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I Love Bicycling is a website that is geared towards cycling for beginners with road cycling tips, training articles, nutrition tips, weight loss, how to’s and bike repair articles.

The Ultimate Guide to Cycling Neck Pain: Causes and Solutions

March 21, 2023 by Eric Lister

Cycling neck pain is one of those nagging issues that can really hinder the other aspects of your life. The muscles in your neck are constantly supporting your breathing, interacting with your shoulders, holding up your head, and countless other important functions liable to irritate any pain, soreness, or injury that could be developing or already present from cycling. 

The reality of our sport means that the neck is going to have to sit in some uncomfortable positions from time to time. In fact, up to 60% of cyclists experience some sort of discomfort in this area. Whether our necks are prepared to go into those positions, how we can prepare them, and what we can do to optimize our necks on the bike will be the focus of this article. 

Neck pain from cycling doesn’t have to slow you down, and we’re here to help you fix it once and for all.

neck pain

(Image credit: SciePro/Adobe Stock)

Causes of Cycling Neck Pain

Does cycling cause neck pain? The short answer is yes, but the reasons behind it can be complicated. We have to approach the topic of cycling neck pain through a wide-angle lens, because it’s seldom a single factor causing the problem. 

Forward Head Posture (FHP)

FHP is an epidemic not just amongst cyclists but the general populace as a whole. The term is referring to the forward position of the cranium (head) relative to the shoulders and spine. Also commonly called text neck, scholar’s neck, or computer neck posture because of its correlation and likelihood of development after prolonged texting, reading, or spending time on a computer.

What many people don’t realize is that their head, on average, weighs 10-12 pounds, and that this weight gets amplified tremendously as the head moves/tilts forward from the midline. For every inch of FHP, it adds roughly 10 pounds to the head. As you can see in the below picture, this can equate to the neck having to support 60+ pounds of sustained pressure throughout the day.


(Image credit: New York Spine Surgery & Rehabilitation Medicine)

The big ropes you see on the sides of a person’s neck are called your sternocleidomastoid muscles. These muscles get overdeveloped and tight as a result of FHP, and can also flatten the natural backwards curve in your cervical spine. These conditions strain the neck, reduce blood flow to the brain, and weaken the extensors of the neck resulting in reduced stability. 

Cycling naturally puts us in positions of FHP, and trains us to hold those positions for long periods of time. Leaning over the handlebars causes the head to protrude forward and the neck to crane back in order to keep our eyes level with the horizon (righting reflex). Because these positions are unavoidable, we have to find ways to correct them in other parts of our training.

cycling neck pain

Notice the position of the head and neck of this cyclist; protruding forward, craned back. (Image credit: Artem Varnitsin/Adobe Stock)

Improper Breathing

Breathing and neck pain are intimately connected. Optimal inhalation is accounted for primarily by the diaphragm, a large, thin sheet of muscle that separates the chest cavity from the abdominal cavity. When contracted, its dome shape flattens out to pull air into the lungs and create room for them to expand. If it’s stiff or not functioning properly, however, other muscles get overloaded.

A muscle group in this category is known as the scalenes. They work as accessory respiratory muscles to help you inhale by lifting the first two ribs. When a person breathes through their chest as opposed to their diaphragm, these muscles get overworked and start to become irritated as a result. Chronic neck pain is often improved by addressing these kinds of faulty patterns.


The three muscles of the scalene group; anterior, medial, posterior. Notice the insertions on ribs one and two. (Image credit: Mikael Häggström/Public Domain)

Because cycling is a cardiovascular intensive sport, coupled with the positions we find ourselves in while riding, make it probable that we will develop a faulty breathing pattern that overworks the neck. Being folded over on the bike can discourage movement of the diaphragm and push our breath up into the chest, where we are only able to inhale ⅓ of the oxygen we could otherwise.

Opening up the breath through breathing re-education exercises, fixing the posture, and corrective stretching are all tools we can use to help combat this issue. By now you’re probably starting to see the links between these causes and how they all can contribute to cycling neck pain.

Upper Cross Syndrome (UCS)

Upper cross syndrome (UCS) is a postural imbalance that occurs as a result of prolonged sitting or standing in a forward head and rounded shoulder posture. It is characterized by tightness in the upper trapezius, levator scapulae, and pectoralis major muscles, as well as weakness in the deep cervical flexors, lower trapezius, and serratus anterior.

upper cross syndrome (UCS)

(Image credit: art4stock/Adobe Stock)

Cycling requires a sustained forward head and rounded shoulder posture, which can exacerbate UCS. The tightness in the upper trapezius, levator scapulae, and pectoralis major muscles can cause increased tension and compression in the cervical spine, as well as inhibit your breathing, which all further contribute to the problem.

Additionally, weakness in the deep cervical flexors, serratus anterior, and lower trapezius muscles can lead to decreased stabilization of the cervical spine. This can be especially problematic for cyclists who spend prolonged periods in a forward head position, as the neck muscles are required to maintain stability and support the weight of the head.

Poor Bike Fit

Having an improperly fitted bike is going to exacerbate all of the above causes of neck pain in cyclists. Symptoms of a poor bike fit include:

  • Handlebars too low or having to reach too far forward
    • Rounds the back/shoulders and closes the chest, encourages forward head posture
  • Arms locked out in extension
    • Having a soft bend in the elbows allows force from the handlebars to be cushioned while riding, otherwise reverberating up into the neck
  • Saddle tipped too far forward
    • This increases weight bearing load on the arms and increases the likelihood of the previous point occurring
  • Poor adjustment of helmet and/or eyeglasses
    • A helmet too low on the head will cause a cyclist to crane their neck excessively, the same problem will occur with eyeglasses sitting too low on the nose

Solutions for Cycling Neck Pain

The causes of neck pain in cyclists are often co-contributing to one another, sometimes making it difficult to pinpoint the exact root of the problem. However, there are some common preventative/corrective measures we can take to help alleviate the above causes and more by following the advice below.

Strengthen the Upper Back & Neck Extensors

To combat forward head posture and upper cross syndrome that develops as a result of cycling (and other modern activities like office work and driving), we can do exercises in our supplemental training to strengthen the muscles that get weak and hyperactive as a result of improper positioning/loading. 

Here are two exercises to help address this:

Prone Cobra/Cobra Hold

Instructions:

  1. Lying prone on your mat, pull your shoulder blades down and together so your arms are in a position like our coach Alisha’s (pictured above)
  2. From here, lift your chest as high as possible off the ground
  3. Squeeze the shoulder blades together, flatten and extend the mid back, and contract the glutes and lower back muscles as well
  4. Keep your neck in a neutral position by pulling it backwards (think of making a double chin)
  5. Hold this position for 30 seconds
  6. Rest for 30 seconds
  7. Repeat three times

This exercise works the mid/upper back, as well as the extensors of the neck in a static hold, which is important for postural endurance. Increased strength in these areas has multiple benefits, including a significantly reduced risk of concussions.

Wall Lean

Instructions:

  1. Start with your feet about one foot away from the wall
  2. Place a towel behind your head and lean into it, keeping the body in a stiff, neutral position (straight line)
  3. Support yourself with your neck in this position, if it is too easy, you can place your feet farther away from the wall
  4. Hold for 30 seconds
  5. Rest for 30 seconds
  6. Repeat three times

The wall lean is a simple exercise to work the neck extensors, which get weak if the head is constantly protruding forward. Strengthening these muscles will help correct forward head posture and pull the head back into better alignment.

Stretch the Sternocleidomastoid, Shoulder & Chest

It is important to couple the following stretches with the above strengthening exercises. These muscles are getting tight and causing neck pain because they’re working hard to try and support us in unnatural positions on the bike. If we stretch them without providing support through corrective strengthening we will only further our risk of pain and injury. 

Try these three stretches to counter the muscle tightness that develops from cycling and contributes to neck pain in cyclists:

Lateral Neck Stretch

Instructions:

  1. Stand in a relaxed and comfortable position
  2. Tilt your head gently to one side, make sure to avoid tilting forward or backward
  3. Rest your hand on the top side of your head
  4. Don’t pull, but let the weight of your hand gently stretch your neck to the side
  5. Hold for 15-30 seconds
  6. Repeat on other side

Cyclists with neck pain will help release a likely hyperactive sternocleidomastoid muscle by performing this stretch. Coupled with the neck and upper back exercises listed above, you’ll be offering multiple modes of relief to the painful areas.

Dynamic Shoulder Rolls

Instructions:

  1. Stand with your shoulders relaxed
  2. Roll your shoulders up high towards your ears, then back (squeezing your shoulder blades together), and finally back down and pulling away from your ears
  3. Complete these circles continuously for 30 seconds
  4. Reverse the motion, rolling your shoulders forward
  5. Repeat for another 30 seconds

This simple exercise helps loosen up and mobilize your shoulder blade and trapezius muscle. The upper trapezius and levator scapulae muscles often get tight as a result of cycling. This movement helps loosen them and is great to do pre/post ride.

Single Arm Chest Stretch w/Wall

Instructions:

  1. Start facing the wall with your arm straight out to the side (shoulder height), palm against the wall
  2. Staying close to the wall, slowly rotate away from your arm until you feel a stretch in the chest and front of the shoulder
  3. Hold here for 30 seconds
  4. Switch to the other arm and repeat

Tight chest and shoulder muscles are common with faulty breathing patterns that often develop as a result of cycling. By opening up these tissues we also open up our lung capacity so that the muscles in our neck don’t have to work so hard as we inhale. 

Professional Bike Fitting/ AI Bike Fitting

To avoid exacerbating all of the aforementioned causes of neck pain in cyclists, it’s recommended that you find a reputable local bike fitter to help optimize the positioning on your bike to your unique body and proportions.

Another option is to use an at home bike fitting app like MyVeloFit. This app utilizes the power of AI to analyze your bike fit and make recommendations on how to correctly adjust different components of the bike and ensure your joint angles fall into the optimal range.

The money and time you spend on a bike fit, whether it’s at home or in person, will most certainly be returned in the form of saved physiotherapy, chiropractic, and massage therapy appointments long-term.

Prevent Cycling Neck Pain & Become A Stronger Cyclist!

The above solutions were borrowed from our programming over at Dynamic Cyclist, a fully online and interactive training platform designed for the health and well-being of people in our sport. We address mobility, strength training, injury prevention and more in routines that are fun to follow-along with! Try it out FREE for 7-days by clicking here!

Stretches to Treat Neck Pain from Cycling

December 29, 2017 by Sarah Lauzé

Neck pain from cycling is one of the most common injuries, but it is often left unaddressed. Pain of any kind is your body telling you something, and shouldn’t be ignored. Typically, the discomfort is localized in your anterior deltoids, upper trap muscles and neck extensors. This can be attributed to a few causes such as bike fit, head positioning when riding, and muscle tightness.

Neck Pain from Cycling

What Causes Neck Pain

Bike Fit

As a beginner cyclist it’s important to work with a bike fitting specialist and tweak one thing at a time, ride for about a week, and assess the changes. This allows you and the fitter to pinpoint the exact solution or cause in order to improve riding conditions.

Often neck pain from cycling is linked to having a high seat post in relation to your bars. When the seat post is too high it can place you in an aggressive position, which your body may not be ready for. It’s a better tactic to gradually increase the aero position as you get used to cycling. Additionally, if your road or aero bars are too far away causing you to overreach you can place unnecessary strain on these muscles. The solution would be to place the bars closer in relation to your body so you’re in a “tucked” position when riding.

Head PositionNeck Pain from Cycling

It’s natural to try and keep your head up on your bike, looking forward to ensure you don’t swerve off the road. The key is to learn to look up with you eyes, rather than your entire head. Keeping your head down puts less strain on your neck, and allows you to ride for longer periods of time without irritating the muscles.

Tight Muscles

As a beginner cyclist you are now forcing your body to use muscles either it hasn’t in other activities or in a different way. This leads to tightness, muscles spasms, and pain. However, there are a few stretching exercises that can be completed which will lead to disruption of the pain-spasm cycle.

How to Treat Neck Pain from Cycling

Stretching is the best way to keep the neck muscles relaxed and prevent neck pain. Adding these stretches into your routine (or building a routine around them) will help keep you pain free, or address any neck pain you may already have. Hold each one for 20-30 seconds, and repeat at least twice.

Neck bend

Stand with your back straight, feet shoulder-width apart, and your arms at your sides. Look straight ahead and relax. Let your head drop forward by bringing your chin to your chest. Keep your back straight and your eyes on your toes as you hold this position. You can put your hands behind your head and pull down gently to extend the stretch.

Neck Pain from Cycling

This stretch is for cyclists who experience muscle tension at the back of their neck after spending extended periods of time on the bike.

Neck and bend rotation

Stand with your legs slightly apart, your back and neck straight, and look forward. Your hands can be at your sides, or clasped behind your back. Lower and rotate your head to the left, looking down toward the ground. Relax into the stretch, trying to extend the movement. You should feel the stretch along the right side of the neck. Bring your left arm up and gently pull down on your head to lengthen the stretch. Repeat the movement, lowering your head to the right.

Neck Pain from Cycling

This stretch is especially important for track and road racers who spend a lot of time in an aerodynamic position, creating tension in the neck and head extensor muscles.

Lateral neck bend

Stand with your feet slightly apart, back and neck straight. Raise your right arm and place it on the left side of the head, with your forearm going over top of your head. Your fingers should be pointing towards the ground, with your fingertips touching your ear. Gently pull down on your head, leaning so your ear is approaching your shoulder. Keep your shoulder down and relaxed throughout the stretch. Repeat with your left arm reaching up to the right side of your head.

Neck Pain from Cycling

Rear neck pull

Turn your head slightly to the left. Raise your left arm and place your hand on the top of your head, fingers pointing down the back of your hand, forearm resting on the top of your head. Even though your head is turned, keep your neck and back in line with your body. Gradually pull on your head, rotating so your face is near your armpit.

Neck Pain from Cycling

Stars

Sit or stand, keeping your neck, shoulders, and torso straight. Looking straight ahead, imagine there is a star in front of your with a vertical line, horizontal line, and two diagonal lines. Trace the vertical line, looking up at the ceiling and then bringing the chin down to the chest three times. Next, follow the horizontal line side to side once. Finally, trace the two diagonal lines once each. Return to the starting position and repeat three more times. This is a great stretch because is combines flexion, extension, rotation and lateral rotation to give you a complete neck stretch.

If you want stretching routines for cyclists, check out Dynamic Cyclist for the daily video program.

Neck Pain Cycling

May 10, 2015 by Dyani Herrera

Neck Pain Cycling

neck pain cycling One of things that takes getting used to when you first start cycling is the neck and shoulder discomfort. Even an experienced rider who has taken a short hiatus, and is returning to a regular regime can suffer from these aches. Typically, the discomfort is localized in your anterior deltoids, upper trap muscles and neck extensors. This can be attributed to a few causes such as bike fit, head positioning when riding and tightness of aforementioned muscles.

Bike Fit

If you’ve read our previous articles you will understand how many issues can be initiated due to an improper bike fit. As a beginner cyclist it’s important to work with a bike fitting specialist and tweak one thing at a time, ride for about a week, and assess the changes. This allows you and the fitter to pinpoint the exact solution or cause in order to improve riding conditions. Often neck and shoulder pain is linked to having a high seat post in relation to your bars. When the seat post is too high it can place you in an aggressive position, which as a beginner cyclist you are not ready for. It’s a better tactic to gradually increase the aero position as you get used to cycling. Additionally, if your road or aero bars are too far away causing you to overreach you can place unecessary strain on these muscles. The solution would be to place the bars closer in relation to your body so you’re in a “tucked” position when riding.

Head Position

When I first started riding solo I remember how afraid I was of either riding off the road, or going over debris that would make me fall, that I looked up for the entire duration of my ride. Although I would finish my rides in one piece I had a soreness in my neck and shoulders that would last for days. I remember, constantly moving it side to side while riding to try to minimize the discomfort. I mentioned this to the bike fitter and he told me to keep my head down and only use my eyes to look up. What a difference this made! I practiced this on my rides as I was in the aero position and I no longer felt the pain in my neck. I would only look up with my head if I knew I was coming up on an intersection or bump in the road. During long rides it’s best to look up with your eyes and only tilt your head up when necessary or intermittently. Not only will this decrease your neck discomfort, but it will also make you slightly more aero.

Tight Muscles

As a beginner cyclist you are now forcing your body to use muscles either it hasn’t in other activities or in a different way. This leads to tightness, muscles spasms, and pain. However, there are a few stretching exercises that can be completed which will lead to disruption of the pain-spasm cycle. One exercise involves a lacrosse ball as demonstrated in “Massage Tips for Tight Muscles.” You place the lacrosse ball between you shoulder blades and roll side to side as well as up and down on the floor. Another variation is to do the same thing, but against a wall instead. Make sure to put your body weight over the knot and roll over it a few times for 20-30 seconds. This will typically release the restriction and cause the trap muscles to relax. There are two stretches that can be done to release the upper traps and neck extensors. Complete each stretch for 20-30 seconds a total of 3 times, several times a day. The first stretch requires you to put your arm behind your back of the side you are stretching. Then, use the other hand to tilt your head to the opposite shoulder.

1st stretch
1st stretch

Stretch two, requires you to look down at a 45 degree angle, and place the arm of the side you’re stretching behind your back. After, use the opposite hand to push the back of your head down further in that 45 degree angle. You may refer to the pictures for further demonstration.

2nd Stretch
2nd Stretch

Another helpful tool is to have a partner help you in placing rock tape/kinesio tape along your posterior neck muscles and upper traps. Rock taping offers several advantages such as added support, increased blood supply, and propioceptive feedback. The latter works on nerves which alert your brain to where a particular body part is, and offers feedback to either adapt a movement pattern, or execute it properly. Usually when purchasing rock tape it comes with a pamphlet that teaches you how to apply the tape for different injuries. Nevertheless, YouTube offers plenty of videos teaching how to apply it correctly. It is important to initially wipe the area with rubbing alcohol to remove any oil on the skin, then wipe off the alcohol. Next, make sure to cut the tape with rounded edges, not straight across. Then, break the tape in the middle and slowly apply it with no extra tension. Last, rub the tape to activate the adhesive with the heat generated. In following these steps you’re ensuring the tape lasts for several days and even through showers. You may refer to the photo for further demonstration.

image

If after following all these steps you’re still experiencing discomfort remember that there’s an adaptation process involved as a beginner cyclist. Just like in any other sport it takes time for the muscles to adapt to these new demands and with time they become accustomed. Once your body becomes used to your cycling position, your rides will be neck and shoulder pain free.

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