Biking and Sports Injuries

Biking and Sports Injuries

Dr. Mark Timmerman: I've been interested in biking for many years. Initially, I was an endurance athlete and I did marathons and triathlons. And, as I've become an older athlete, and my knees have shown wear and tear from that, I've gravitated more toward biking as my sport.

Biking is terrific for the knees. Actually, we use it for rehab for knees. So, biking is one of those things that many of us older athletes gravitate toward because it's something that you can do for a long time and it's really a healthy thing for your body. My own biking experience the last few years has been more endurance-based. I've been fortunate enough to compete in six endurance races in France. People see me on my bike everywhere around town. I know all the roads in the country around here. And, I've been able to find some other folks around here who enjoy biking. It's been really fun to be able to join them.

Biking, while generally a safe sport, does lead to injuries of the neck, upper back and knee. And, in fact, often the pelvis area, where sitting on a saddle can be a challenge for people. Probably the best way to prevent those injuries is to be fitted properly on your bike. Many people don't enjoy biking because they don't feel good on their bikes, but they don't realize that it's because the bike doesn't fit them. And then actually, once you get dialed in at a proper fit, the bike should be a really comfortable, fun experience.

Other things to help prevent injuries on the bike. One, it's really important to be flexible, and it's also important to have good core strength or hip strength because it requires a lot of hip and thigh strength and hamstring flexibility to be comfortable on a bike. So, flexibility, core strengthening; always really good things to do to prevent bike injuries. I know it's important for me to be out on these beautiful southern Wisconsin roads, bicycling. And, I view it as our mission to allow others to be able to enjoy the same thing. So, we're really happy to be here as a resource for bicyclists and other athletes who want to be out enjoying the beautiful summer weather here in Wisconsin.

River Valley Clinic
436 Sunrise Dr.
Spring Green, WI 53588
608-588-2502