Riding with Prostate problems
 

I have an enlarged prostate and have just had a biopsy for prostate cancer which was luckily negative when is it safe to start riding again and do I need a special seat or shorts to take pressure off the prostate area and perennial area, I'm a bit scared to start riding again yet and I miss it so much, any advice would be great please guys.

Ask your doc? :foo: If you prefer medical advice from random unqualified BF members, I'd say don't ride if it hurts.

I road my bike the day after my biopsy like you so far negative. Keep an eye on the gland though biopsy can miss things I ended up having laser green light surgery 6 years ago due to BPH,. That was great results.

Been there, done that. My doc rides a bike also. I asked him the exact questions you're asking. He said, "does riding cause you any issues, unusual pain..etc? I answered, no. He said, "after a ride is there any blood in your urine?" I said no. He said.."then I wouldn't worry about it". That was years ago and I've been riding as I did before the procedure..no issues. Ask your doc..

Pretty much any modern grooved saddle will be fine. The doctor would have the best opinion on recovery time I'd say. Those biopsies are more problematic for infection issues than healing.
Best of luck with the prostate. It has troubled me for some time that engineers can fly helicopters on Mars and modern medical "science" can't fix an enlarged prostate.

I'm sure I asked my doctor and followed the instructions. From my calendar, it appears I missed 5 days of riding. I made no equipment or clothing changes and resumed my normal riding routine.

In a worst case scenario a recumbent bike puts little to no pressure on the prostate.

Merged duplicate threads.

I can't say if you need to take pressure off the prostate and perennial area, but if you want to regardless, check out the Selle SMP TRK saddle:

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...8c34ee8ca4.jpg
Selle SMP TRK

They make dozens of similar models, with a patented design. Most are lighter, thinner, and more expensive. I heartily disagree with the idea that any modern seat with a groove in it accomplishes the goal. Another model that is wider and works well for me is the Avant:

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...0ab766797c.jpg
SMP Avant

The SMP Well model was OK, but a little too narrow for me. I am 6'2', 205 lbs, with a 38" waist at the moment, for comparison. On an upright bike I have the TRK Large, on the drop-bar bikes, the TRK Medium. The TRKs come with gel, or without. All my TRKs are gel, but the Avant is not. I think the gel is worth the slight price and weight penalty, when the option is available.

If you are of lighter build and want to try my Well, PM me.

For a long time the doctors said I had a enlarged prostate. It never bothered me. My PSA is always very low and the feel of my prostate didn't signal anything bad to ever get a biopsy.

I'd just assume that once you are over any pain and any healing the biopsy requires, that your current saddle will still be good enough if you were okay with it prior.

Your prostate didn't just suddenly enlarge. And if you are having some issues, then maybe they are other things. Such as hemorrhoids that flare up from the pedaling and other reasons.

Am on two prostate prescription meds which has dramatically reduced urgency and frequency. Urgency = NOW! I also really like ENDURA bike shorts with gel inserts. Extremely comfortable.

I went through a fortune worth of saddles and settled on a Selle Italia SMP saddle which works fine for mountain bike rides of 50 miles or less - similar to the one above. For my road bikes ( I also have Selle cut-out saddles
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...c80cfa2cc9.jpg
Boost Hanging like a bat

Same. I rode the day after the lasar reduction. Glad I had the procedure. Also make sleep better.
Oh…and most health insurance covers it. Some (older) guys I talk to about it say they were under the assumption that insurance DOESN’T cover it. I have TRICARE (retired military). If they cover it, I think most civilian policies would too.

Dan

Dang, hoping to find information on riding after TURP or similar procedure. I've had an enlarged prostrate for about 10 years managed by meds. A few weeks back everything went to crap and I've been suffering really bad. My healthcare is the VA so everything takes forever with them. Pretty sure I'm headed to surgery though and am wondering how long I'll be off the bikes.

For now I've replaced riding with two hour long walks a day. I do get on an indoor recumbent for a couple of 15-20 minute sessions each day. I've gone from 3 cups of coffee each morning down to just one and plan to wean off that this week. No other caffeine is consumed. I've cut out pretty much most sugary stuff since that's an inflammatory. Try not to sit around too much but I just retired, it's winter here and snowy already, so there's only so much to keep me busy inside.

I'll tell you what. I can deal with normal everyday pain just fine but this now being able to empty the bladder is driving me batty! :twitchy:

after my second prostate infection, my urologist, who is also a triathlete, asked me to convert all my bikes to open or deeply valley'd bike seats. I did so immediately.

I had a TURP 11/20, told to stay off the bike until no blood in the urine., which could take up to 4 weeks.
In the past I have had biopsies and a ReZume procedure which also caused blood in the urine and did not stop riding (didn't ask and wasn't told). No obvious ill effects, although the blood may have lasted longer.

There several procedures available. Some of them are done in-office, some in a surgery center and some in the hospital. If you Google enlarged prostate & BPH, the articles from the Mayo Clinic are pretty good.

After months of prostate infections about 24 years ago, I purchased a recumbent. I was able to keep riding and it let my prostate recover and heal. 4 years later I went back to a diamond frame and have been OK since. I do use a Selle San Marco with a slot.

O.p. lives in the UK. He'd have to want your saddle real bad. Why do you 'strenuously disagree' that grooved saddles in the main can't deliver satisfaction to prostate issue sufferers? Not only do I agree with that other poster, that any grooved saddle can provide relief, I think any saddle period, grooved or not, can be comfortable as long as it is wide enough, and the rider sits on its widest part. It is shockingly easy to sit too far forward on most saddles and end up uncomfortable because the sit bones are not properly supported. A slight 'nose up' attitude of a saddle can help in reminding a rider to sit further back. So can moving the saddle forward on it's rails. An average height cyclist should have a very good reason for having their saddle behind a centered position on the clamping area.

Agree. Not to be alarmist, but UK medicine is measled out very stingily on account of the *cough* Socialist nature of the funding. I can say that, DW is from Burnley, UK. There was a very good reason the o.p. was given a biopsy an enlarged prostate alone wouldn't have done it. A negative result would not reassure ME. Prostate issues AND a rising PSA >/= 4 means biopsy. It probably means cancer as well. Which, as I understand it, is where most men in developed countries are headed in 2024 and beyond. We're all going to get there if we live long enough (>65y.o.) and the closer you are to 65 and over, the less likely it is to be of any real concern as regards longevity. In the US, a repeat biopsy inside of a year would be a given. I'm not sure about the UK. But do keep an eye on things o.p.

Thought I'd update this for anyone else experiencing issues. I have TURP done in January. It 100% solved my urination issues. First day/night of recovery was fine until the catheter was pulled out. Clotted up inside and was unable to go. So the nurses had to put a catheter back in before I could be released. For whatever reason they could not get the catheter in and really had to finally force it. I was begging them to just shoot me by the time that was over. Yeah, it was that painful! I mention this only because I am still having problems and I really wonder if they messed me up getting that catheter back in. The nurse did say " I tore some tissue for sure so don't be surprised in your black and blue down there. At this time I was so fried from the pain they put me through that his statement didn't really register.

I healed ok it seemed but was still passing chunks of stuff at 4 weeks post surgery. The bad is that here I am about 8 months later and things have never really returned to normal. Most days I have pain/discomfort in my bladder area and every few weeks it get's really bad for several days at a time. Dr's are like,"give it time to heal". I started having a lot of pain again Saturday after my bike ride, worse after a short easy Sunday ride. I've stayed off the bikes so far this week but as each day progress I feel worse and worse as the day passes. I live on tylenol and advil now. In the past months when things felt like another prostate/UTI the tests came back negatively. Yet no one can seem to give me an answer. I'm now playing the VA game again trying to get into a specialist to see what's going on. Quality of life is pretty much sucking with this. So anyway, sharing this for anyone having issues. Best thing I can say is take your prostrate health seriously, you don't want to deal with what I am. It just isn't anyway to live.

Very sorry for the issues you are having. If you haven't done so, I would HIGHLY SUGGEST you search AND join HealthUnlocked.com Believe me when I say that men and women there are more informed than many doctors and can be very helpful.

Good LUCK.

I was diagnosed with prostate cancer in August. We've been tracking increasing PSA for the past two years. It is very treatable and decided to go the radiation route. I'm in the middle of 25 treatments and have decided to pause riding during this time. I do want to find the best information for going forward with riding post treatment. My wife and I primarily ride out tandem and we want to continue that going forward. My current saddle is the Terry Fly which has a center opening but because you sit almost all of the time captaining a tandem I think I may want to try something with more opening. I hope to find a medical resource with interest and experience in this condition and the continuation of cycling.

Turns out I had developed a Stricture (blockage/scarring) from the 1st TURP surgery. They cleaned that up in early October yet I kept having problems. Latest scope this week showed no more blockage but inflammation. So basically the same thing that's going on my with shoulder that had a rotator cuff repair done on it this spring. Repair is fine but lot's of inflammation causing pain. Started an anti-inflammatory med about 3 days ago and both problems are markedly better. Just wish I could figure out why all the inflammation. I'm relatively active, drink tons of water, no caffeine other than from my green tea, don't use hardly any sugar, and don't eat much highly processed food, junk foods, fast food, etc. 1st time back on a bike today and it was just a one miler on the dutch bike to the grocery store.

And after some improvement initially things have gone back downhill the past week or so. Back to pain and discomfort pretty much all the time. I don't know how much longer I can put up with this. I've been messed up for over a year now and the docs can't seem to figure it out. No riding even after that initial ride. VA disability is my medical but they won't pay for a consult with a second urologist. I may just have to scrap up the money myself and find someone else. I am going freaking nuts with all this.

Thought I'd update this in case it helps someone. Seems all my problems are tied to pelvic floor issues. After a year of prostate problems and pain the muscles have gotten really tight. The Urologist finally sent me to a physical therapy clinic that deals with this kind of stuff. They spotted it right off on the first visit as they checked things with an ultrasound machine. The muscles were actually encroaching up into the area where my bladder is and never letting return to its normal relaxed shape. So far it's only been about two weeks but doing stretching and other exercises on this area daily have greatly improved things. Pretty much most of the pain and discomfort is gone finally! Still got a long path back to normality but so happy to finally know there's a true path to recovery.

They're telling me to still stay off the bikes for now but I'm hoping to be back riding sometime this spring.

r.e. bold -- Great reading that things are improved. :thumb::thumb: Any chance of providing a link for the exercises you do? Wishing continued success.

Some of the worst pain I have endured came from a case of prostatitis that began as a recurring uti, 2023. I had a Urolift procedure done, that night I spent a few hours in the ER due to excruciating pain. The urologist that did the procedure vastly understated the post op pain issue. Got an IV with laudanum, off to la la land I gladly went.
I'd like a look at the exercises James is doing. Hoping his issues continue on the path to recovery.

Here ya go. All I can say is they are helping me a lot.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...c9dc1c1f16.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...cca5dacf51.jpg

THANKS :thumb::thumb:

Just to provide a bit of an update in case any of it can help anyone else. I slowly started back riding and building the miles back up. Finally getting back to my normal "short ride" distance of 25 miles. But I was only riding every two to three days instead of daily like I normally do. Didn't really notice any noticible negative pelvic floor issues at first. But when I started stringing together two days of 20+ miles the all day discomfort came back. Then kidney stones messed me up for awhile and resulted in them having to go back up inside of me to blast one to bits. That required a stent being left inside me for a week. Needless to say, everything went backwards on the progress I had been making. When the stent was removed I did a short 10 mile ride. Then the next day I did 20 and yeah, lots' of pain and discomfort for the next few days. Needless to say terrible bummed as I didn't collect these 30+ bikes just to retire and not be able to ride anymore.

Anyway, took a week or so off and plan to try again tomorrow. Now my favorite saddles is the old Fizik Kurve Chameleon. With the old Avocet 02 Air's second. It's going to be an expensive problem if I have to switch all saddles over to something with an open channel. I did have one older Fizik Antares vex on hand with a large channel. I put that on the Trek Y-Foil and will give that a try tomorrow. In the past most open saddles I've tired have caused discomfort on the edge of the channel section. Curious to see how things go. All of the old Kurve saddles are set up with the "soft" insert in place as I always assumed that would put the least amount of pressure on things down there.

Anyway, as much as I hoped to be back to normal riding by now it's still not to be. Sometimes life just does not seem fair. Your waste your whole life working to get by and to get to retirement and then your body screws you over and it's like why bother? Makes you wish you had just been a bum your whole life and played while your body could do it. And that's my grumpy ramblings for the night, LOL!