Is your bike saddle causing impotence?
Over the last decade and a half there has been a raging debate about whether or not cycling causes impotence, or specifically erectile dysfunction, in men. So, if you’re a man and a cyclist, should you be worried?
This issue first arose after an article was published in Bicycling Magazine in 1997 suggesting that cycling could cause impotence in men. The article was based on research by a Doctor Irwin Goldsteine who believed that he had found a relationship between cycling and impotence in men.
This article publicised the issue, and since then there has been debate about whether or not this is a myth, or something that men should be genuinely worried about.
The basic principle is, if you believe that the problem exists, that a blood vessel or blood vessels that direct blood to the penis are compressed during cycling because of the weight of the cyclist pressing down on the saddle. The result, it is suggested, is that, in some cases, this can lead to permanent problems including erectile dysfunction.
There are, or may be, all sorts of other factors which affect this outcome. How far you ride, how frequently you ride, how you sit on the saddle, bike set up, the design of the saddle and the set up of the saddle, including saddle angle and a whole range of other factors may well have some form of impact on this, and so the basic question of whether or not cycling causes impotence is a very difficult one to prove or disprove.
There has been research since, however there is still no clear conclusion. Dozens of studies have examined this question, coming at it from a number of different angles. One study, for example, involved a special pad with 900 pressure sensors which was draped over the saddle to determine the distribution of weight.
And in another sensors were placed on the cyclist penis to measure blood flowing through the arteries. A third examined male police officers from 5 metropolitan areas in the US who spent more than 20 hours per week on a bicycle.
There is no doubt that, when sitting on a saddle on a bicycle, a cyclist places a much greater amount of weight on the area between the legs than he would sitting anywhere else. The question is whether or not this actually creates any permanent injury.
Whilst there is significant research on this issue it is still not fully clear about whether or not male cyclists really do risk their sex life by cycling or not.
So if you’re a guy, and cycle competitively or recreationally, what should you do about it? Should you be concerned or not?
Certainly, until the issue is finally clarified one won’t be other, which probably won’t be any time soon, you should be aware of the issue. No one wants to put something valuable at risk if they don’t need to. So what should you actually be doing?
At best, at this stage, we can recommend being aware of the issue so that if you notice anything uncomfortable in the nether regions you are sufficiently alert to know that something should be done.
For instance it is relatively commonly reported amongst male cyclists that, after a period of time on the bike, they experience a form of numbness or tingling in the penis or associated regions. Many continue to ride without any more attention to the problem, either hoping it will go away or assuming that it isn’t an issue.
Now, after reading this newsletter, we hope that you would be sufficiently informed to at least begin investigating your options if this is happening to you.
What are your options?
1. As a result of the publicity that this has received there are now much better saddle designs available on the market. Specific work has gone into designing saddles for males that attempt to address this issue with padding, spaces between both halves of the saddle or other ways of helping reduce the pressure placed on the male anatomy when sitting on a bike seat.
Don’t ignore any numbness, pain or tingling that you may be suffering. Talk to your bike shop about trying different brands of saddles specifically designed with this in mind.
And also talk to your doctor, that certainly cannot hurt.
2. There are also other bike issues which you can address. Bike set up and saddle angle are extremely important. For instance if your handlebars are too low or your saddle nose is perched up too high this can increase the amount of pressure from sitting.
Triathlon bars can do this as well, by helping push the cyclist further forward and thereby placing more weight on the nose of the saddle, and sometimes causing the cyclist to sit further forward on the saddle.
3. Be more aware of your position on the bike. Move around a little more, stand up more often, stretch your legs and give those nether regions a break. This might also delay that “sore bum” feeling so common on long rides.
4. Have a look right now to see if your saddle points up a little at the front, and move it to horizontal if it does.
5. Set your seat height so that you don’t fully extend your leg at the bottom of the pedal stroke as this can increase pressure on the saddle.
So in the absence of clear proof one way or the other, be aware and don’t ignore the problem. Ignorance is now no longer an excuse.
And don’t overlook the fact that as well as some potential health risks there are also huge health benefits to cycling, as there are to other forms of regular exercise. There is plenty of evidence that regular exercise can help improve your sex life as well as improve your health in lots of other areas too.
And finally, if you’re a female, don’t assume that this issue does not apply to you. Whilst you mightn’t be at risk of erectile dysfunction, there is also evidence that cycling can have implications for female sexual health as well. But that’s a matter for another newsletter.
Today’s quick tip.
Be more aware of your position on the bike. Move around a little more, stand up more often, stretch your legs and give those nether regions a break. This might also delay that “sore bum” feeling so common on long rides.
Click here to get £5 credit for joining the Wiggle newsletter. I wait eagerly for it every week!
No comments yet.