I’m surely beating a dead horse here. Just don’t make it to the board as often these days…
How do you get rid of and prevent saddle sores. I’ve had problems with 'em as of the last coupla months.
Also, since they are an infection, can they be dangerous?
Always, always grease up the area! No matter how short the ride, if you are going on the bicycle, lubricate! It doesn’t matter what you use, vasaline, aquafore, chamious butter, anything expensive or cheap will cut the friction down below!
Make sure your saddle isn’t too high. Rocking hips can cause saddle sores pretty quickly.
Here is my take no prisoners method.
Pre-ride: Alcohol the entire area (be careful around orifices). Followed by Assos (or similar) creme to shorts and directly on problem areas on skin. If things get out of hand I use Neosporin or similar instead, but don’t use that unless you are having real problems or you will wind up breeding superbacteria and then you will really be in trouble. I don’t recommend using the alcohol based waterless hand cleaners unless it’s all you have at the time since they contain moisturizers that soften the skin which is the last thing you want.
Post: No current sores - just get out of the shorts ASAP and hop in the shower and wash thoroughly.
With sores - same as above but after shower use antibiotic ointment mixed with Oxy10 or similar on the sores. For just ingrown hairs the acne stuff alone works pretty well in reducing the hard little peas.
Also have several different brands or chamois designs of shorts. No matter how well your favorite fits there are still some days where they will just bug the hell out of you which means they are likely causing problems that can develop into sores. So go to chamois B or C for a few rides and give it a break.
Below a certain number of hours/week or hours/ride general good hygiene is usually sufficient, but beyond a certain amount of saddle time it requires more and more effort to stay out of trouble. If it’s always a problem try different shorts or saddle and verify your position on the bike is correct (but you should do that anyway).
I’m going to get graphic here. I’m not talking about small ones’. I’m talking about big, cut a hole outta the saddle, big. Is this normal? I’m concerned about an infection like that.
Use the “Zinc Baby Diaper Rash” creme. You can get it at your local grocery store in the diaper section. I started to use it when I noticed how well it worked on my son’s rear end when he was in diapers 6 years ago. Apply before riding (whether you have sores or not) and wash off after the ride. This stuff is not oily like vaseline so it works a lot better.
Hey, if it works inside a foul wet stinking diaper, its gotta work inside a foul damp, wet and smelly pair of bike shorts :-). Good luck
Dev
Oh me. Just returned from a sub 5min ride cause I was unable to sit down! I’m talking about a superball size lump that hurts when I walk, sit…whatever. Somebody in the past has mentioned a creme that pulls the funk out anyone know what that might be? Oh mammy that hurts.
I don’t know alot about treatment but for prevention you could use a Sirloin steak.
Earlier-day riders used slabs of raw steak as an additional layer to prevent sores.
The advantage is that it is also rich in minerals and proteins, so it could be used afterwards as a recovery meal.
First if the sores are that big and painful:GET TO A DOCTOR!!!Someone will correct me if I am wrong but I think a untreated saddlesore can morph into a boil.Sounds like what you got.If you don’t get the boil treated soon it can morph into super boil and then only surgery can fix it!!!If my memory services me correct a bike writer at one the major mags had surgery on a sadddle sore that would come and go over a period of a few years.A reliable source for bike related issues is www.roadbikerider.com It is edited by Ed Pavelka and Fred Matheny.They were editors at Bicycling magazine back in its heyday when it had alot more substance and truth.If you want to see what they have to say go to their homepage by clicking on the link above or type it in yourself.Then on the homepage under site summary click on Steal an Article.Then click on How To Solve Saddle Sores.Good Luck and get that problem fixed.Keep us informed how it goes.
I know several roadies, including myself that clean the area with alchol and get out the sterilized needle and drain the bad boy, pain gone in a day. I know this sounds like trouble but I have done this for over 20 years without issue. Clean afterwards and briefs are changed a minimum of twice a day to stay clean.
Sounds like an abscess (boil). You can try hot compresses (don’t burn yourself) several times a day until it pops. Gently squeeze everything that you can out of it. Wash. Put antibiotic ointment on it. Then continue all of the above 2-3 times daily until it heals from the inside out. If it doesn’t drain promptly, you may have to have it drained by a doctor. If it is really painful, or if you feel sick you’d better go sooner than later.
For the treatment I use Bag Balm Antiseptic. One day after applying the balm, the sore is just about gone. I think you can get it at Wal Mart.
I’ll give it a day. May have to pay the doc a visit on this one. Can’t lance it, it’s not only big but soft so I can’t find the specific spot to poke. I’ll stop there.
A couple more suggestions, wash your shorts after every ride. Assuming the area is happy and healthy, i’ll spread some hydrocortisone cream (over the counter stuff) at the first sign of irritation. I’ve never had it go beyond that stage.
Feelin better today, not normal by a stretch but…
I picked up some concentrated tea tree oil from Whole Foods. One of my roadie buddies swears by the stuff. Also been applying neosporin. Pain subsided over night but it’s still a bummer when I sit. I’ll keep everyone posted. This could be another cure to add to the arsenal.