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Reasons Why Physiotherapy Can Positively Influence Your Cycling Performance

Physiotherapy

Whether you are just starting out on the bike or perhaps have been cycling for years but need a push in the right direction when it comes to your cycling performance, physiotherapy can have a positive influence on your performance.

What is physiotherapy?

Physiotherapy is a health care profession focusing and specialising in the science of movement. A physiotherapists’ primary focus is to attend to the rehabilitation and treatment of any issues concerning joints, ligaments, nerves and any muscle-related injuries or pain. Through various intervention programs, a physiotherapist can not only attend to injuries and pain-related issues but also assist in developing your fitness levels and performance within sports or exercise regimes. Understanding this, it is no wonder that physiotherapy can positively contribute to a cyclist’s performance due to the physical impact and endurance required for this sport.

Just before we get into the benefits of physiotherapy for cycling performance; if you are serious about enhancing your performance and movement patterns while in the comfort of your own home, choosing a bike trainer is a sensible option. Through the use of a bike trainer you can not only locate any muscular or joint limitations as well as work on your fitness levels but you can implement techniques the physiotherapists suggest for you to try at home to increase your strength and endurance as well as rehabilitate if needed.

 

Benefits of physiotherapy for cyclists and training

  1. Preventing injuries: This is high up on the priority list as injuries can hinder or severely impact your performance as well as your training schedules. For this reason, many cyclists turn to various intervention methods such as physiotherapy and incorporate this into their training schedules to ensure they either attend to muscle aches or joint stiffness before it gets worse or to improve the movement patterns within their cycling routines.
  2. Improves Your Cycling Posture: When spending long hours training or even participating in a race, cyclists can spend hours on their bikes and when this amount of time is coupled with bad posture, you are sure to experience severe muscle aches and spinal discrepancies within your posture. A physio will be able to assess your posture at the start of a session and set a regular interval training program to facilitate and evaluate how your posture gradually changes the longer you are on the bike. Once these evaluations have taken place, the physio will then be able to recommend ways you can rectify your posture the moment you notice yourself slipping into bad & habits. By incorporating a continuous and healthy posture throughout your cycling and training, you can aid in the prevention of discomfort or injuries when out for a ride.

 

  1. Pre-Race Preparation: One mistake that some cyclists might do is to focus on the rehabilitation only after the race but in doing so, you are only reacting to the strains and potential injuries which may occur due to improper pre-race preparation. For this reason, many professional cyclists take a proactive approach by opting for pre-habitation physiotherapy, which assists in preparing the body and gearing the muscles up for the intensity and endurance levels the body has to perform at during a race.

 

  1. Rehabilitation for Injuries and Muscles: Understandably, one cannot always prevent injuries from taking place or muscles taking on too much strain, as the effects on the body are often exposed to the circumstances of the race. With so many different factors which might play a role during a race, there is always a possibility you could injure yourself. Injuries may vary from mild to severe and ensuring you target and attend to those injuries almost immediately, will only help get you back on the bike sooner. A physiotherapist will assist in techniques to relieve pain and provide you with exercises which will relieve your muscle stiffness and joint pains. If the injuries are more severe due to a crash or fall, the therapist will ascertain what the next steps for you will be. From being referred over to a specialist or potentially for surgery or whether a strict treatment plan is required to rehabilitate the injury, break or fractures.

 

  1. Assessment of Your Bike Fit: For those who do not engage in professional cycling but prefer to take part in the sport as a hobby or personal fitness activity, knowing how your bike should fit your specific body and posture might be out of bounds in terms of your knowledge areas. This is why setting up a consultation with a physiotherapist could be in your best interest. The physio will be able to determine and recommend the types of bikes you should start with, just to familiarise yourself with the structure of the bike and your comfort levels. They can assist with the desired settings of the bike for optimal comfort as well as suggest a training program for you to get started with. Endurance and performance takes time so don’t try to rush things, especially when you are just starting out.

 

Other than physiotherapy, there are other aspects to take into consideration when wanting to improve your cycling performance, endurance and fitness levels. You can talk to experienced cyclists and find out what their advice might be or any tips they might have for you, in terms of improving and enhancing your performance levels and of course your experience. Proactivity is always best served alongside reactivity and with the combination of proactive and reactive treatments and techniques, you will not only look after your body, muscles, joints and ligaments but also ensure the wellbeing of your sport and practise.

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