JeffOYB

I got wildly painful flaring nerve pain in my neck and shoulders when doing a superhard 1.5 hr gravel ride with The Gang a couple days ago.

I ride relaxed but we do about a dozen short hard hill climbs and I get out of the saddle and thrash to keep up. The jams last a few minutes, going up to 25mph before we recover at 20. I'm at max effort and beyond. I've only done about 10 of these hard rides. So I suppose I'm not really ready for them.

It was the first time I hung w the A Group til near the end. I'm doing better each week but this nerve explosion was a sad surprise.

I'm guessing those uphills are where I'm stressing my upper body.

I suppose I should just add more stretching and calisthenics?

I've been doing some already for a few months.

I've been biking commuting 10 miles a day for a few months. I'm 60 yrs old. Lifelong fitness/active. I build up to a high level about 3 times a year for biking, cyclocross and XC skiing.

Lately I've been joining the fast group training rides in our area. Road, gravel. I'm able to take pulls, etc. I'm building toward cyclocross.

I could try to stay seated more but these are steep short climbs. I'm using upper body fitness to make up for weaker legs.

Skullo 

My guess overuse injury. Sounds like you strained your neck and shoulders by pulling way to hard on the bars. You need to back off and recover before it gets even worse. Stay seated on climbs and don’t pull hard on the bars.
Accept the fact you can’t keep up or you will continue to injure yourself. You need to rehab the damage already done . Seek professional help if that what it takes .
I have injured myself pulling to hard on the bars in the past.

JeffOYB

Thanks for the feedback. I agree that I probably over-did the uphill thrashing. I'll back off and work on getting ready for that. I can practice some out of mellow saddle uphills during my commutes.

canklecat

Find a physical therapy clinic. Preferably one that also offers massage therapy. That made more difference for me than anything else.

My C1-C2 neck vertebrae were broken in 2001 when my compact car was t-boned by an SUV that ran a light at highway speed. Cracked four other vertebrae in my middle and lower back too but those healed okay. The neck still gives me grief 20 years later. And it was worsened when I was hit again in 2018, this time riding my bike. So I know the drill all too well.

In 2019 I spent three months visiting a PT clinic two or three times a week for an hour per session. They reviewed my ergonomics, including watching me carefully while I did the exercises. I could already do full floor pushups, but due to years of pain and impaired mobility my form was terrible. I kinda knew it, but wasn't aware of how badly I was overcompensating.

And they had one PT who was qualified to do massage therapy (my insurance will pay for chiropractors, but not massage therapy unless it's included in the PT clinic services). Really helped with the neck and shoulder pain. I'm very wary of letting anyone touch my neck because one wrong move could paralyze me -- the C1-C2 are permanently screwed up and bone-on-bone now. But this guy used very gentle traction and pressure, no sudden moves, none of that bone-cracking nonsense used by too many chiropractors.

But it's an ongoing, daily challenge. If I skip my full home PT sessions for a week or so the pain and stiffness always return. But that's because of the skeletal damage. If yours is soft tissue and you catch it early, you can probably avoid longterm problems. But don't wait too long. If the discomfort persists you'll unconsciously compensate by resorting to poor posture that will cause other problems.

BobbyG

JeffOYB You're 60, I'm 59. When I was 48 on the way home from a frustrating work day (and year) I stomped off from a stop-light out of the saddle in a slightly higher gear than usual. Straining as hard as I could I slipped a disk in my neck which felt like a bear trap grabbed my left upper chest and sent pain radiating down my left arm. I thought I was having a heart attack. Anyway, it was insanely painful for 6 months and kept me off the bike for a year.

After that episode I don't put stress on my frame like that anymore. I still push a lot, but no longer with abandon. And even though I don't have back issues (thanks to biking I'm sure) I also don't lift as much as I used to. However, I do like to build my way up to a good pace and work on my cardio that way.

I'm not a doctor, and I don't know what is causing your nerve to flare up...but at our age I would take it as a sign that you are out-muscling your body's frame.

rsbob 

Very much agree with the advice to back off your extreme efforts and get a good PT to teach you the proper exercises to strengthen your shoulders and neck. it is really unfortunate that you are riding at your peak. The timing sucks.

I went through something very similar with extreme pain, even when walking as a result of hitting cycling really hard after a few year hiatus. The steps above worked for me and continue to work no matter how hard I charge up a climb. Best luck

gthomson

A bit late to this post but looked it up because I am experiencing pain in neck and back, below the shoulder blade. Not sure if there was any particular event that caused it or whether it was just fatigue over a good long summer of riding. I do about 125-150 kms's a week which is not much for some people, but I still work and have the usual family obligations (house, wife, kids, etc...) so time is at a premium.
I saw a physio therapist the other day and he said there was pinched nerves causing the flare up. He did a good job at loosening things up and I felt good that night but next day it came back again.

I have several bikes, road mostly and a mountain bike but wondering if I should favour one style over the other or avoid riding all together? the pain isn't there when I ride or sit but mostly when I'm standing. I hate being inactive so really want to find an option to keep me moving, even if I have to spend it on the bike and trainer.

JeffOYB

I agree that my structure isn't in good enough shape to support the other efforts I'm making. ...My legs and aerobics are stronger than my posture support. I think the lesson is to keep up on full range all body calisethenics and circuit training as a base that we can add our fun sports on top of.

I do occasional dumbbell routines, etc. One thing I notice is that I've never done them in a mirror. I've avoided that, considering it embarrassing and pointless. But ppl don't work out in a mirror (just) to admire themselves. It's a great way to check our form. It's like getting instant video feedback. Simple. ...I accidentally have been doing some lifting in my living room for a change, rather than outdoors. And there's a mirror. ...Well, I'm seeing that I'm using bad form with one arm and shoulder in one of my exercises! This could result in an injury! It's apparent even to me. We can't strain and twist and compensate when doing exercises. We need to do them right. I have some imbalances in strength that I should both respect and work to fix. I can curl 25lbs w left arm but only 20 lbs with right arm while keeping good form. I'm not a PT so i dont know how to even things out but i dont have to blatantly hurt myself by contorting one side of myself to keep up with the other side. I bet it's hard to FEEL when our posture collapses, but maybe it's possible. A mirror can help.

gthomson

I used to work out at the gym every day until COVID hit and there were some younger guys who would video themselves on their cameras to see how their form was, and then all discuss it with each other. Very important when doing squats and dead lifts.

Core exercise is crucial to maintaining a strong back, especially if you have issues. I have fallen off on my core routine since not being at a gym since March 2020 and I really feel it. Will have to find some home remedies.