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Does biking affect hips?

Hi, i have a hip injury for another sport and im wondering if riding a bicycle will affect my hip.
By affect i mean like, cause pain to come back or something.
My hip pain is not on the outside of the hip, it is kinda where the hip rotators are.

Good question for your M.D.

Yes, it can if you overtrain and build too much Quad mass and let the adductors and hip flexors atrophy in relation to the quads.

Excessive Quadriceps hypertrophy in relation to the butt muscles creates asymmetrical stress on the SI joint (Where the pelvis and spine meet), and can create debilitating pain. This can be addressed with balanced training and some specialized stretching routines.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tom Stormcrowe (Post 6260827)

oh, thanks.
do you know any exercises i can do to strengthen my hips?

and i am a runner so I dont think i have that condition that you mentioned on your post because only my left hip hurts.

Tom, what type of training and stretches are needed to balance this? My quads keep getting bigger and my butt keeps getting smaller. Some days my hips bother me to the point where I have a noticable limp.

Quote:

Originally Posted by whosthatmonkey (Post 6260710)

If you need to exercise your hip flexors then try powercranks. They've been used by athletes with fractured pelvis, acl damage, loss of muscle mass due to operation and other leg imbalance problems to rehabilitate. The powercranks ensure that both legs do exactly the same amount of work so you should have no problem with that. They're expensive new but there may be some on e-bay.

Try e-mail customerservice@powercranks.com with details of your problem - maybe they can help.

http://www.powercranks.com/v4pages/home-rehab.htm

there's a lotto pro cyclist using them to recover from his fractured pelvis - canned interview for trainingpeaks so take it with a pinch of salt - http://blog.trainingpeaks.com/2008/0...ning-file.html

Quote:

Originally Posted by whosthatmonkey (Post 6260710)

A poor fit can cause hip pain or just being clipped in too long. The moment you start to feel pain in your hips, feet or knees, it's best to unclip fast. I have biomechanical problems due to my spine so there are many issues that can cause pain in general.

Bike fit is an essential starting point. However, it also depends on what your riding style is. Many so-called fit experts only know about racing, and that is about as useful to a casual rider as the proverbial ashtray on a motorbike.

If you are starting out in cycling, choose a fit that at least has the handlebars level with the seat. You also should check that the bike fit allows you to have the front of your knee directly over the pedal spindle when your foot is resting on the pedal with the crank in the 3 o'clock position on the right, and 9 o'clock on the left.

Ensure that your seat height is not so high that your hips move up and down when you pedal. This movement can aggravate hip problems and increase vulnerability to saddle/butt chafe. In the fitting process, you may need to look at crank length -- I am beginning to believe that the "standard" 175mm cranks fitted to many bikes are just plain inappropriate, and shorter ones may be better for people under 5'10".

On the riding side, use a lower gear than you think you should, and spin at a cadence of between 85 and 110rpm (note that at the higher the cadence, the more initial impact on your cardio-vascular system you will initially have). A higher cadence will reduce the load on the hips and knees and associated muscles and ligaments.

Do not try to mash up hills even though the temptation is there. Also, keep whatever loads you intend to carry as light as practicable.

The reason I suggest these is that more problems occur with illio-tibial band strain when overworked with mashing or trying to power along with heavy loads at low cadences. If you are a runner and have suffered from shin splints in the past, you may have a disposition to ITB strain up to the hips.

Look at your saddle. You might need to consider something like a Brooks that moulds to your assymetrical shape. Or you may need to offset your saddle slightly to compensate. Much of this comes from micro-adjustment as you ride over several months.

And a program of stretching helps.

Hey Monkey,
Before you start out with trying to get exercises to correct your hip issue and changing your bike, maybe you should spend a little money with a quality sports injury doctor and get a diagnosis of what the cause of the pain really is. If they say that it is a little arthritis...don't pay the bill.

Niobium Rocket
Sports Chiropractor for 24 years

I would suggest seeing an MD about that pain. If there is not a medical problem with your hip he will probably suggest seeing a physical therapist. If there is he will suggest what you should do about it.

In a normal physical fitness regime it should be train today, hurt tomorrow, train the day after that. In other words you should never over train so much that it hurts for more than a couple of days. The idea is to slightly strain things so they heal back up a bit stronger, then do it again, and again.... But the key word in there is slightly.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobn (Post 6260716)

Good question for your M.D.

YES, a very good question for YOUR doctor. If you do decide to ride,
ride very easy. If painful.....STOP!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.pilates-back-joint-exerci...-exercise.html

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pilates

SI Joint Exercise
What is the SI Joint and why do we need to do SI Joint Exercise?

The SI or Sacroiliac Joint is one of two joints in the pelvis that connects the sacrum or tailbone to the large pelvic bone, the ilium.

These two joints, on either side of the pelvis, connect the spine to the pelvis.

This area, in and around the sacrum is the main nerve center of the body. This is where much of our low back pain, as well as hip and leg pain originate from.

This joint is not designed for a large range of motion and it tends to stiffen and lock as we age. Because of this lack of range, SI Joint Exercise is good to do.

The motion in the SI Joint is somewhat of a gliding action as we flex and walk. Sometimes walking, sitting, standing, or lying can cause pain in this joint and refer into the back, buttocks, and thigh. This radiating pain is sometimes confused with sciatica.

Although SI joint pain and dysfunction has similar symptoms and does affect the sciatic nerve, it is not caused by a pinched nerve root.

SI joint pain is normally caused either by overuse, wear and tear on the cartilage in the joint, or from underuse were it becomes tighter and less mobile causing pain when we do need to mobilize it for activity.

The goal then of SI joint exercise is to perform range of motion and stretching exercises helping to mobilize and stabilize the joint ligaments.

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Some of the SI Joint exercises that can be helpful in alleviating pain and stiffness are:

Knee to chest stretch:

Exhale as you engage the abdominal muscles gently drawing one knee at a time to the chest, hold for a 2 count, then release.

Do this 8-10 times with each leg.

Knee Sways:

Lying on your back with the knees bent and together with your feet flat on the floor, gently sway the knees side to side. The lower back should remain fairly still on the mat.

As you improve you will be able to let the knees sway further to the floor feeling the lower back peel off the mat. Do this for a couple sets at 20 seconds each.

Pelvic stabilization exercises should be performed to strengthen muscles that support a joint that may be too loose. This is important because the extra motion can cause wear and tear on the joint cartilage leading to degeneration and arthritis.

Pilates exercises focus on stabilizing the Pelvic girdle which, in turn stabilizes the Sacroiliac Joint. This is important because it must transmit forces from the weight of your head, trunk and upper extremities and forces from the lower extremities upward.

Below you will find some of the 40-plus detailed pictures and exercises outlined in the new Pilates ebook available here. Many of these are good hip flexor exercises that strengthen the front of the pelvis as well as the back.

Listed below are a couple of SI joint exercises good for stabilization of the pelvis:

Find these and loads more pictures and detailed descriptions of SI Joint exercise in the new Pilates ebook available here.

Butterfly stretch:

Lying on your back with knees bent and squeezed together feet flat, place your hands on your hip bones and keep them still or level with the ceiling.

Keeping your spine neutral with tailbone down and middle ribs pressed into the mat let your knees fall apart until you feel a gentle stretch in the groin, as you exhale draw them back together feeling the deeper pelvic floor muscles working.

Keep the buttocks relaxed. Do this for 6-10 repetions.

Variation: Drop just one leg at a time toward the floor making sure the opposite buttock stays in contact with the mat and the hips stay level.

Knee Stirs:

Lying on your back with your spine in neutral(tailbone and lower ribs in contact with the mat, natural curve in the lumbar spine), and hands on your hip bones.

Exhale as you fold one knee up to a 90 degree angle from the hip so the shin is parallel to the floor. Feel the head of the thigh bone sink into the hip socket.

Keeping the pelvis stable and hips level circle the knee feeling the head of the femur rotate in the hip socket.

Circle clockwise and counterclockwise 4-8 times each direction for each leg.

Prone Leg Circles:

Lying on your stomach with your head resting on forearms overhead, legs extended, and pubic bone pressed into the mat with abdominal muscles activated.

Bend one leg at a 90 degree angle and circle the lower part of the leg 6 times each direction.

Be sure to keep the hip bones and pubic bone in contact with the mat and abdominals drawn up and in keeping the pelvis still as you circle just the lower part of the leg.

Quote:

Originally Posted by StokerPoker (Post 6260988)

This is the final proof! If Tom doesn't know everything, he at least knows where to find the answer!!

I know enough to frame my questions, and have taken Anatomy and Physiology. ;) I started college studying Nursing before I switched to psychology.

Quote:

Originally Posted by StokerPoker (Post 6271111)

This is the final proof! If Tom doesn't know everything, he at least knows where to find the answer!!