Cycling is popular is San Diego. It is a great low impact way of staying in shape but it is not without its risk for injury. San Diegan's cycle for exericse but many also train for long distance events like Century rides. Century rides are 100 mile bike rides that are fun to compete in. Training for long distance rides is fun but comes with an increased risk for injury. The most common cycling injuries we see in our clinic are knee pain, patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS), chondromalacia, hand numbness, ulnar neuropathy (handlebar palsy), iliotibial band syndrome, muscle cramps, strains of the hamstring and quadriceps muscles as well as more serious injuries from falls like dislocated shoulders and fractured ribs.
It is important to have the proper gear for riding, like wearing a protective helmet. Equally as important for preventing overuse injuries are proper bike fit and following a good training program. Most bike shops around San Diego will help fit you to your bike but you should realize that it is more of an art than a science. Not all bike fitters will adjust your bike the same way. There are many variables that could alter your bike fit. Old injuries, leg length discrepency, shoulder problems or lower back pain. All of these variables may be accounted for but frequent adjustments may be necessary until you find the best fit.
In order to avoid cycling injuries it is important that you listen to your body. Early warning signs of injury are pain that gets progressively worse as you are cycling, pain that is worse after you cycled and pain that is worse the day after cycling. Any of these signs indicates that your injury is progressing. Typical advice like icing and taking ibuprofen are only helpful if you intend to rest at least 3-5 days and allow the injury to subside. If you are icing and taking antiinflammatory drugs in order to numb the pain so that you may continue to cycle you may be masking the symptom and alowing the injury to worsen.
Dr. Runco has treated hundreds of cyclists and triathletes helping them to continue training and complete their goals. His approach utilizes Kinesiotaping and Rocktaping in addtition to ultrasound, electrical muscle stimulation, fascial release technique which is similar to but not associated with Active Release Technique (ART) nor the person who coined the term ART. "I have treated alot of traumatic cycling injuries like seperated shoulders and broken ribs but also lots of overuse knee injuries. Most of the overuse cycling injuries are due to excessive training on hills or simply not allowing enough recovery time between training sessions. When the cyclist does not have the time to rest due to an upcoming event my sports medicine techniques work very well and allow them to compete. Being an ultramarathon runner, I understand what it is like to train for an event and want to compete even if I am not 100%. You can always rest after."
"I was on a group ride when my front wheel got caught up with another bike. A couple of us went down hard and I dislocated my ac joint. It looked pretty bad and the doctor at the emergency room told me there was no way I was going to be able to do my Ironman. I was desperate and came to see you. You had your assistant hold my deformed ac joint down while you Rocktaped my shoulder. When you were done I could move my shoulder with less pain and it felt really supported. I ended up finishing the Ironman and rehabbing the shoulder after. Thnks!"
