Painful Quads after riding

[chandlers]

After intense rides I suffer from extremely painful quads/thighs. Yesterday I rode 75km including about 35km with a bunch at about 45-50kp/h and a couple of 3km 8% climbs on the way home. Today they are extremely tender. Even after mild riding they can be quite sore. It's been this way for me over my last 3 bikes so I'm not sure the cause. It is often accompanied by lower back pain later in my rides too. If anyone has any clues that'd be great! Cheers.

 

[usedtobefast]

After intense rides I suffer from extremely painful quads/thighs. Yesterday I rode 75km including about 35km with a bunch at about 45-50kp/h and a couple of 3km 8% climbs on the way home. Today they are extremely tender. Even after mild riding they can be quite sore. It's been this way for me over my last 3 bikes so I'm not sure the cause. It is often accompanied by lower back pain later in my rides too. If anyone has any clues that'd be great! Cheers.

as far as relief goes. ice. massage,and antiinflammatory meds, will do.
sounds like you are not used to that kind of riding. or overtrained?

 

[djconnel]

Watch the antiinflammatories: they're tough on the stomach lining. The first thing I'd try in massage. You might just be super-tight. Then follow-up with stretching.

I over-did it when I began a fall running program and my glutes became so sore they were painful to the modest pressure. I went to SMI (Palo Alto, CA) and after a rather painful session, by the next day I was feeling much, much better. A few days later I was competitive in a local hillclimb.

There's a reason the pros get this work done daily.

 

[keep_diggin']

if the muscles are sore and tight the next day what you're dealing with is a case of DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness), it is basically microscopic muscle tears and usually occurs after such intense efforts when your body isnt used to such training. Nothing serious and once the muscles repair they'll be stronger than before. As for the back pain i'd say work on bike setup and do core stability exercises as sitting in a saddle for a long time isnt good for anyones back.

 

[mountaindew]

you can try to raise and/or move your back. But i would guess raise.

 

[Laszlo]

you can try to raise and/or move your back. But i would guess raise.

yep. I used to have some lower back pain during and after some long rides and with some climbing; having gotten older I am not as supple as I used to be, I used to be more stretched out with a 13 cm stem, I solved the problem with a slightly shorter stem 11cm and playing around with the height and brake hood angle that I have a comfortable reach and support to pull on the bars either seated or standing- note: too high might feel comfortable seated but not standing. I observed my profile side view shows my back appears perfectly straight, not curved, at an approx 45deg. angle while seated and hands lightly resting on the shifter hoods

 

[Richard S]

Hi Chandlers,

Some good advice above. Although I would say that the reasons behind all your symptoms can be many and varied. Increase in intensity can be one, tight lateral leg structures (ITB) can be another, poor saddle to pedal axle relationship meaning you are using smaller weaker muscles instead of prime movers etc etc... as for your back pain, riding position will be very rider specific so be careful of making broad changes. Some people need a perfectly flat backed position to achieve the most stability, but not everybody. There is such variation in peoples spinal posture and deep core muscle control that there is no hard and fast rule for what might be right for you.

A massage to loosen off any tight structures will do no harm. Then get someone to look at your overall position on the bike and get your bike to fit the way your body is naturally made up rather than vice versa.

Drop me a line if you need more help,

Richard.

 

[sherer]

i get a similar problem to you but don't have anyone to give me a massage

I was looking into getting some compression tights to wear afterwards instead, not sure if they will help but they are meant to aid muscle recovery

 

[chandlers]

Hi Guys, thanks for all the advice. To update you, so far I've been doing a few sessions at the local outdoor velodrome maintaining 35kph for 30-40mins in a light spinning gear 100-120rpm +/-. This is helping get my intensity up without stressing the muscles too much, too soon. I've also been doing some new stretches including a lot more on the hip flexor which I was ignoring before. I've been icing up after the rides also and so far so good. The next step is to book in some massage and try some minor positional changes. Thanks again for the feedback.

 

[barrlley]

Its called being sore. its normal. back pain can come from bike fit, but you eventually get used to it and no more pain. the greater the fitness level the less sore you are generally, and massages help tremendously to keep the muscles loose and working properly.

 

[vladkips]

I won't comment on positioning.

But, in terms of recovery (sore quads). I used to experience the same after Monday night club races - short, very intense, and not finishing riding until 9:00pm meant aching legs most of the night and little sleep.

I have found a lot of relief using compression garments and doing a few key things after a ride. The first is to get plenty of fluids and simple sugars in in the first 30mins post ride, second, compression garments. I avoid the overpriced "brand-names" and use compression stockings they use in the hospital and before I had these, I used leg warmers. Finally, I speed up the process by elevating my legs as much as possible. If I watch some TV, I lie on the couch with my legs elevated above the rest of my body. If I'm seated I put my legs on something so they are equal height with my backside.

Of the above, the leg elevation and compression garments are what I've found to be best.

 

[Tangled Tango]

After intense rides I suffer from extremely painful quads/thighs. Yesterday I rode 75km including about 35km with a bunch at about 45-50kp/h and a couple of 3km 8% climbs on the way home. Today they are extremely tender. Even after mild riding they can be quite sore. It's been this way for me over my last 3 bikes so I'm not sure the cause. It is often accompanied by lower back pain later in my rides too. If anyone has any clues that'd be great! Cheers.

One word: STRETCH!!!! Find a good thorough book on stretching with illustrated positioning and get into the habit of stretching after your rides.

Lower back pain can be caused by many things; poor bike fit, poor bike position, not enough movement while riding......but the bottom line is our muscles shorten during and after stressful use......massage helps lengthen the muscles back to normal while also releasing lactic acid buildup. If you don´t have a personal massuse, stretching is the next best thing. The books tell you to hold each position 30 sec, but I´ve found for me 1 min as a minimum and 2 min as the ideal for each position. Yes it takes time, but about half an hour of stretching makes all the difference for myself. I put on an old Tour de France video and stretch away.

Hope this helps.

 

[brianf7]

Seat too far forward causes the quads to over work move it back a little 10mm enough to take the waight off your hands while riding