Phillip r. - Cramps in Shoulder

Been off for 25 bike years,just getting ba ck on, now get cramps in shoulder next to neck after about 2 hours. Any advice about exercises to eliminate strain. Too much pressure on handlebars? ??

Sorry to hear that, but I suppose there is some muscle memory that needs to be revised. Can you provide some information about the bike in question, your height? Maybe can someone take a picture of you from the side to show how you sit on the bike? Visuals would really help.

Plus, I update the title of the thread to give a better idea of the issue at hand.

Here is a bit of a discussion from the Commuting thread...

http://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?72182-Staying-in-shape/page7

You are using muscles and reactions you haven't in a while. Short rides build up endurance and a more relaxed mind getting used to all that's going on.
It's hard, but keep telling yourself to drop the shoulders until it becomes the norm. Sounds like a tight shoulders to the ears ride.

Relax

Yes, you are riding and that is the purpose........Actually though, when one is just starting a season or taking up they "sport" again, one has not only muscle memory to get into shape but your mind........YOU are alert to all kinds of things around you and it gets to you after awhile. Perhaps, MAKE your wrists and shoulders take on a relaxed mode. NOTICE how tight they are as you hold onto the bars and keep yourself in position on the road.........Just thoughts; but for me, I catch myself all tightened up and have to mentally make myself..........RELAX...........God bless.....Dennis

My advice is to get the lightest helmet you can find. Easier on the neck/shoulders. I always had to stretch and loosen up my neck every 10 or 20 mi with my old nearly 4 lb bucket. After studying helmet reviews extensively,
http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycle-helmets/motorcycle-helmets.htm
The nice thing about the website is you can shop by weight and then examine the other reviewed metrics like noise suppression and air flow.
I settled on a pure carbon full-face that is a little over 2 lbs (NEXX XR2). Will put 9000 mi on the new helmet during july & will then know just how much I like the helmet.
Physical conditioning coupled with a light helmet would help you quite a bit I would think.

Bob Barnett

I'll add what may seem obvious to some but it's surprising how often this simple tip is over looked. HYDRATE.
Drink plenty of water, drink more water and just in general, stay hydrated. Water is the one thing that really isn't overrated.

Just a thought.

I don't know where you are riding but it might help you relax by riding in rural areas instead of the city. Less distraction from traffic etc. As a re-entry rider it does take some time to get everything sorted out and automatic again.

It is likely that muscles are responding to new challenges and various exercises, stretching, nutrition, and drinking plenty of fluids will help alleviate the pains. I have also found that ergonomic changes can be helpful. Sometimes these are seemingly small changes - for instance I had a pain in the shoulders and kept playing with the handle bar position, eventually the position was located where I didn't have the pain even on a longer ride (or the muscles and body adapted to the bike riding position!). Another change that I made was to add a windshield - I found that even a small(ish) shield can be effective in redirecting some of the wind blast away from the chest and head.

And finally, after a long ride where I am going to sleep in a hotel bed or camp on the ground there is Aleve or some other non-prescription pain relief medication. Sometimes that is an effective answer to getting a more restful sleep and starting the next day feeling better.

The OP actually asked about exercises and I failed to suggest some that work for me -

When riding the bike and conditions allow I like to do the following -

- shoulder "shrugs" - just what is means, repeat about 10 times exaggerated shoulder shrugs

- look left & look right, slow rotation of neck with about 10 reps

- look up & look down, slow movement of head with about 10 reps

- left arm rotation - I start with the left arm and do about 5 forward "windmills" and 5 reverse "windmills" (be careful that surrounding riders and traffic don't mistake this as some signal to pass or take other unintended actions!)

- right arm rotation - this requires some sort of cruse control or a throttle locker (be certain that conditions are safe for this - some laws may require that both hands remain on the handlebars) - forward and back "windmills", these can be done with the arm fully extended (be careful that gloves are securely attached and the wind doesn't pull them off) or one can have the arm bent at the elbow and just rotate the shoulder.

- briefly stand on the footpegs - this seems easier on a "GS-type" bike, but I've done it on an RS and S bike also - some places consider this as a "stunting" activity with harsh penalties.

- twist torso - while looking forward, twist torso to left, sometimes with left arm back; then twist to right (cruise control is helpful if right arm is pointed back)

- leg extension - It is easy to see why some cruisers have "highway pegs", this can be done with knees bending (repeat about 10 reps) and with hips flexing - watch to see that conditions are safe, don't let feet hit the ground.

If there is any question about the safety of doing on-bike stretching, then find a suitable place (e.g., rest stop) and stop the bike. Get off walk around for a few minutes, drink some water, make a head-call, get a gallon or so of gas, etc.

As I get older I find that I need to make such stops about every 75 to 90 minutes. When the weather is hot (or cold) I might stop at 45 min intervals.

Last week I was riding with a friend that was a bit older than me. We came out of the higher elevations and the temperatures got warmer. I realized that we should have stopped at 45 min in the warm weather rather than 75 min. It doesn't seem like much difference, but when one gets hot and is in an unfamiliar area it is useful to stop, rest, hydrate, and check directions more often.

phillipkandel said:

Been off for 25 bike years,just getting ba ck on, now get cramps in shoulder next to neck after about 2 hours. Any advice about exercises to eliminate strain. Too much pressure on handlebars? ??

Click to expand...

Usually the pain you are outlining comes because you are reaching for the bars, which is forcing you to keep your head up. Thus the strain on the shoulders and back of neck. Some exercises that you can use have already been mentioned so I won't dwell on them again.

In most cases this type of pain will go away if you can bring the handlebars back slightly so that you are sitting more upright. Not sure what bike you are talking about but on some you can adjust the bars back and on others you would need to purchase some kind of bar backs. These for the most part work well, taking the leaning pressure off your hands and causing you to sit more upright, which takes the pressure off shoulders and neck.