Hello all,
Need help with a cyclist. She suffered whiplash in accident 5 years ago. Since then knew felt niggles but got along. But she has started cycling now and there is definitel problem.
On her training bike, with dropped handlebars, she feels distinct pulling pain when she rotates her head right, but when she rotates left, she feels she is coming back on something. Sometimes it feels as if something is going across area of C7, she describes it as 'like water running' in the area. It is not as painful on her mountain bike, she sits you her straighter. One thing I suggested was that she raised the bars slightly on her road bike, she get her neck out of the position.
She has now done that, maybe only slightly, but no difference in pain.
I have worked all back, with special attention to mid and upper back. Problems in erector spinae, in the rhomboids, levator scapuale and definitely upper fibres of trapezius. At one time I thought we had zeroed in on levator scapulae as one of the main sites, and it may be but there is something else.
In the neck, we have worked all the posterior cervical muscles and there are lump areas in trapezius fibres and in tenderness in area of attachment for splenius capitis and such.
Also check anterior neck. Main thing find is a hollow at the left clavicle, which would indicated tightness in scalene. But that would not cause the pain she feels rotating the head.
She is also seeing a physio but not getting too much joy from that.
Would love to hear suggestions from anyone.
She does not have the pain at other times, it is something that is coming on while she is riding. She said she starts to feel it after about an hour, and then it is there.
If she stops cycling for a break, and gets back on the bike, it is gone, but again after a period of time, the pain is back when she turns her head.
She has checked bike set up and she is confident she is not over reaching to the handlebars.
Help
Coolcyclist