pain in "unusual place" after long bike ride.......is this normal ?

[Dave7]

After my recent bike fit and change of saddle I did the 68 miler (as previous post). Afterwards the muscle at the top/rear of my arm was painful. I thought "well....in that position for a long ride it should be expected".
2 days later It was still sore but I decided to do a 35 miler........still sore at the end.
Today......3 days later I played golf and that muscle area was even worse.
I have just massaged it with a mix of oils and Aracer cream (for bruises).
I just wondered if this has happened to others i.e. is it expected.
If it helps I am 68 and this is my first year of "proper" cycling. No other aches/pains at all..........just that on muscle area.

 

[TheJDog]

Your triceps? Is it just one arm? Are you now riding with bent arms where previously you were riding with straight arms?

 

[Slioch]

It's probably the golf that's causing it. I suggest you flog your clubs and buy another bike.

I used to suffer from muscle/joint issues in my arms which I reckon was caused by riding with my arms too straight. My position on the bike was too stretched out. I think you need to have a little bit of bend in the arms to help soak up the bumps etc, I changed my stem for a shorter one and raised the bars a wee bit higher, and that really helped.

 

[Dave7]

Your triceps? Is it just one arm? Are you now riding with bent arms where previously you were riding with straight arms?

Well it is defintely MAINLY one arm..........the right one.
On the bike fit he actually lowered the saddle and move it forward.........so theoretically my arms should be bent slightly more.??
Once I felt the pain/sorenees creeping in I did try altering the angle of my arms/elbow joints..........(to late was the cry )

 

[Dave7]

It's probably the golf that's causing it. I suggest you flog your clubs and buy another bike.

I used to suffer from muscle/joint issues in my arms which I reckon was caused by riding with my arms too straight. My position on the bike was too stretched out. I think you need to have a little bit of bend in the arms to help soak up the bumps etc, I changed my stem for a shorter one and raised the bars a wee bit higher, and that really helped.[/QUOTE
I did ask the "bike fit" guy about getting an adjustable stem as my bars will not raise at all (stupid Giant defy system) and he was quite specific that it is perfect for me............I am seeing him tomorrow and will ask again.

 

[Drago]

Posterior deltoid or tricep?

Go back to your original set up, see if it improves.

 

[Sea of vapours]

It's very probably a result of the saddle being moved forwards. That places your centre of gravity further forward, which in turn requires more weight to be supported by your arms. If your arms are bent - and that's a good thing in principle - then something has to keep them bent whilst supporting some weight, and the something in question is in part the triceps muscles (rear side of upper arm). If it's not used to doing that - and people in general tend to have under-developed triceps unless they do something specific to exercise/develop them - then it's going to ache at first.

I've had this once or twice on rides over five hours or so. It ought to improve over time I suspect. You could do some triceps extension exercises to accelerate that process perhaps, though I'd imagine that the cycling will forcibly improve the triceps' ability to hold you up. If it's actually painful in the sense of feeling damaged, rest it to make sure the pain does go away. Alternatively, you could return to your previous bike setup, at least with respect to the saddle fore-aft position.

 

[Dave7]

It's very probably a result of the saddle being moved forwards. That places your centre of gravity further forward, which in turn requires more weight to be supported by your arms. If your arms are bent - and that's a good thing in principle - then something has to keep them bent whilst supporting some weight, and the something in question is in part the triceps muscles (rear side of upper arm). If it's not used to doing that - and people in general tend to have under-developed triceps unless they do something specific to exercise/develop them - then it's going to ache at first.
.

Thanks............having read it twice that makes sense.
I will rest a few days and then try some triceps excercises. At my age (68) the triceps will be weak and riding "on my arms" will put strain on them.

 

[fatjel]

Whilst only 59 myself , (how often can you say that ?) . I tend to get pain in just one arm on longer rides.
Always the left arm and the wrist or the elbow joint.Sometimes my neck muscles join in
I've kinda decided that long distance cycling and pain are inevitable

 

[ayceejay]

Dave, since you are only 68 and presumably your life is not all golf and cycling, what else do you do?
Are you right handed?

 

[Levo-Lon]

As others have said, loading those muscles for a long time is the cause.
your at an age where starting a new hobby will cause lots of these..
i trashed my rotator cuff at 44 playing golf..i kept being told that my agressive driving would cause truoble and it stopped me playing..in fact i gave up as the shoulder kept going bang..

you need to build up slowly and allow your body to adjust..
im 49 and cant do more than 20 miles without pain..3 hrs is as much as i can stand as my neck just kills.

 

[midlife]

....someone mentioned rotator cuff !! I think I'll watch the telly in case mine go into a sulk again

Shaun

 

[themosquitoking]

Whilst only 59 myself , (how often can you say that ?) . I tend to get pain in just one arm on longer rides.
Always the left arm and the wrist or the elbow joint.Sometimes my neck muscles join in
I've kinda decided that long distance cycling and pain are inevitable

I have this, it's due to my top rib coming out of it's little sockets.
Go see an oesteopath.

 

[Globalti]

Have you tried taking some Neurofen?

 

[velovoice]

Sounds like rotator cuff to me (from experience). If it's weak/strained, then it'll offload to other muscles, especially the deltoids (upper arm) hence pain there rather than in rotator cuff itself.