# Debilitating neck pain after every ride?



## eicca (May 9, 2014)

About an hour after every ride the back of my neck starts to ache and the pain spreads all the way over the top of my head into my eyes. It's getting worse. Last night I only did a quick 3 miler and ended up awake all night because it hurt so bad. I've got my stem 3 inches up on my steerer, my seat slammed forward on the rails, I don't know what to do. I need to find relief from this. Mountain biking is the only sport I care to do but I can't keep it up if every ride ends in excruciating neck and head aches.

This only started happening toward the end of last season too. All two and a half years before that, I was fine.

Anyone have similar experiences or advice? Should I see a chiropractor?


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## CUP-TON (Dec 7, 2016)

I would see a Doc. Sounds like something is pinched.


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## Oh My Sack! (Aug 21, 2006)

Any pain, tingling, numbness in your arms/hands?


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## Dr Evil (Sep 20, 2015)

I work with people like this all of the time. Find someone who does Advanced Biostructural Correction. ABC Miracles. Unless there is a fracture, dislocation, tumor or the like, where you hurt isn't where the problem is. It is where the most mechanical stress is for something going on somewhere else. There is a locator section on the site. Maybe there is someone who practices near you. I wish you the best.


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## eicca (May 9, 2014)

No problem with pain or numbness or tingling anywhere else. Just my neck.


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## Dr Evil (Sep 20, 2015)

eicca said:


> No problem with pain or numbness or tingling anywhere else. Just my neck.


I get it. What I am saying though is unless there is a fracture, dislocation there, tumor there or the like, that is the compensation, not the issue. Even if disc related. A disc is like the tire on a car. It responds to the structure around it and is the effect, not the cause. Unless there is a tire puncture which is a fracture of the tire.


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## eicca (May 9, 2014)

Dr Evil said:


> I get it. What I am saying though is unless there is a fracture, dislocation there, tumor there or the like, that is the compensation, not the issue. Even if disc related. A disc is like the tire on a car. It responds to the structure around it and is the effect, not the cause. Unless there is a tire puncture which is a fracture of the tire.


I gotcha, the pain would be the symptom, not the problem itself. My reply was for whoever asked about hand arm issues but I didn't include the quote.


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## leeboh (Aug 5, 2011)

Get a pro bike fit. Got a heavy camelbak?


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## eicca (May 9, 2014)

leeboh said:


> Get a pro bike fit. Got a heavy camelbak?


Backpack, yes, but it's not heavy at all


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## LyNx (Oct 26, 2004)

You're asking for help and basically giving no information. When did this start? Did you have a fall or accident before this started? Did you change bike setup or bike for some reason? Information helps other help you. 

Just off the bat, I'd agree with those who say go see someone trained at this sort of stuff.


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## eicca (May 9, 2014)

I'm afraid the answer is my bike is too long. It started when I got my Cannondale Jekyll, which is definitely a bigger bike than my old Trek. I have since slammed the seat and shortened the stem and gotten the reach measurements back to what they were on my old Trek, but that didn't help in the slightest. I rode the Trek for two years without problems. I'm hoping I didn't cause some kind of permanent damage.


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## LyNx (Oct 26, 2004)

So, you "slammed" the saddle all the way forward and put on a short stem, but did you check that the saddle was in the same position relative to the BB? I highly doubt it and this is the first place to start, actually when setting up a bike it's the first pace to start, set saddle position relative to BB, then figure out what stem length and bar width you need to make the fit you want.

How long have you had this new bike? Did you buy it from someone used or from a shop? If from a shop, did they recommend the size or did you? As I said, info helps others, help you.



eicca said:


> I'm afraid the answer is my bike is too long. It started when I got my Cannondale Jekyll, which is definitely a bigger bike than my old Trek. I have since slammed the seat and shortened the stem and gotten the reach measurements back to what they were on my old Trek, but that didn't help in the slightest. I rode the Trek for two years without problems. I'm hoping I didn't cause some kind of permanent damage.


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## eicca (May 9, 2014)

You mean like saddle height? It's definitely the same height... My current seatpost has some rearward offset so I ordered a zero-offset post to see if I can get it any bit closer to the bars.

I work for a shop, and I demo'd the XL size. No problems, felt great. So I got an XL frame because it was the only one available and built it up. The fork I got was used and the steerer was barely long enough for just the stem, so my stem and bars were slammed low for the first year, which is when I started having problems. I got a new fork and added almost 3 inches to the steerer so the bars are now higher up but still having problems. The only shorter stem option is 35mm.

ALSO, I feel this is important, I only get the neck pain when the ride involves climbing. Last year I downhilled at a resort for almost five hours straight with zero pain.


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## LyNx (Oct 26, 2004)

No, I mean, did you drop a plumb line down from the back of the saddle on your old bike to intersect the chainstay, then measure from there to the BB to check the distance, then do the same on the new XL frame? If you didn't do this, then since the frame is much bigger and you're "trying to make it fit" I expect it could be an issue and part of your problem.

I'll assume you're fairly new to this and explain something...no matter what manufacturers try to push on everyone, saying steep seattubes is great for everyone is utter BS, you need your saddle "X" distance behind the BB for your riding style leg length, especially femur length and if you don't stick with this and move from a slack er STA to a steep one, then you'll have issues most likely, unless you weren't in a good position before, relative to the BB.



eicca said:


> You mean like saddle height? It's definitely the same height... My current seatpost has some rearward offset so I ordered a zero-offset post to see if I can get it any bit closer to the bars....................
> ALSO, I feel this is important, I only get the neck pain when the ride involves climbing. Last year I downhilled at a resort for almost five hours straight with zero pain.


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## eicca (May 9, 2014)

Never done anything like that. 

Whatever the injury is, it also causes the same pain when playing drums sometimes or if I sit at a desk for long periods just right... Didn't used to have this problem.


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## eicca (May 9, 2014)

Well it's fixed. Went to the chiropractor. He found my two uppermost vertebrae were squished to one side. Got the ol' neck crack and MAN I feel good. Ten miles of riding today, no pain.


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## Rworld1 (Jul 13, 2017)

I go to the Chiro weekly. I treat it as preventative maintenance. Back pain sucks and I've only heard other peoples stories. Scares the hell out of me.


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