Are you coming to Washburn, WI for the Superior Vistas Bike Tour? As an avid cyclist and Licensed Massage Therapist I’m very excited to be providing post-event massage at the tour finish in Thompson’s West End Park in Washburn, WI.
If you’ve never ridden up here, you’re in for a stunningly beautiful and deliciously hilly treat. But as I’m sure you’re aware, sometimes our sport causes muscular pain and postural imbalance. Too often, our cycling associates have pain. They go in for an x-ray which turns out clear, but the pain is still there. The lack of results can be frustrating. This is where a qualified bodyworker such as one who understands “neutral balance alignment” can be a great help. Read on, and we’ll go on a mini Tour de Cycling Anatomy.
When we ride, we use the same muscle groups over and over, to the exclusion of other muscles (their antagonists) which creates a postural imbalance or structural shift. The quadriceps, for example, can get tight/short from overuse. The shortening of the rectus femoris muscle,, especially since it crosses both the hip and the knee, has the ability to rotate the pelvis forward or downward creating a structural shift that can cause low back pain. If we aren’t in neutral balance alignment, the way we sit on our bikes can also create an imbalance that may lead to pain.
A couple of weeks ago I provided therapeutic massage for a different bike tour came through Bayfield, WI. Like most people, they drooled a little with the back and neck work, but what they were really taken with was anatomical specificity with which I worked. Cyclists are very smart. They could tell when I was working on the specific tight/short muscles that needed to be restored to a normal resting length. Any ideas which ones I am talking about? The Hand, Wrist and Forearm of course!
Seriously. We all do it... We get a little tired and we start to put our weight on our hands and handlebars instead of using our core for support. The muscles that flex our wrists get all stretched tight/long. The wrist extensors are contracted (tight/short) for the entire ride. Here’s what I did to help: First I applied a technique called myofascial release (MFR) to the flexor and extensor retinaculum. Think of that as the roof and floor of the carpal tunnel. I created more space in there for the tendons of the carpal tunnel to pass through. Then I used some deep gliding strokes in between the extensor muscles to check for any “stickiness” that would prevent their ease of movement. I used deep gliding strokes along the extensor carpi radialis longus and brevis, the extensor carpi ulnaris, and the extensor digitorum. I squeezed and sifted and kneaded the “wad of three” and then used more MFR to pin and stretch the muscles. Working up the arm, I acknowledged the biceps, the triceps and deltoids. At the chest I stretched the pecs a little and then lastly I worked under the clavicle where the scalene insert on the first and second ribs. This is very important as sometimes the pectoralis muscles and scalenes can entrap nerves causing numbness in the fingers and hands.
Both avid cyclists and those who enjoy leisurely riding can benefit from bodywork that strives for neutral balance alignment because it decreases pain and improves ease of motion. Pain free ease of motion is necessary for building strength, endurance and flexibility. A qualified bodyworker can help with that by addressing the structural, functional and neural aspects of pain and by treating the pain referred by trigger points.
I hope you’ve enjoyed your Tour de Cycling Anatomy! Have a stellar, injury-free Superior Vistas Bike Tour and be sure to say hi after your ride!
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