Bikefit for Saddle Pain Perth
Does Your Saddle Feel Like This?
Saddle pain isn’t normal — and it isn’t something you should ride through.
Saddle pain isn’t normal — it’s a signal that your bikefit needs attention.
Saddle pain is one of the most common and frustrating problems cyclists experience — and for many riders in Perth, it persists despite changing saddles or having multiple bikefits. A bikefit for saddle pain in Perth at Star Physio focuses on identifying why saddle discomfort occurs, not just where it hurts. Using physiotherapy-led assessment and the only dynamic saddle pressure analysis technology available in Western Australia, we measure how you load the saddle while riding, identify excessive pressure and imbalance, and make precise adjustments that improve comfort, stability, and long-term riding tolerance.
Saddle pain in cyclists is very common!
Saddle pain is very common in cyclists, but it can be fixed.
Did you know that saddle pain and saddle sores are one of the most common, but least talked about problems in cyclists, from amateur to elite? Prior to the London Olympics, an anonymous survey revealed that it was the number one reason that members of the British Women’s Cycling Team missed a training session. Those survey findings sparked somewhat of a saddle pain revolution with significant investment in research and technology to help with the issue.
The saddle in a road cyclist, typically supports between 60-80% of the cyclist’s weight. It must also allow the pelvis and spine to roll forward for the arms to reach the handlebars, gears and brakes, as well as allow the thighs to slide either side of the seat to push the pedals between 80-100 times per minute. No wonder it is a source of problems!!!
Is it the saddle, or is it my bike position? How do I know which is the problem?
The typical first move for a cyclist with saddle pain is to change the saddle. The international bikefit and research team which Star Physio is a part of has identified that in fact only 20% of saddle pain is due to the incorrect saddle, and 80% is due to incorrect bike fit!
The use of dynamic pressure and stability analysis at the saddle is the only way to accurately identify and correct the issues related to saddle discomfort. Anything else is guesswork really! Check out the below picture of a saddle map of cyclist we saw recently in the clinic who was getting pubic area pain and discomfort. Even on high speed camera we could not see why she was in so much pain, but using our amazing Gebiomized saddle assessment tool, it was immediately obvious that the cyclist was taking too much load on the front of the saddle.
Star Physio in West Perth can analyse and correct for saddle pain and discomfort.
Interestingly, the map on the right is the same cyclist, on the same saddle, on the same day! You can see that we moved the pressure off the front of the pelvis and back on to the sit bones. Needless to say pain and numbness went away leading to a very happy cyclist!
Apart from showing us that the weight and pressure on the saddle is correct, this analysis also shows how stable a cyclist is while peddling, the gold standard for establishing correct saddle height and reach.
Read this blog for more information https://starphysiowa.com.au/saddle-pain-no-longer/
What if I do need a new saddle? Gebiomized saddles now available at Star Physio!
Gebiomized saddles available at Star Physio
We are proud to offer the incredible range of saddles from Gebiomized! Used by some of the best in the world including multiple Tour De France Winner Chris Froome and World Ironman Champion Anne Haug, these saddles are a game changer for those that have struggled with saddle pain, sores and discomfort!
After more than 15 years of concentrated experience with custom saddles in cycling, after more than 50,000 analyses of our saddle pressure mappings with thousands and thousands of cyclists whom we have put more comfortably on their bicycles with our bike fittings, we present you our gebioMized saddle line with the models Sleak, Area and the triathlon and time-trial saddle Stride. Available for sale from Star Physio and can be shipped anywhere in Australia. If purchased during a bikefit, Star Physio offer a 30 day money back guarantee if you return your saddle in perfect condition.
Professional Bike Fitting Equipment in Physiotherapy
Star Physio’s unique new German-engineered Bikefit equipment gives us detailed pressure analysis at the saddle and at the pedals for comfort, efficiency and performance, as well as accurate data to help us understand the cause of cycling pain and injuries, be they present or potential, allowing us to find the optimal position for every cyclist. Nearly all of our “bikefit” clients present with some degree of pain or discomfort, and many have significant previous injuries or deficits in flexibility which require our skills as physiotherapists to find the appropriate position to protect vulnerable areas. Our primary goal as physiotherapists is to help you find a position while cycling to minimise this pain and prevent injury.
Our GebioMized equipment also incorporates high speed cameras for accurate digital measurement of specific angles to give us a true 3D picture of your cycling. Using this technology we are able to gain valuable and incredibly accurate objective information that is often missed in bike fitting performed with inferior technology. More important still than any technology is to have a professional physiotherapist to interpret this information to work with you to find your ideal position. Star Physio is the exclusive provider of “Bikefit” professional physiotherapy bike fitting services using the latest GebioMized equipment in Western Australia. We are proud to partner with Gebiomized and work closely with our German colleagues, who also include physiotherapists, to ensure that we are at the forefront of professional physiotherapy led bikefit internationally.
Australian Physiotherapy Expertise, German Precision
Gebiomized are now the preferred Bikefit providers for many of the best cyclists and triathletes in the world including the Trek and Cervelo Teams. Star Physio, utilising our many years of bikefit and physiotherapy experience are trusted by some of the best triathletes and cyclists in the world including the British Cycling Team, Orica Green Edge and AIS and WAIS athletes alike.
Recently some of the world’s best have benefitted from our new technology and physiotherapy training to optimise their bikefit for performance and injury prevention including World Time Trial Champion and Olympic Silver Medallist Emma Pooley, on her road to Rio in the Olympic Time Trial. Also our local heros Robert Power and Jai Hindley from the Orica teams and world Time Trial, Oceania Champion and 2017 Australian Criterium Champion Jess Allen trust Star Physio for their Physiotherapy driven Bikefit and treatment needs for performance and injury prevention. We are also very proud to partner Rio Para-Olympian and World Ironman Record Holder Brant Garvey beyond Rio and a Para-Olympic triathlon medal in Tokyo!
Pressure Mapping
Pressure mapping is the latest tool in the arsenal of Star Physio’s highly-trained cycling analyst physiotherapists to help determine your optimum riding position, saddle selection, shoe and cleat setup.
At Star Physio, we’ve observed the development of pressure mapping with interest and have recently formed a technology partnership with GebioMized. We have integrated the GebioMized system into the Star Physio fitting process, enabling us to accurately measure pressure and better visualise the rider’s contact with the saddle and shoes.
Combined with our bikefit physiotherapist’s professional knowledge of anatomy, physiology and biomechanics, pressure mapping provides objective feedback, enabling us to make small, precise adjustments and interventions to optimise your connection with the bike and making it possible to maximise your stability and comfort on the saddle, and your foot contact at the pedal.
This in turn assists in making you more comfortable to conquer your exercise and health goals, minimise injuries and ease any current pain or injuries you may be suffering from.
High Speed Motion Analysis
The cornerstone of any detailed physiotherapy assessment in sport is high speed motion analysis. This allows us to review movement in slow motion to accurately identify positional faults or movement discrepancies which may be related to pain or an increased risk of injury, and to assist is in adjusting your bike to the best possible position.
Our high speed cameras operate at 60 Frames Per Second which is twice the rate of Retul and BG fitting systems. This means we don’t miss important details when making decisions about your analysis and bikefit. Run through our Gebiomized data analysis system, we can then accurately measure your position and critical angles and show you the changes as they happen, assisting you in achieving the best possible position to reach your exercise goals, keep healthy, and minimise the risk of injury.
Power Based Bikefitting with Adjustable Incline
There is not much point having you in a comfortable position while riding at 50 Watts, when your race load is 220 Watts, or if your pain only comes on when riding at high intensity uphill! On a bike your body is supported at the saddle, the feet and the hands +/- forearms. The harder you push the pedals, the less load is on the saddle and your hands. Using our Wahoo Kickr we are able to set a load appropriate to your riding for accurate assessment of your position and issues related to power output and high muscle demand..
You may only get knee pain when riding hard or low back pain while climbing steep hills. We need to reproduce these parameters during your physiotherapy consultation and bikefit to accurately identify the cause of your discomfort.
In addition to load adjustment, we can also change the incline of the bike on our custom made bikefit platform and then combine this with our High Speed Motion and Pressure Analysis to get the full picture and accurately adjust your bike.
