Most Common Indoor Cycling Injuries | IMPACT Physical Therapy

Most Common Indoor Cycling Injuries

Indoor cycling in gym

Cycling is a fun way to get your cardio in, and if you don’t want to ride outside, you can use a peloton or other indoor cycling equipment to still get a great workout. However, like with any physical activity, there is the risk of injury when performing indoor cycling. Learn about some of the most common peloton injuries with IMPACT Physical Therapy to see how you can avoid them. Then, visit our location near South Loop for cycling injury treatment and anything else you need, so you can get back on your bike and break a sweat. 

Handlebar Palsy

This injury may be unheard of by many Lakeview cyclists, but it’s quite common. The ulnar nerve is located in your hands and wrist and controls your ring and middle fingers’ sensation feeling as well as overall muscular function in your hands. When you push down on your bike handles, this causes bending of the wrist and leads to compression of the ulnar nerve. 

Symptoms of handlebar palsy include: 

  • Numbness
  • Tingling in the fingers
  • Weakness in the hand

This injury can usually be resolved by stretches, rest, and anti-inflammatory medicine. 

Saddle Sores

There are four main causes of saddle sores, with the first being chafing. Chafing is the result of your skin or thighs rubbing against the bike seat, which causes redness and irritation. The second cause, ulceration, happens when your top skin layer wears off from chafing, which can lead to bacterial infection. Furuncles and folliculitis are the other two causes of saddle sores and are the most severe. Furuncles are boils that form around hair follicles, and folliculitis is an inflamed or infected hair follicle and usually looks like a pimple. 

If you have saddle sores, you’ll notice one or more of these symptoms: 

  • Redness or blistering of the skin
  • Skin soreness
  • Skin irritation

Remedies for saddle sores include rest from biking, making sure infected parts of your skin are clean, and using certain ointments. 

Bicycle Seat Neuropathy

Another common indoor cycling injury is bicycle seat neuropathy. This is one of the most common peloton injuries since it results from sitting on a narrow seat for extended periods of time. Symptoms of bicycle seat neuropathy include general numbness of the pelvic area but are usually relieved once you get up off of the bike seat. If you find that your pelvic area is still numb after getting off of your bike, visit IMPACT Physical Therapy near Norridge for a quick diagnosis.  

Cyclist’s Knee

Naturally, cycling involves pedalling with your legs and heavy use of your knees. Unfortunately, this can lead to patellofemoral pain syndrome or cyclist’s knee. This is usually caused by tightening of the quads and can result in symptoms like: 

  • Pain in the knee joint
  • Cramping in the quad area

For cycling injury treatment, visit IMPACT Physical Therapy in Chicago. Our team can sit with you and come up with a diagnosis and treatment plan to get you back on the bike in no time. Set up an appointment with us today. 

Get Cycling Injury Treatment at IMPACT Physical Therapy

These are just some of the most common cycling injuries that can occur while biking, but there are plenty of other injuries that can happen while on the bike. Contact us with any questions you may have or if you feel any kind of discomfort, so you can continue biking and having fun.