Road Cycling - Hip Pain

I was just wondering if anyone else here ever experiences hip pain. Ever since I started riding even when I was really young riding with my dad I have had hip pain. Sometimes it is slight and other times it is nearly unbearable. It ussually occurs in my right leg but sometimes I get it in both. I was born breech so I'm not sure if that has something to do with it, the pain ussually is in my hips joints and in my lower, lower back. As a kid I was checked out many times by orthopedists (sp?) so I don't think it is anything wrong with my bones. Any one else have similar pain?

Matt

You may need to:
adjust you position on the bike
use a smaller gear, ( learn to "spin")
see a different doctor
start with shorter rides
begin a stretching or strengthening program

Ride Painless
Pat

I had pain in my right hip for almost a year after I started cycling seriously about 2.5 years ago. I realized that I needed a fuller extension of the leg than my by-the-book seat height adjustment would allow. I raised my seat about 2 cm over several weeks in small increments. Most of the pain went away after that.

I also noticed that the worst incidents of pain were on cold, windy days. Notice that the hip joint is protected by very little flesh. I started wearing Roubaix lycra tights or double shorts to keep my hips warm. That helped, too.

As a yoga teacher, I was able to prescribe to myself postures and movements that would help my hip situation. In general, most road cyclists would do well to learn how to bend from the hip efficiently, so that the lower back does not bow upward. Gradually, the whole of your back will parallel the top tube with almost no bending int he lower back. Gaining that kind of hip flexibility will take patience and faithful yoga practice. I have found that Ashtanga Yoga as taught in the tradition of Patabbhi Jois has the best methods for freeing the hips for road cyclists. Some of the postures you will need are downward facing dog, chair, and forward bend. DON'T try to teach yourself these postures from a book or video. You'll need a competent teacher to work you into the proper alignment--a picture won't show that to you.

Good luck!

Rich

my hip pain is as a direct result of walking with a pronated left leg. my left foot naturally falls in the 10 o'clock position. my legs are also two differing lengths (this is common as humans are rarely perfectly symmetrical)

i tried everything, and the only thing that works for me is to be conscious of my pedal position and not let my knees fall naturally and hug/be closer to the top tube than usual.

**note** this works for me. this is not a prescription for all hip problems. just relaying my personal fix.

Hi,
you really need to see a specialist. The tricky part sometimes is finding the right one. Tell your Doc you want to see a Hip specialist, or perhaps a good sports clinic (shooting in the dark on that one). I was in therapy for much of the winter for a hip problem; get on this before they start talking replacement parts.

I found that Tai Chi was good for re-educating my posture. It has some excellent hip excercises. The improved body awareness also helps me analyse my riding position more effectively. In Tai Chi, we tend to use an internal frame of reference; "how does it feel", rather than an external one such as "your saddle to pedal distance should be x% of your leg length".