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My Aching Neck!
Why Flexibility and Bike Fit are Important

Neck pain on the bike is usually a combination of:
1) The interrelationship between a person's flexibility and their bike fit
2) The interrelationship between a person's strength and their bike fit
3) Any existing or pre-existing problems such as: a disc bulge, nerve root encroachment, facet malalignment (neck joints out of wack)
When we are on the bike, assuming a forward bent position (usually around 45 degrees to the horizon) we must somehow get our head facing forward so that we can see the road. This can be accomplished in one of three ways.
The first is to solely extend the neck
The second is to extend our lumbar spine and/or thoracic spine
The third is a combination of the two above.

So here's a demonstration to help explain these relationships. Follow each of these directions and progressively.

1) Bend forward slowly sliding your fingers down the front of your thighs stopping when you reach your kneecaps
2) Slowly look up by just extending your neck. Do Not Move Your Back
This is an example of the first method. It puts a great amount of stress on the neck and low back. It increases pressure on the facet joints (joints in yor back), nerve roots, and adds stress to the muscles that support the neck.

The second option
1) Bend forward slowly sliding your fingers down the front of your thighs stopping when you reach your kneecaps
2) Slowly pull your belly button down toward the floor letting your lumbar spine extend (arch down, dip / sag toward the floor)
3) Slowly pull your shoulder blades together causing extension or arching of your mid back (thoracic spine)
4) Lastly, as needed, look up to see the road

Notice that much of your movement into extension needed in order to see the road can be gained from your lumbar and thoracic area. However, this takes flexibility of your hamstrings, whole spine (lumbar spine, thoracic spine and cervical), pectoralis muscles (chest) , and neck muscles. It also takes strength and ENDURANCE of other muscles to maintain these positions or time. These muscles abdominals, back extensor group (multifidus erector spinae, illiocostalis), shoulder blade muscles (mid traps, lower trapezius, serratus anterior) and the neck muscles.

Imagine a stiff and rusty chain. If several of the links are not moving, and you bend the chain then the other links of the chain have to move more.
If you imagine the hamstring attaching to your pelvis (hips) as the first link in the chain, the second link is your lower back, the third is your upper back and lastly your neck is the final link. Now you must bend the chain to see the road. If the links below are stiff then the last link (your neck) must do all the bending.
So in order to avoid this stress on your neck properer bike fit is imparive. The greatest variable is the relationship between the saddle height and handle bar height. The lower your handle bars are as compared to your saddle, the more you must bend forward and thus the more flexibility and strength is needed.










Quicksearch: My Aching Neck! Why Flexibility and Bike Fit are Important Neck pain on the bike is usually a combination of: 1) The interrelationship between a person's flexibility and their bike fit 2) The interrelationship between a person's strength and their bike fit 3) Any existing or pre-existing problems such as: a disc bulge, nerve root encroachment, facet malalignment (neck joints out of wack) When we are on the bike, assuming a forward bent position (usually around 45 degrees to the horizon) we must somehow get our head facing forward so that we can see the road. This can be accomplished in one of three ways. The first is to solely extend the neck The second is to extend our lumbar spine and/or thoracic spine The third is a combination of the two above. So here's a demonstration to help explain these relationships. Follow each of these directions and progressively. 1) Bend forward slowly sliding your fingers down the front of your thighs stopping when you reach your kneecaps 2) Slowly look up by just extending your neck. Do Not Move Your Back This is an example of the first method. It puts a great amount of stress on the neck and low back. It increases pressure on the facet joints (joints in yor back), nerve roots, and adds stress to the muscles that support the neck. The second option 1) Bend forward slowly sliding your fingers down the front of your thighs stopping when you reach your kneecaps 2) Slowly pull your belly button down toward the floor letting your lumbar spine extend (arch down, dip / sag toward the floor) 3) Slowly pull your shoulder blades together causing extension or arching of your mid back (thoracic spine) 4) Lastly, as needed, look up to see the road Notice that much of your movement into extension needed in order to see the road can be gained from your lumbar and thoracic area. However, this takes flexibility of your hamstrings, whole spine (lumbar spine, thoracic spine and cervical), pectoralis muscles (chest) , and neck muscles. It also takes strength and ENDURANCE of other muscles to maintain these positions or time. These muscles abdominals, back extensor group (multifidus erector spinae, illiocostalis), shoulder blade muscles (mid traps, lower trapezius, serratus anterior) and the neck muscles. Imagine a stiff and rusty chain. If several of the links are not moving, and you bend the chain then the other links of the chain have to move more. If you imagine the hamstring attaching to your pelvis (hips) as the first link in the chain, the second link is your lower back, the third is your upper back and lastly your neck is the final link. Now you must bend the chain to see the road. If the links below are stiff then the last link (your neck) must do all the bending. So in order to avoid this stress on your neck properer bike fit is imparive. The greatest variable is the relationship between the saddle height and handle bar height. The lower your handle bars are as compared to your saddle, the more you must bend forward and thus the more flexibility and strength is needed.