Cycling and Chiropractic: A Natural Pairing

By Krista Elliott

The cooler weather of fall practically begs us to get outside and get some physical activity. One of the most enjoyable fall activities is biking. Whether you're cruising down the street or flying down the side of a rock-strewn trail, there's something for everybody when it comes to biking. However, unlike more sedate activities, cycling can create some pretty nasty injuries to your joints and muscles. 

Besides the usual risk of falling (and the road rash and fractures that can result), cycling also brings some particular risks to your spine and joints:

Bump-bumpity-bump: Unless you're cycling on a smooth, well-maintained paved path, it's a given that you're going to have some bumps and jolts along your journey. It may be the odd pothole, or a washboard-esque dirt road, or it might be the complete insanity of the Mt. Lemmon trails. Either way, all of this bouncing and jolting puts strain and pressure on your spine and can lead to misaligned joints and other subluxations. 

Pain in the Neck: You've probably read about "text neck," where people are constantly tipping their head forward to look at their phones, causing neck issues? Well, "biking neck" may not be as commonly known, but when you spend a lot of time leaning over your bike and tipping your head up to see the road, you're putting uneven strain and pressure on the muscles of your neck, leading to problems with your vertebrae. 

Give Your Wrists a Rest: Depending on what kind of bike you ride, you may be putting a lot of your weight on your wrists and palms. Good cycling gloves can help quite a bit, but the muscle strain and pressure on your joints from leaning over the handlebars can cause inflammation and pain in your wrists, hindering your riding and interfering with your everyday activities. 

So How Does Chiropractic Help?

Chiropractic treatment from the professionals at The Joint Chiropractic can go a long way toward keeping you on your bike longer and reducing downtime. Natural and drug-free, chiropractic care is a safe and effective treatment for acute back pain, neck pain, and the headaches that can result. As well, chiropractic treatment can help correct subluxations, improving the functioning of your entire nervous system. And injuries like herniated discs can see fewer complications and a faster recovery time when you add chiropractic care to your treatment plan.

You tune up and maintain your bike on a regular basis, so why not do the same for your joints? Contact The Joint today, and take wheely (sorry!) good care of yourself.