoid it by wearing proper protective gear like helmets.

But aside from head gears, it would also be best if you have the best biking accessories to avoid road crashes with other larger vehicles. Most bike-related road accidents are often caused by poor road visibility, and it can be resolved by getting a pair of bike lights.

According to research, a bike light that can give your excellent road visibility can reduce the risk of fatal road crashes by up to 72%. That’s almost a sure way to prevent head injuries when riding.

2. Lower Back Pain

Lower back pain is caused by poor posture. For cyclists, it’s mostly caused by extended hours of getting curled over the handlebars of your bikes. 

Unfortunately, this kind of sitting position cannot be avoided by cyclists. Leaning towards your handlebar allows you to maintain your center of balance, control your agility, and maneuver your bike easily. 

How to treat it:

When not cycling, make sure to maintain proper posture, especially when sitting. You can also do simple 5-minute back and hips stretching routines. You can also try using foam rollers to relieve the pressure on your lower back. 

3. Knee Pain

Knee pain, also known as patella-femoral syndrome, is the feeling of stiffness between your upper and lower leg. Cyclists like you are prone to this kind of injury due to the constant pressure forced upon your legs for pedaling.

How to treat it:

You can relieve knee pain by gently massaging the affected by your legs. Using kinesio tape would be great, too, as it slightly controls the pressure forced upon your knee joints.

4. Hot Foot

Hot foot is the burning sensation or sudden numbness on the underside of the foot. For severe cases, you may also experience redness and swelling of our feet. 

Hot foot is mostly caused by the extreme pressure on the ball of your foot towards your toes when pedaling. This pressure can affect the nerves on your feet.

How to treat it:

Hot feet can easily be resolved by rest. You can also do gentle massage and stretching on the affected foot. 

Use wide shoes with proper ventilation when riding if you frequently experience hot feet. This will help in alleviating the pressure on your sole.  Aside from this, avoid wearing thick socks as it will just heighten the pressure forced upon your nerves and may even hinder the proper circulation of blood. 

5. AC Joint Sprain

AC joint pain is characterized by pain on the top of the shoulders where a joint capsule is located. It’s usually caused by the pressure forced upon your shoulder when maneuvering the handlebar– which pretty much means maneuvering the combined weight of your body and your bike.

How to treat it:

If you experience AC joint pain after a road accident such as falling from your bike then you should immediately see a doctor. AC joint pain caused by trauma can cause severe injury on your shoulders, arms, and neck area.

But if you’re just feeling a tinge of numbness or fatigue, you can slowly do a finger massage on the affected area. Pull down on your shoulder using your index, middle, and ring finger. This routine can improve the elasticity of your joints.

Even though you already know the top 5 bike injuries and how to treat them, always remember that prevention is always better than cure. So drive safely with your protective gears and biking accessories!