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Having had 4-5 weeks of severe pain in the top of my arm/shoulder I was referred for physio.The conclusion is that I have a severe muscle imbalance where my front arm and chest muscles are far stronger than those at the back resulting in my shoulders being pulled forward and trapping nerves and muscles. I know I have a fairly poor posture anyway but the theory is that mountainbiking has atleast contributed to the problem.
As I said I am having physio which at the moment doesn't appear to be helping although I will persevere with it but has anyone else had this and found anything that helps?
You wouldn't believe what I misread the title as......OK, you probably would. 😉
I can't really see how MTB would have contributed to that TBH? Lower back pain is common due to shortened hamstrings in cyclists, but upper body? Do you sit at a desk/behid the wheel all day?
I'm no physio, but pulling on handlebars would use muscles in the back and shoulders rather than the forearm and chest wouldn't it?
the theory is that mountainbiking has atleast contributed to the problem.
Well stop doing those handstands on the bars over jumps then.
I know it looks good ,but just let it go and spend some time walking round the house balancing books on your head.
Once that poise and elegance comes back in to your life ,everything will be fine.
Have a good weekend 😀
Sounds more like spending too much time in the gym trying to develop your 'pulling muscles'.
When I was riding loads, I developed a very strong back. I don't think this problem would be caused by mountain biking to be honest.
Easy fix just ride backwards, I'm sure there is a mirror contraption to fit on your helmet. 🙂
Have they given you deep neck flexor exercises? i.e. nod forwards a couple of cm and hold it there or retract your head to stop your chin poking out? if not fire an email my way and i'll give you some stuff to do.
As for the muscle imbalance that will take around a year and a lot of hard work to sort so dont be too put off by it not working straight away.
I had a similar problem a few years ago caused by rock climbing too much. Not sure if biking could cause a similar thing but the physio said a major factor in my problem was poor general posture so it may just be that. He gave me a load of back and core exercises to do as well as exercises to strengthen the rotator cuff in the shoulder.
Stick with the physio as long as it serves a purpose. Once you have the exercises sorted you should be able to get on with it on your own and just consult the physio to check progress. And be prepared for a lot of work!
yes, and swimming (front crawl) should help. That's what physio said for me and he was right.
Peoples back muscles always tend to get neglected in general life, exercise and sports like mountain biking. Most of the time you are basically doing a push up on your handlebars keeping your weight up. Yes pulling up on the bars is the opposite and works biceps and back but you do that much less.
I have to be very careful and make sure I work on my back as I have torn the muscles twice. Easy part of your body to forget about working on.
Performing any one sport all the time will produce muscle imbalances if not complimented with other activities. Cycle involves many repeated movements in a position that is not 'natural'. As already mention you use your front muscles a lot more than your upper back muscles (lower back muscle are used quite a lot), apart from any pulling action. If you have poor posture on or of the bike your shoulder complex will not work as well as it could regardless how much exercise you do. Shoulder blade position is vital for prober shoulder mechanics.
ventanarider make sure your physio assesses your thoracic spine as most people are to stiff in this area which also effects shoulder mechanics, any decent physio should be able to manip this area if it is stiff to help start the process of gaining improved mobility.
Every cyclist road or off road would benefit from a prober constructed strength / condition program.
check out 'Bikejames' you might not agree with his opinion on flat pedals but he does have some really good stuff on his site.
I have got a massive [blank] since riding ATB's
Amnesia?
You wouldn't believe what I misread the title as......OK, you probably would.
Ditto!