rsbob 

I love my bikes but they don’t always return the affection. And excuse me if this has already been discussed to death. As background, I have had a proper bike fit and have two relatively new Selle seats with max cutouts. Love them seats. And when I ride, I and don’t spend all my time “sitting up” but prefer a more aero form.

Getting to specifics, my condition is increased urinary frequency and URGENCY, but there are about six other common symptoms as well which I fortunately don’t experience.

So more precisely, who has had this condition and been successfully treated? I have read about specialized PT but would like to know if anything other than standing for the rest of my life, worked.

Ladies also have their issues in the netherworld related to this condition, so a gender change won’t work for those contemplating . Not that I have a problem with that.

10 Wheels

You seem to have medical problem which would best be seen by a doctor.
My brother takes meds for his problem..

Flip Flop Rider

stop riding for a week and see if it changes

rsbob 

you bet it is with name posted in the title. Just saw my PCP but he is not a sports doc. The only remedies on the internets I can find are PT.

Answering the other poster, when traveling and off the bike for three weeks my symptoms disappear but not cycling is not an answer. A double negative? Not.

Bueller. Bueller. Bueller? Anyone?

DeadGrandpa

I don't have the problem of which you speak, but I have been riding nose less saddles (ISM PR 2.0 and 3.0) for several years. Before that, I rode WTB. Numbness or urgent urges are not an issue. A cutout in the middle made no matter when I bought a Selle saddle. I returned it. WTB or ISM have saddles that worked for me.

10 Wheels

Visit this guy.
https://centenoschultz.com/cyclist-s...tment-options/

Nyah

This issue is a natural part of the aging process that everyone - not just bicyclists - experiences. As you age, you gradually have less control over how long you can hold your urine. That's why nursing homes always have a strong smell of urine. One remedy you can employ is not letting yourself get cold. Being cold makes people have to urinate.

Pop N Wood

Post this question on a dedicated recumbent site (like bentrideronline.com) and you will find a large number of people who have defeated the cyclists syndrome.

Recumbents don't receive much love on BF forum but pretty good chance one will cure your issue while letting you still enjoy the sport. I bought one when recovering from a surgery on a sensitive part of the male anatomy. Found out they are a blast to ride.

Lots of bent riders trade off bikes, maybe a 60-40 mix of riding a bent and a "wedgie" as they are called will give you the relief you need while still letting you enjoy your existing rides.

Bents also cure a whole slew of other aliments.

BlazingPedals

Recumbents are not perfect. For instance, the "need to pee" problem, as mentioned by Nyah, is primarily a response to having a cold bladder. 'Bents don't make that any better and sometimes make it worse until the body gets used to the new position. But they will absolutely relieve pressure on the perineum and hands, and depending on the specific model and seating, can help with neck, shoulder, and back pain. They cost more than 'regular' upright bikes, and they work best for those who are willing to make a committment to the new platform. But with those provisos, they can be an absolute blast to own. Some models are just stupid-fast. Those are the ones I like!

bmcer

One word.. Prostate. Did you know that apart from dogs, human are the only mammalian species that sport one? And they are such a bother. If you're of a certain age, you just might be experience one of the joys of BPH. I'm in that demographic myself and experienced much the same symptoms as you starting about 15 years ago but not becoming s significant nuisance until the last 7. There are medications available to treat the condition, and one in particular has been quite effective

In any case, I'd give the doc a visit.

thejohnreyes

I'm currently infected so I wouldn't be able to answer this question.

Mulberry20

are you wearing cycling shorts with padding or a chamois? this is what i discovered when i bought compression wear for cross-fit several years ago, the cross-fit stuff is infinitely better for cycling than cycling shorts. i wear a compression liner, usually Under Armour Heat Gear, under my NoBull or Wolaco compression shorts. I don’t have your problem but your boys and undercarriage will be off the saddle and you will be much drier underneath, give it a try

spank226

I cannot speak to your issue and, after looking up the term in the title, I'm not sure what I had qualifies as that.

I would, for whatever reason, get urinary tract infections from time to time when I was a VERY active cyclist. I was told by several doctors that "Men don't get urinary tract infections; must be an std". So, yea, I used to get the whole dry cotton swab shoved up the pee hole thing a lot back then. That is, until I had a nurse friend tell me that she and other nurses would ALWAYS go over aggressive on guys who needed an STD swab because they MUST have had an STD because they were jerks and slept around... She said swabbing around the opening was all that was needed. Often times she said a urinalysis was all that was needed. I was LIVID when I heard that!!! From that point on, I never let them collect a sample: I did it myself.

More to the point of my posting here: While I was on long hiatus from cycling, (so the bike wasn't to blame) I started to have the symptoms of the need to frequently urinate and difficulty emptying my bladder, waking up multiple times a night and so on. I brought it up to my doctor and he said it was "prostatitis" and said he could give me medication if it got unbearable. I just dealt with it. I was in my early 40's when this happened, and I was lead to believe it was "normal for my age". About a 2 months after visiting the doctor and maybe more than a year of experiencing this problem, I came down with MRSA and had to be put on some heavy duty antibiotics starting with an IV drip and then taking horse pills for two cycles (I think it was 20 days because the first cycle didn't do it so they switched to a different antibiotic). MRSA went away. But you know what else went away? The frequent urination problem.

A couple years ago, I was reading up on something and came across articles that stated that Prostatitis can be caused by a bacterial infection but it's frequently not tested for.

Now... I'm not 40 anymore... and I'm back on the bike and am dealing with "comfort issues" but I'm more accepting that they are related to both my advancing age AND getting back on a bike saddle that my perineum is not quite accustomed to anymore.

Just a thought. Hope the anecdote helps someone.

rsbob 

A little more background on my condition. It started in my middle 40s while riding regular style seats. If off the bike for a month the condition decreases and then disappears. Giving up cycling is not an option. Currently taking a prostate drug for flow which works great (Nothing worse than having to go NOW and not being able to). The compression shorts are definitely worth a shot.

P.S. I have had two UTIs in my life primarily due to not drinking enough when doing endurance sports.

jadocs

So if I understand correctly, your symptoms are needing to urinate more frequently when you ride a bike.

I think this is better served as a more in depth discussion with your doctor(s).

How do you know it is your bicycle seat? Because that infers it is position induced
How do you know it is not just exercise induced?
Do you tend to hydrate more before going on a bike ride?
Is it age induced or as part of any combination of the above.
Are any of your mediations diuretics?

Too many variables and I don't think correlation of just bike riding means it is your seat inducing it.

Pratt

Sounds like a few different phenomena being discussed. Pudendal nerve trauma seems a mysterious ailment due to pounding of the perineum (taint) by the seat. Bents avoid it, but susceptibility and cure appear to be largely idiopathic. Prostatic hypertrophy, normal with age, restricts the urethra and results in some urinary retention, and slow starting, and weak stream, so the effective volume of the bladder is reduced, thus requiring more frequent squirts. Cold, like getting in cold water, constricts the cutaneous capillaries, thus diverting blood elsewhere. One of those elsewheres is the kidneys which then produce urine faster leading to a need to void. Not too likely during aerobic exercise on a bike where the muscles are demanding blood.

63rickert

The downside of pudendal neuralgia would be a lifetime of celibacy and adult diapers. This forum may not be the best place to seek medical advice.

Have you seen a neurologist? Has a nerve conduction test been done? Does PT in the post above mean physical therapy? Who prescribed that? Why would you not want to do PT?

Nerve problems are serious. They heal very slowly if at all. With not nearly enough information to make a judgment it still does seem unlikely that if the nerve were damaged something as simple and quick as a month off the bike would give complete relief.

At one time entire populations used bikes daily. That still applies to some extent in Amsterdam or Copenhagen, it was once very widespread. There used to be around two million bicycle postmen who were in the saddle all day every day. Racers used to race 250 days a year and often two long races per day. And all these “cyclists” maladies were completely unknown. Cyclists syndromes arise when cycling is something unusual and peculiar. Pudendal neuralgia is described as rare. I doubt there is any connection to cycling. Unless the cyclist is doing something rare and unusual on the bike. And in any case consult with your doctor.

Thomas15

I cannot offer any advice medical or otherwise but have some personal experience so my 2 cents...

I've had prostate issues since age 40 (I'm 62 now). Had a TULP at age 42. Had another procedure to relax the valve at the base of the bladder at age 44. Both unpleasant.

When I got back on my bicycle two years ago after a 25 year vacation, one of the things that concerned me the most was that it seemed that I couldn't actually ride the bike for more than a hour without having to pee. As I had set goals which required riding for several hours without stopping this was a concern. But over time the condition has improved to the point that I can leave home with my bike on my car carrier, drive an hour to a group ride start location, ride for 2 hours, return home without having to pee. I personally give simple conditioning the credit for that and a much reduced (but not eliminated) degree of hand numbing while riding.

Find a PCP that understands the situation fully and get some more detailed and informed analysis.