Mountain Biking with Pelvic Pain
My pelvic organs and I went for a New England Mountain Bike ride during ovulation and it was interesting!
According to the research 1 in 5 women feel pelvic discomfort around ovulation. I am one of those people. I can tell you what side I am ovulating on and I often get a sharp pain when my follicle ruptures. That part is short-lived but the subsequent pelvic cramping can last 1-2 days for me. The German term for ovulation pain is “mittelschmerz” or middle pain. Some other symptoms that are common with ovulation include pelvic pressure, sharp pain, and vaginal bleeding. While this can be Ok and normal it can also be a sign of gynecological issues. That isn’t the point of this post so I will put a pin in that thought, but if you are experiencing symptoms during your cycle let your medical provider know.
What I want to talk about is how I managed my ovulation pain riding a really rocky and rooty trail when my pelvic organs felt like they were playing popcorn on a trampoline (if you know you know). I could not pass up this 70 degree October day after too many days of rain. So onward I plowed but yikes it was not comfortable. So, I pulled out the old pelvic PT brain. I have a tendency to tuck my butt in when I stand and when I ride my bike. In that position, my pelvic floor has to do more work to provide support for my pelvic organs. If you tilt your pelvis slightly forward (anterior pelvic tilt), the boney pelvis provides support for the pelvic organs. The amount of pelvic organ movement decreased and my comfort went way up. Then I started to play with muscle activations to see what made me feel the most supported while riding. I tried some transverse abdominal activation (our natural girdle muscle), some glute max activation, and inner thigh activation. I found the most support if I let out a nice slow exhale and got my glutes firing when I cruised through rock gardens. The exhale helped keep my upper body relaxed to manage the variable terrain, while also creating some abdominal tension. The abdominal muscles naturally co-contract with the pelvic floor muscles so by focusing on breathing and glute activation I was able to create a stable trunk, pelvic support, and happy pelvic organs. My discomfort went from about a 4-5 to a 1-2 for my ride. I will take it! I got to enjoy the fall leaves, snapping turtle encounters, and some good ole vitamin D.
If you are getting symptoms like pelvic pain, pelvic pressure, urinary leakage, fecal leakage, or pain with activities that you love doing, don’t just tolerate it. Get some help. Contact me and let’s chat about treatment options to get you back to doing what you love.
Happy riding!
