after a year back in the saddle, at age 55, i bought a used Trek 5200 last year. lovely bike, but perhaps because it was owned by a woman, it had a very narrow seat.
about that time i began to feel numbness in the tender section at the very bottom of my groin area (not sure what it's called). I also experienced a loss of libido and eventually penal pain.
my internist couldn't find the problem, but tuesday i was finally diagnosed with prostatitis by a urologist. prostatitis is an inflamation of the prostate. the penal pain is not where it seems but is actually radiated from the prostate (thank God). the good news is the problem is not cancer or BPH. it's chronic, but manageable, and perhaps with care (nutritionally supplementing the mineral zinc, for instance) i can send it into remission.
i don't know whether getting back to bicycling precipitated or merely exacerbated the problem. but i'm glad that at the end of last season i bought a hornless saddle. bit of a todo getting it adjusted satisfactorily, but it's very comfy now. the weight is on the "sit bones", which can handle it, and not on the prostate. And i'm convinced that's the way it should be.
GL,
p.
jppe
07-27-06, 08:25 PM
Great advice and sorry you had to experience the issue. I've ridden the ergo cutout saddles for 5 years and hopefully they will continue to work for me. Good luck on your continued recovery!
CrossChain
07-27-06, 08:47 PM
jppe.....curious--- what ergo cutout saddles have you ridden?
paul1149
07-27-06, 08:49 PM
thanks. i've overcome a lot in the past 4 years in my quest to regain health, and i'm very confident about besting this as well.
GB,
p.
bkaapcke
07-27-06, 09:30 PM
My prostate sent up a white flag; no more sex and no more going pee. Going bent solved both problems in short order. bk
stapfam
07-28-06, 01:06 AM
I had a prostatectomy 5 years ago and previous to it- I used a flite Titanium saddle. Quite hard ,slim and long. 6 weeks after the surgery, I sat on the saddle and got off it very quickly-That Hurt.2 weeks later and a new wider saddle with the cutout and I managed a 30 mile ride without too much discomfort. Over the next 6 months I bought saddle after saddle to try and get less pain as the cycling butt readjusted. Finished up with the new form of Flite Titanium with a cut out and a little bit of gel padding. Then I went back to the Tandem and had to start the saddle process all over again as it is a new riding position and you sit down for a lot longer. Finished up with a Selle Trans-Am saddle and then had a fight for the next few years to get it back off my co-rider.
Saddles for the pelvic bone area take a lot of finding- if that is the problem but saddle position and nose tilt are just as important.
big john
07-28-06, 08:03 AM
Pain and numbness in your crotch may have nothing to do with the prostate. It could be the perineum or other nerves down there. I was diagnosed with BPH a few years ago and while the doc had me stay off the bike for a few weeks, he said the main factors for enlarged prostate were stress and diet. I am a crappy stress manager and my diet tends toward see-food. His treatment was to avoid all caffeine and all spices, take 2 Ibuprofen twice a day and soak in a hot tub or bath for 15 minutes a day. This treatment really worked. I also read a book titled "Prostate Health in 90 Days" by Doctor Clapp. Yes, that's his real name. This book has some radical thinking, but a lot of good information. It's main point, I think, is to take care of your general health first, and this can help your prostate. I'm back to coffee and cayenne pepper now, but can go more than 10 minutes without having to pee, thank god.
FarHorizon
07-28-06, 08:12 AM
...i was finally diagnosed with prostatitis by a urologist. prostatitis is an inflamation of the prostate...
Yes, it is, and it aint fun! If your current saddle gets to the point where it is still stirring up your prostate, try a recumbent bike. They're like sitting in your recliner while pedaling - no prostate issues at all.
paul1149
07-28-06, 08:15 AM
very interesting. i don't have cancer, evidently the focus of Clapp's book, but some of the testimonies at amazon look excellent. a friend has been trying to tell me about pH balance for a while. do you think the book would benefit a prostatitis case? i also see other interesting books over there on the subject. thanks!
p.
paul1149
07-28-06, 08:16 AM
FarHorizon - i don't believe there should be any prostate issues with the erg seat. thanks.
p.
John E
07-28-06, 08:54 AM
Only one saddle, a narrow padded Marin, has given me pain in the perinaeum. My traditional tensioned leather saddles have never caused anything beyond an occasional minor skin irritation or saddle sore. I rode to work today on a more modern, inexpensive slotted saddle; again, no discomfort.
There are no guarantees in life, but I believe in stacking one's odds, which is why my diet is extremely rich in foods like grapefruit and tomatoes, supplemented with zinc, antioxidants, saw palmetto, etc.
Since someone mentioned pH, if anyone sees a Jeep Grand Cherokee with the license plate "PH80001," that would be my neighbor, a bottled water sales manager. :)
big john
07-28-06, 09:33 AM
very interesting. i don't have cancer, evidently the focus of Clapp's book, but some of the testimonies at amazon look excellent. a friend has been trying to tell me about pH balance for a while. do you think the book would benefit a prostatitis case? i also see other interesting books over there on the subject. thanks!
p.! While he does address cancer in the book, he also focuses on colon health and general health. He does advocate having sex to help with prostate issues, too.