I’m experiencing pain directly in the center/back of my neck. This occurs when in the aero position and looking forward. Does anyone have any suggestions in alleviating this pain? Stretches? If so, which ones?
Two strips of KT tape running down your neck and upper back (full tension) and stretching your neck before/after.
Two strips of KT tape running down your neck and upper back (full tension)
ha! that might actually work!
Is this pain you’ve always had or is it something you’re experiencing as you start training more in the aero position this year? Most of this is just adaptation…I’m sure there are exercises you can do to aid with the process, but as long as your fit is sound…probably just need to keep at it.
I’m experiencing pain directly in the center/back of my neck. This occurs when in the aero position and looking forward. Does anyone have any suggestions in alleviating this pain? Stretches? If so, which ones?
look up more with your eyes, less with your neck.
play with elbow pad width, or angle of the extensions, sometimes small tweaks there can relieve neck
tension
practice - sometimes you neck gets better at this
if that all fails, raise the bars up a bit.
Time adapting, but generally the most aero positions are a literal pain in the neck.
I have a horrible neck. Surgery and two artificial discs. I just move around, back and forth on the saddle etc and look down at wheel sometimes. Also, releasing all tension in my shoulders and neck e.g. Let my lower neck sink between my shoulders almost like shrugging my shoulders but relaxed, letting gravity put my in that position. Always changing it up without coming out of aero. Hope that makes sense.
There may be only a few things you can trying doing to adapt.
- Ride in aero more, and as often as possible.
- Move a spacer below the stem if you can.
- Move your neck to the left and right every now and then to stretch it.
Strengthening your traps and upper back muscles might help too…not sure what the exact anatomy is, but dumbell rows come to mind for that area.
There is no getting away from the fact that you ride with your neck in more extension in the aero position. I always had good neck flexibility but do have a degenerative disc in my lower cervical spine, so consequently I rode a bit more slack and higher in the front than the official ST approved position. The thing was I was always faster this way because its fair to assume I was more comfortable. Some people just have neck discomfort when riding aero. Don’t feel bad about it.
Push your shoulders down/forward/in and bend your head down, rest, and let it hurt. It should stop hurting in the future after enough training.
I recommend riding/racing in hilly areas where you can sit up during climbs (only half-kidding).
After two crashes, one during a race, that were attributable to too much head-down time, I finally raised my pads by 2cm and that helped.
I have a theory that tight hamstrings (which I have) contribute to increased strain on the neck, so I am working on my flexibility. Haven’t ridden outside yet this year to see if it’s working…
Here is my position at IMC last year. Criticism always appreciated!
My neck gets a little sore if I do rides longer than about 1 hour in the aero position, but what really starts getting me is blurring vision caused from looking way up with my eyeballs for long periods of time. But, like anything, you can endure this position longer and longer by continuing to practice.
Sounds to me like “Beginners Pains”, once you start putting in over 350 plus mile’s a week it will go away.
This pain is new to me this year. I also bought a new bike that has a more aggressive body positioning. I hope in time it becomes more comfortable and yes i was professional fit. Thanks for your advice.
Most of it has been covered. Most of it is adaptation. A couple of weeks of regular 2-hour (or longer) rides and you’ll likely be fine. For me, it was about consciously focusing attention on the muscles that were getting sore and making them relax … Like you do in yoga or on the massage table when your saddistic masseur is really trying to work out a tight spot – it’ll kill you until you stop fighting it and relax.
I learned to think of my shoulder blades like the spires on an expansion bridge. Everything between them just hangs in the most relaxed way possible.
Also as has been said, look up the road as much as possible with your eyeballs rather than by craning your neck. Frameless glasses or helmets with visors help a lot with this. Also, learn to peek. Generally keep your eyes focused a safe, but short distance up the road. Raise hour head just enough to sneak a peek farther up the road every few seconds. Repeat the peak before you reach the end of what you saw during the previous peek.
Neck extension strengthening exercises with an elastic band (Theraband).
Go up 5mm.
As others have said:
more eyes, less neck.
Could be adaptation, maybe just more time in.
Or you could try “sky divers” where you lie on a matt and raise your arms and legs and hold for 30 seconds or so, but also lift your head as high as it will go. Been doing this for a few weeks now, helped a lot with neck issues in my slightly new position.
Maurice
Thanks to everyone for the advice.