Hip pain is one of the most common injuries among bicyclists, according to the Cycling Performance Tips website. Bicycles and hip pain depend on the type of bicycle, its aerodynamics, body positioning, your anatomy and individual health conditions. Bicycles can improve your fitness and help you recuperate from various ailments, including hip surgery. If you're new to bicycling, consult a bike expert to obtain advice and an individualized bike fit. If you have a medical condition, check with your doctor first to prevent injury and assure safety.
Low Impact
Bicycling is known as a low impact activity because it places less stress on the joints compared with other cardiovascular activities. Low impact activities benefit individuals with hip pain by lowering stiffness and pain levels while increasing mobility, blood circulation and bone strength and keeping surrounding muscles strong.
Overuse
Bicycling overuse injuries resulting in hip pain can be caused by pushing yourself too hard for too long, or by having incorrect seat or cleat alignment, according to Cycling Performance Tips. Instead, stretch your bicycling workouts throughout the week and shoot for a goal of bicycling at a moderately brisk pace. If you ride on steep terrain or use higher resistance levels, don't ride as long. Decrease your risk of hip pain by keeping cadence to 80 to 90 revolutions per minute to give your body time to adjust to bicycling, Cycling Performance Tips says.
Resistance
High resistance levels place greater pressure on the hips, potentially causing more hip pain. High resistance involves riding uphill, using higher gears and riding on challenging terrain. On an indoor bicycle, setting the tension level at higher resistance simulates outdoor terrain. Moderate resistance levels lower hip joint stress. Low resistance levels involve riding bicycles with zero to minimal resistance settings, such as those used in therapy and recuperation. When you're new to cycling, riding at low resistance levels will reduce your risk of hip pain, Cycling Performance Tips says.
Warm-up and Cooldown
Treating your body and muscles properly is important to preventing or minimizing hip pain. Warming up for five minutes by doing mild stretches that gently move your hip area or going for a walk will increase blood circulation to your muscles, which helps prevent injury and reduce hip pain. Applying heat to your hip area is an alternative. After cycling, do a similar five-minute cooldown. Giving yourself a gentle hip massage will help lower pain levels.
Types
A recumbent bicycle provides the greatest comfort, allowing for a cushioned seat to support the majority of body weight and taking pressure off the hips, which can minimize hip pain. The large seats on recumbent bicycles fit larger bodies, compared with other bicycle types. Stationary bicycles are indoor exercise bikes that can be used for fitness or rehabilitation purposes. They place the upper body in an upright position and can help decrease hip pain and stiffness while preparing the body for everyday activities. Outdoor bicycles offer aerodynamic properties that can increase or decrease hip pain, depending upon usage.
