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I went for my longest ride of the year this past Sunday. I guess my body wasn't expecting it or my bike is slightly misconfigured. I'm interested in finding a resource where I can look up what I might have done wrong based on where I am experiencing pain. Does such a resource exist?

FWIW, I had serious stiffness and pain between my right calf muscle and right ankle.

Darth Egregious
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It sounds like you want a web site similar to WebMD that you can put in symptoms and get an answer. I'd recommend against going down that route. With all endurance events, you can have resultant pain in the same areas caused by entirely different things. Trying to solve for problem (A) may actually exacerbate problem (B).

Instead, I'd recommend seeing a physical therapist or sports medicine doctor. Both can help you correctly identify what is actually injured and the PT and often the doc can help you identify how it got injured and what you need to change (setup of bike, strength in particular muscle, etc) to prevent it from occuring.

In the meantime, RICE: Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. Ice baths aren't fun, but they really do work.

Happy Riding!

Ken Hiatt
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This is hands down the best write up of cycling related pain and the probable source of said pain: Sheldon Brown :: Pain. In fact, be sure to check out the whole site. It's not much to look at, but it's one of the best (if not the best) resource on the web for all things cycling.

dwaynehoov
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  • Amen. Sheldon Brown's website is one of the most comprehensive cycling resources that you'll ever find. – jimchristie Jun 07 '12 at 17:47
  • Ah. Thank you. Apparently the body part that hurts is called "The Achilles Tendon," a term I'd heard hundreds of times but I never thought it was so long. I will have to check my cleat positions because I've never had this issue before so it's probably not from ankling. – Darth Egregious Jun 07 '12 at 17:52
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    As I say below, you really should get a professional to check you out. Small problems can get real bad if you mistreat and/or misdiagnose. I speak from experience. – Ken Hiatt Jun 07 '12 at 19:12
  • I have some experience with health. It could be related to muscle/tendon transition zone (small rupture) or to some vascular/venous condition (thrombus, varices). If the pain persists or increases, go to a doctor just to check it out. For now, rest is the best to do. – heltonbiker Jun 07 '12 at 20:29
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    As if I would take the word of a doctor over Sheldon Brown. – Darth Egregious Jun 08 '12 at 00:19
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There are probably some "sports medicine" sites around, but they can only take you so far. There are many conditions that can cause joint/muscle pain, and there is no comprehensive site.

If you suspect that you have some "unique" condition that is causing your pain (vs simple exercise soreness) then this site can be helpful, if you can figure out how to navigate it.

Daniel R Hicks
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