OldsCOOL

When does the aching of traps/triceps abate? Today I did a 50miler in decent shape (in spite of the 90+ temps and high humidity and when the 3 hits of 200mg Ibuprophen wore off in the last half hour I had to up the pace just to make my legs hurt a little just to "block" the pain.

There are no injuries related in this, it's just an "in the saddle" issue. Does this get better with increased saddle time? I'm thinking the planned century ride as of today is sounding a bit painful. It's not exruciating by any means....the dull ache just begs me to stop and rest again.

Does this get better??

Kurt Erlenbach

I usually pop a few pills when doing more than about 60 miles. My neck and shoulders are where I feel it, and a few Advil always does the trick. And about the heat - I always wear a heart rate monitor and keep an eye on it in the heat. When my HR starts to go up and my speed starts to fall, I know I'm cooked. Cycling in the heat can be a cathartic experience, but you've rally got to watch yourself.

OldsCOOL

Thanx for the tip on the heat. A few weeks back I did a 20mi ride in 86deg and ended up bonking hard at 16mi. My pulse went up and speed went down just like you said. Today I was careful and when riding that hot stretch the speed was paced out wisely. Still, at the 22mi mark I needed a rest coming into town next to the cool Lake Michigan shoreline. I drank about a litre of water during that 22mi stretch.

So it sounds like the cranky neck/traps stuff is pretty much expected then. I'll keep the meds in the bag LoL

LAriverRat

Just stop more often and drink more sooner than you think. In hot weather i have found this works very well with taking meds. Even a 4 or 5 minute break allows me to go longer without reaching that bonk point.

billydonn

Same here with respect to heat... HR up and speed down-> misery soon to follow. I am wearing some Voler sun guard sleeves this year to keep my skin protected too. As the the neck/shoulder problem I recommend raising the stem 1/8 inch and see what happens on long rides. I did this recently and it made a pretty big difference in comfort on longer rides. None of this is to deny the benefits of Vitamin I, of course!

OldsCOOL

When I do my century (the first) it will not be on a day above 85deg, that is for sure. Overall, I feel pretty good right now. The neck/traps/triceps arent bad at all. Legs are strong, couldve ridden a bit more. Dang near gave it up at the 22mi mark but coming into the cool lake breeze saved the ride.

stringbreaker

On a different note. My wife broke her shoulder last week and was taking Ibuprofen for the pain. We got into the Ortho doc the day after the initial E.R. diagnosis and he told her to take Tylenol instead. According to him the Ibuprofen isn't as friendly to knitting bones in the first few days of healing so she switched. I didn't know this.

Rowan

If you have neck, shoulder and upper arm pain, you may have a fit issue with your bike. It indicates that you maybe putting too much pressure on the handlebars. Are your bars below the seat level or are they level with the seat?

OldsCOOL

They are slightly below. I like the bars at that level but am considering raising an inch or so. That was my last resort measure.

DnvrFox

A different take.

Pain is a natural body response to be listened to and respected and not disguised, particularly in normal (i.e., bicycling) activities, and is designed by nature to prevent further injuries. I don't take pain killers during an activity. I might afterwards if I find I overextended, etc. Taking pain pills during an activity allows the opportunity of unknown injury.

Boudicca

I think it depends on how many you take and why. I wish I had taken a couple of ibuprofen last weekend when I did back-to-back long rides. Sunday was an easier ride, but it felt harder because my legs were so sore. Two Advil before the ride would probably have done the trick just fine.

Allegheny Jet

Ibuprophen is my friend. After hard rides and sometimes before the next day's ride I'll be stiff and sore due to inflamation and 2 or 3 of the pills will do the trick.

OldsCOOL

At the dosage I take Ibuprophen (motrin) it just takes the edge off the aches. If there is something wrong I know I'd know it quickly. It is a different matter when (for example) taking 1000mg to cover your old knee injury due to cartilege problems and such. That's not what I'm talking about.

billydonn

An inch would be a huge change... just a few mm can be an effective change sometimes.

Rowan

I used to take ibuprofen a bit to ease pain on LD rides, but the warnings now emerging about its affect on the heart have me resorting to paracetamol or a mix of paracetamol and codeine.

I need something different to aspirin which I take post heart attack.

I also found ibuprofen somewhat worsened the effect of dehydration with constipatiion being the most significant symptom.

bigbadwullf

If you are blocking pain while doing something that can cause pain you are looking for trouble. Think about it.

I have a good friend that is a Pharmacist that uses nothing but aspirin. Those in the the know say aspirin has all the effects of the latest stuff but with little/no bad effects. It just isn't "popular" because it isn't new and fancy.

Read the side effects of ibu and I bet you take it easy on it from here on out. I do use it for playing softball as it makes my throwing arm nice and loose. I used to pitch and know my arm very well. It helps for that but I don't use it for anything else.

BluesDawg

I have mild arthritis in my shoulders and a manageable lower lumbar disc problem that flare up from time to time, especially when I do a lot of long or intense riding. I have found vitamin I (ibuprofen) to be a great help in keeping the inflammation form these down to tolerable levels (along with daily stretching and alignment exercises). I pop a couple every morning and four before big rides. Usually that will get me through the day, but sometimes I'll need more later in the day. I have been doing this for several years with no ill effects and it is certainly a preferred option to surgery.

bigbadwullf

Well for something like that, you use what works for you. My daughter has Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and is on some very strong stuff. Sometimes you do what you have to do but for someone with just normal aches and pains to take a pill is, well......

OldsCOOL

You really have to use wisdom and know your body well if you are going to use any medication during intense physical activity. For me, I only use Ibu for biking to dull the onset of aches....not pain, if there is pain I cease the activity.

I'm a wrestling coach and never have used Ibuprophen for our sometimes grueling training and practices even at my age.

OldsCOOL

I'm going to raise it up for the next ride in hopes to put in more miles before the fatique ache starts.

stapfam

Ibuprofen is a No-No for those of us that have had a heart problem. Same with other joint and muscular pain killing pills and I do not know the medical reason for this- except I have been warned not to take them. The only Pill I take on a ride now is aspirin and I only have two of those with me when I ride.

But the anaelgesic creams are fine. Apparantly they do not affect the heart so Muscular pain and after the ride and I will massage the aching muscles with Voltarol cream and wait till the pain goes away.

But it is my feeling that if a pain gets so intense that it causes a problem- then stop the ride before damage is done. I had enough serious Muscular problems when I was younger through not listening to the body to realise that pulling out now- saves a lot of pain later.

OldsCOOL

Prior to yesteday's 30mi ride I lifted the bars .5" and it seemed to help minimize the aches. Considering this was not a long ride I'm only being optimistic but I really think it's going to help substantially. Thanx for the reminder.

OldsCOOL

As a follow up......during the 60 mile ride 2 days ago there was none of the aforementioned achey soreness of the neck/traps/triceps. In my best guess it was saddle time that remedied the problem along with a .5" lifting of the bars. Lifting the bars also encouraged me to spend more time in the drops on the intense days.

Thanx for the help guys, it has been appreciated.

cyclinfool

I tend to agree with those advising not to take pain medication to block pain during physical exertion. I have found over many years experience this just makes matters worse, I allow myself to go further than I should and I hurt more and for a longer period of time later and I end up doing less overall. I have found that finding the source of the pain and working on that is a better solution. Besides over use, pain in muscle can be caused by improper hydration, not only do you need water, you need to replace electrolytes during exercise. This helps a lot. I have a knee that is showing signs of arthritis, I use a neoprene knee sock when I am doing a long ride, helps the circulation and support of the joint, reduces the pain better than any pain pill. As others state, I will use a pain med afterwards, but try to avoid them before or during a big ride.

billydonn

It sounds like you made the right decision... cool. And it does make the drops a little more accessable as you say.