Hi,
hopefully an easy one for you. I get cramp in my feet especially in winter and for some reason more in Spinn classes than when doing real biking outside.
I do now wear bigger shoes with two pairs of socks which has eased it a bit but I still get it. Someone told me to eat bananas ??!!

Hi Dr. Hurst. There has been an interesting thread about underwear and chamois cream and would like to know your views. I am particularly concerned about the ingredients in the chamois cream and the sensitive area. Is one type less likely to irritate than the other? Have never used the cream before and feel rather nervous about doing so! Thanks for your help.

old bird

Apologies for jumping in on this one and I am sure Dr Hurst will have an opinion, but chammy cream is a subject close to my heart, because I cannot imagine ever riding without it!

As soon as I started riding on the road I got sore. A friend used vaseline, which is certainly a cheap option, but if there is any chance of an infection, this will make it much worse and personally I did not want to risk it.

More recently I have been introduced to the Natures Kiss range of muscle rubs and creams (they are Twickenham CC club sponsors). Their Chafe Ease is an all natural cream which offers great protection from saddle sores and also includes Tea Tree and Lavendar, which are natural antiseptics. What Mountain Bike gave it an 8 out of 10 for performance and you can buy it on line from www.natureskiss.net Better still, if you are a triathlete, this stuff won't degrade your wet suit.

Hope this is helpful.

Jan

Dear Doctor Hirst
You must be unpacking as i type. Poor you. I hope the whole thing has gone smoothly.

I have two areas for questions. The first is how long should I expect to have to stop road cycling for, following a posterior cruciate ligament reconstruction? Is it totally out of the question to have surgery in April and then
ride John O Groats to Lands End in early Sept?

Secondly, are you supposed to wait a period of time before you can fly following surgery?

Good luck with your new abode.

Hi Dr Hirst,

I've just been discharged after being in hospital for 8 days with pnuemonia.

Any idea how long it will be before I can get back on my bike?

I go on holiday in May andwanted to be able to train and develop at least a basic level of fitness by then.

At present Im on a combination of antibiotics & I can only walk approx 10-20 metres before i run out of breath!

Any advice would be appreciated so that I dont make things worse.

caro, I come from a nursing background and if someone suggested eating bananas, it may be because they contain Potassium.
You can have a low potassium if dehydrated and it can cause muscular cramps as one of its symptoms. But being an experienced rider you probably hydrate yourself prior to riding?!
Have you thought about the bike/spinner set up and pedal set up it may be the geometry is not right for you, or are the shoes you are using maybe not quite right for you?? Sorry to butt in hope this may be food for thought...

Has everyone seen the answers fomr Dr Kim? You can see them in the TRAINING + HEALTH section if not. They are a bit long to put directly in the forum - so this way Dr Kim can deliver full answers and advice.
Keep those questions coming!

Thanks Gayle, I think it is cold/circulation as I only seem to get it in Winter.

Hi Kim

A query about female physiology & training.

I read in the Guardian mag the other Sat that female metabolic rate changes during the menstrual cycle.. have you read any studies showing this to be the case? How would that affect training? Are there any studies to show that our endurance/ pain threshold/ heart rate/ blood pressure are different at different stages of our cycle(!)? Just wondering if we are more likely to win races or have bad days on the bike at certain times of the month... or would any effect be purely psychological?

Cheers

Clare,

I was just thinking about an article on this!

There certainly are physiological changes that occur during your period and there are some effects on training and sports performance.

As usual, I'll write an article rather than a quick forum response so it covers all aspects. The article will be appearing on here asap.

Everyone,

Have a think about any other questions you would like answering over the next few months. Especially as the summer months approach (she says... fingers crossed!).

It could be anything and does not necessarily need to be a specific problem that you have.

The more ideas I have about what you would like to read about the better...

That said, there are a few already in the melting pot, as well as some questions that people have already asked that will appear on SheCycles soon!

PS Thanks for your patience while things are getting up and running. I apologise to those of you who have waited a while for their answers... I haven't forgotten...

Kim,

Just to say a big THANKYOU! for your fantastic reply to my post about arthritic knees and cycling. My physio & surgeon aren't cyclists so could only offer me more general advice - your specialist knowledge has helped me loads. I have now put my saddle up to the proper height, got some Speedplay Zeroes pedals (lots of float) and am gradually increasing my cadence. It is working a treat - now up to 15 miles road biking without the knees getting too upset :)
Had been worried that I would have to give up biking altogether but now I have changed my setup & technique, cycling actually seems to be helping reduce symptoms of stiffness /pain.
I am chuffed to bits, thanks again, Lisa

Lisa,

It's a pleasure to help! Glad you're getting back out on the bike.

Keep an eye out for a new SheCycles article (coming soon) on how to do eccentric training exercises, either as part of your training or rehab!

Kim

Hi Dr Kim, Ive been getting U.T.I's and thrush a lot recently and it seems that the more i cycle the worse it gets. My gp suggested alkanising my urine by putting sodium bicarb in my camel back, or eating a rennie before I go out. And Using canestan cream mixed in with asoss chamois cream every ride to help with the thrush . The question is, is it safe to do this on a regular basis? Is it common for female cyclists to get these problems and is there anything else you can suggest?

Dr. Kim, this is more of a diet question. I'm going to aim to do some 25k MTB events this year and the 26mile bikathon in London. I'm fairly confident with building a training plan. However, I'm not confident with the diet expect. I've never been interested in food and as such tend to always eat convenience or spag bols and lots of baked potatoes. What should I be building into my diet to help improve my fitness?

Dear Dr Hurst

I have been off my bike now for 5 months with lower back pain (I have a history of spinal fusion S1/L5 and degenerative vertebrae at L5/L4) Can you offer me any advice on how to remove the lower back, butt and hip pain that I am suffering every time I go out on my bike. I have been to my LBS and they have changed my set up (new stem, moved seat forward) and this is marginally better but not removed problem completely. I have tried many self helps, inc. pilates, acupunture, etc and am getting worried that I will have to keep off the bike for good. I love it and can't do that. With summer coming I wondered if you had any good ideas ? CJ

Hello,

I have e-mailed you before I know but I thought maybe you hadn't got my e-mail because I haven't received a reply yet... so anyway I thought I would ask you again. I'm Hannah and I'm 16. I am very very keen on mountain biking and therefore want to do as much riding as possible. However, Mum is worried about me doing too much so I wondered if you had any advice on how much cycling I could be doing at my age. Is it dangerous if you're still growing?

Thanks a lot,
Hannah
xxx

Hey CJ, I was told last year I have spinal fusion, one area in lower back and two areas in the upper back (caused by too much gymnastics when younger).

How were you diagnosed? I was just told by a back care nurse at work after she looked at my spine and asked me to do a few twists. I have never had an x-ray, scan etc so was wondering if she is right.

I too have tried everything, physio, chiroparactors (before I found out spine was possibly fused!)

Dr Kim, one of my vertebrae keeps coming out of alignment (between shoulder blades), used to have had it cracked back, in before told not to have it done again. Thing is it is realy sore and would love to have it put back in as it does help. Do you think I should?

Everyone!

Thanks for all your questions.

AA - I'm going to couple an answer to your question with something I'm doing at the moment.

Gela - Will get onto it! In the meantime, have a look at Garry Palmer's article on the SheCycles site for some ideas.

CJ - Have had quite a few back questions, so will get some info out asap. (Rumour has it we may have a physio joining the SheCycles clinic too...!)

Pluto - Great to see junior women out riding! Send me a bit for info about what you're aiming to do (incl racing).

Everyone - few more articles in the pipeline, incl how periods effect your training and vice versa! I'll be in Majorca for 2wks on a training camp but will make sure the Ed's got plenty to post while I'm away!

Hi Kim,

Just a quick message to say thanks for the article on PVFS - I've only just noticed it had appeared!

Very interesting - I think I was in the initial period, persevering with 20-30 mins 3 times a week because that was all I could manage, when I first wrote to you. I seem to have taken your advice without being aware of it, because it seemed the most sensible thing to do - I used the training camp as an excuse to reset my body clock, going to bed at 9pm and getting up at 7am, but grabbing an hour's sleep at lunchtime if necessary. It seems to have worked - although my bedtime is now rather earlier than it used to be, I am waking up - with energy - at 6.45 every morning again. Hurrah! I started taking evening primrose oil, plus Vit B plus COQ10, just because I was getting desperate. I also cut out alcohol and caffeine - even though I was drinking <6 units per week, it's made a big difference. I don't eat sweets or crisps anyway, and I avoid processed foods, but I switched to organic and low-GL foods - I think this has also helped, particularly in the late afternoon. Interestingly, I was considering taking up yoga again, and was also thinking about having regular massages - maybe aromatherapy, not just sports massage. Having read your article, I'm resolved to do so...

The reason for the lengthy reply is that if anyone else asks, or does a search, hopefully they'll find this and see someone else's experience of what effect the various suggestions have.

Although I still get tired by the evening, I no longer have the horrendous fatigue I used to have - I can get out of bed in the morning and my muscles and joints don't ache all the time.

However, the heart is still a problem, and my GP, having spoken to a cardiologist, suspects hypertrophic cardiomyopathy... I've been referred to a cardiac unit, so will see how that goes. But at least everything else is much better and I can train again, if only aerobically and low-intensity at the moment!

Thanks again...