Sore and numb Trap & Tight hamstrings

Hi,

I'm 20 years old, 145 Lbs, 6 foot tall.

I'll try to make this short and sweet:

I started doing a lot of running, than swimming than cycling just a few months ago.

Now, I always had tight hamstrings, but it seems to get worst and worst the more I do sports. I stretch them often, but maybe not at the right time or the right technique. Is it a bad thing to stretch them when my muscles are cold? There so tight my leg on the pedal when I drive my car gets numb after 30-40 minutes.

Now, this tight hamstrings problem doesn't seem to restrict my movements when I do some bike of run, but it's bad for other things. If you want more details, see my post at: http://groups.google.com/group/rec.running/browse_thread/thread/495d7b768ec8eaf7/d20f14b129dbc0aa?lnk=st&q=sebzzz&rnum=6#d20f14b129dbc0aa

I use my bike (regular mountain bike, with tires that are slick in the middle to be easier) to go to work sometimes (about 30k from my home). After a while, I start feeling really numb in my right trap, and when I stop and move my arms a bit, it's real pain for a couple of minutes (like needles in my trap). I can't even turn my head on the right when I'm on the bike after a while, it hurts too much. Now, every time I do some bike, this pain arrives faster and faster. I suspect my posture of my grip on the bike, but I wonder what to do. Also good to know, I get some "needles in the trap" feeling even when I'm not doing anything now, but very mild not real pain.

An other problem, yesterday at the end of my ride, I started feeling numb in my left hand, and it stayed numb for about 24 hours. This is probably due to the fact that I didn't have my gloves for the ride. (or could it be related to the trap pain?)

Some would probably say over training or something, but I don't feel more tired than usual, and it's also good to say that I always had tight hamstrings (as a kid I already had that).

So, can anybody help me with those problems?
Thanks!

sebzzz said:
...So, can anybody help me with those problems?...

First guess would be that you need a good bike fitting. If your saddle is high or low you could have leg troubles and excessive reach or drop to the bars could lead to upper body issues.

Gloves should help the numbness in your hands, but also make sure you're not dropping your wrists when you hold the bars. A lot of newer riders hold their bars with a sharp angle between the back of their hands and their wrists. That can lead to compressed nerves and numbness. Bar ends on your MTB bars can offer additional places to put your hands during a ride and that also helps stave off numbness. Roadies are constantly moving their hands from the brake hoods to the tops, to the drops, back up to the hoods on the curves, etc. It's not just 'cause we're fidgety, it helps keep our hands from going numb and helps relax our upper bodies. You can do the same on a MTB, especially with bar ends but you have to make the effort.

The last thing would be to make sure your elbows are slightly bent and relaxed and your shoulders aren't hunched or tightened. That can lead to neck, shoulder and back soreness but also hinders handling and can be a safety issue. Folks that hold a tight grip with straight arms, locked elbows and tight shoulders run the risk of oversteering if something happens suddenly like an unseen pothole or a car coming out of a driveway. Staying loose is more comfortable, but also safer.

Good luck,
Dave

Sore and numb Trap & Tight hamstrings

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