Being aware of our limits and listening to our body is essential to avoid scares on the bike, now that the good weather is starting and it is becoming more and more desirable to take it and go for a ride in the mountains. Dr. Joseba Barron Arniches, specialist in Sports Medicine and Member of Top Doctors gives us some advice to avoid injuries and thus be able to enjoy the most of our experience on two wheels.
The fundamental danger, according to Dr. Barron Arniches, lies in starting abruptly: “The muscle pain that occurs is very strong and disabling”, and he warns that not warming up properly and not making a progressive effort can even ruin our vacations. Those who are planning to go out this Easter to take the bike should take note of the doctor’s recommendations. “When one persists in this type of abrupt actions, the ligaments are the next to suffer the excess and tendonitis can appear,” he qualifies.
Most frequent injuries
In holiday recreational cycling, the most frequent injury is chondromalacia patella. Its causes, according to Dr. Joseba Barron, are due not only to an abrupt start but also to “poor positioning on the bicycle”. “Low back pain and neck pain are the result of poor positioning, while tendinitis in the Achilles tendon, knee and hip are also common.
Dr. Barron places special emphasis on protection for both hands and head: “There are scrapes, contusions, blows, etc.”, which could be avoided if we take the right precautions, such as wearing gloves and always using a helmet.
Prevention is cure
Respect the principles of rest, wear the right clothes, hydrate every 30 minutes and without waiting to be thirsty, … “But there is something vital: take a stress test before the vacations. They are data of our health, they will give us the guidelines to train, the pulsations that we should not exceed, the response of our blood pressure and our heart to the efforts”. This is the doctor’s advice to avoid shocks, as well as to stop when our heart rate is high. It is also important for Dr. Barron to be cautious in the heat and to rest in the shade every 40 minutes. “Dehydration can be suffered abruptly, in the form of heat stroke”. All this to enjoy our well-deserved Easter vacations.
Its use, a double benefit
According to a study by the World Health Organization (WHO), on the occasion of the meeting on Transport, Health and Environment, promoting the use of bicycles as a means of transport would have a double benefit. On the one hand, it would create at least 76,000 jobs, and on the other, it would prevent some 10,000 deaths per year in Europe.