Bumps on my labia - linked to cycling?

[MissTillyFlop]

Hello,
I apologize for the fact that my first post is so . . . personal. I need some ideas about how to deal with this and none of the Google searches I have done seem to really address this. For the past 1 1/2 years, I have been biking approx. 14 miles per day (22 km/day) and have been finding that I regularly get painful bumps on the outer sides of my labia. I usually wear cotton underwear and bike in regular clothing. I have a soft, foamy saddle. I don't know for sure that this condition is linked to cycling, nor am I sure what changes I could make to reduce the frequency of this happening, but it can be very painful and it takes a while to go away. Biking is my main source of transportation and I pull my 40 lb (18 kg) son behind me on a trail-along; I don't know if the added weight is another factor. Any suggestions for dealing with this would be most appreciated.

I used to get this - it's basically downstaiirs acne / boils caused by chaffing and also trapped oil in the skin. I found losing the panties helps very much and having a decent, ventilated pad down there and also if going a long way, some sort of chamois butter.

Also, i find wide saddles make the problems worse, as they hold the crotch of your shorts right next to your skin - I have one bike with a leather Brooks saddle (which has ventiallation holes - these aren't for everybody, but they work for me!) and the other has a specialized racing saddle, also with a little hole in the middle.

I also find that unless I get changed and shower straight after coming back from cycling then this and... um... other crotch-realted issued occur!

 

[Mrs Kes]

I am beginning to think that it may be due to the fact I am quite short backed and am having to stretch quite a bit which may be causing me to be roll off my sit bones and more onto the front part of the lady structures. So am trying to jiggle my seat position to help with this.

PlanetX raised my saddle by about 3", moved it further back and tilted it forward a bit to get a similar height while taking pressure off my pubic bones and my arms without sliding off the saddle. Much much much better, much less pressure on the front bits and far more efficient pedalling stroke, so much easier to ride. I also have a very very short stem as the reach on my bike is very slightly too long. If none of this advice works or you still struggle to get the position right, I would recommend a proper bike fit like Planet X or other Retul fit with a physio. Do it sooner rather than later and you could save yourself some long term damage / pain. It's expensive, but well worth it for less pain. I wish I'd done it years ago.

 

[hobbitonabike]

PlanetX raised my saddle by about 3", moved it further back and tilted it forward a bit to get a similar height while taking pressure off my pubic bones and my arms without sliding off the saddle. Much much much better, much less pressure on the front bits and far more efficient pedalling stroke, so much easier to ride. I also have a very very short stem as the reach on my bike is very slightly too long. If none of this advice works or you still struggle to get the position right, I would recommend a proper bike fit like Planet X or other Retul fit with a physio. Do it sooner rather than later and you could save yourself some long term damage / pain. It's expensive, but well worth it for less pain. I wish I'd done it years ago.

Thanks for that. Would love to have a bike fit but just don't have the funds at the moment. I moved my saddle a good chunk forward before I went on my first ever group ride on sunday and it was alot better. I did 42 miles and only started to get any discomfort in the last few miles. Hopefully getting somewhere lol.

 

[sheffgirl]

Actually you may need a shorter stem and a raised bars, otherwise to be more upright you'll need to be more forward and then you'll have too much weight onto your arms.
Try flipping/raising the stem as a starter.

Reasons are here:
http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/fitting.htm

Ah yes, i forgot to add that I raised my handlebars too by changing the headset, this has made for a more comfortable riding position, I think I was leaning too far forward previously

 

[Auntie Helen]

EbonyWillow, I get this too about twice a year, not so much now. The first two times the doc gave me antibiotics which cleared it up, after that I decided to see if they would clear up on their own (didn't want to use antibiotics if possible). The answer is, yes, they did clear up after a week. The main thing I found was to be extremely gentle with the area (including wiping after the loo - I just dotted the area instead with the loo roll, not wiping), to change my knickers immediately after a ride (rather than sitting around on the computer for half an hour before showering) and that some knickers were worse than others. Also to go easy on the ladygarden trimming. I ride a recumbent so it's nothing to do with the pad but I think there is general friction there and you do get sweaty.

 

[Cannondale Lady]

A very helpful thread for me as I am new to cycling and really suffering.

 

[winjim]

Article in the graun about saddle fitting.

In search of the perfect saddle (AKA when bigger isn't better)

http://gu.com/p/4b9c5?

 

[Mrs M]

Saddle with cut out bit in the middle.
Hope you find a solution

 

[Arjimlad]

I've just been given antibiotics for a painful perineal lump which started off like a normal spot but is now like a subcutaneous jelly-bean in size, culminating at one point in an acne-like spot. It can be sore to sit upon so I have to lower myself down gently, and I am walking about like John Wayne swinging my left leg wide of the norm.

Last ride was yesterday & most uncomfortable.

A week off the bike for me, at least. And then 2 weeks off the bike on holiday. Doctor thinks it should go in a week but from what Dr Google tells me I would be surprised...

I have resolved to change cycling shorts more often in future and to apply sudocrem for rides of 20 miles or longer. Just hoping I can shift the thing quick-time.

 

[marihino]

OK, so I'm a bloke, but I was getting serious saddle sores. Here are a few things that helped (might be universally useful across genders):

I removed the gel cover that came with the bike. The saddle was too bulky with it and it's much better without, whether I ride in padded shorts or cotton boxers and jeans.
I moved the saddle backwards on the rails a little. The wide part was getting too much in my front regions when I tried to keep a good position.
Padded shorts. That makes a difference on rides beyond 30 miles.
I recommend going out of the saddle every now and then, dance on the pedals a little. Brings circulation back to parts that may go numb otherwise, makes different muscle groups work for a moment and generally makes the pressure intermittent.

 

[furball]

Saddle with cut out bit in the middle.
Hope you find a solution

+1. Surprised this hasn't been suggested sooner. As well as having a properly set up saddle a cut out can take the pressure off the sensitive bits. Worked for me.

 

[steveindenmark]

Bumps, rubs and sores of the nether regions are not only confined to women. The biggest cause in my opinion are protruding sesams in jeans or shorts. In the summer I usually wear lycra, padded cycling shorts with MTB shorts over the top. In the Winter I wear jodphurs as they have no seams, they stretch and they are warmer than cycling tights. I am often riding at -10 and below.

But seams are the culprit.

 

[coffeejo]

+1. Surprised this hasn't been suggested sooner. As well as having a properly set up saddle a cut out can take the pressure off the sensitive bits. Worked for me.

Cut-outs can also act as an extra point of rubbing and friction. As far as saddles go, everyone's different.

 

[blackgoff]

In regards to the initial situ. it's quite a massive apparence to ride shorts without underwear like when i 1st started I recall doing a ride in swimming trunks I kid you not...lol

Riding in 'normal' clothes can reality be done BUT no pun intended lol you've got to have space. Even in the best fitting shorts, they've got to fit just right as has the saddle, height of it, reach to handle bars ALL THESE things come into effect at various times on a ride...

I always say 'position is everything' never mind from a power pov to comfort. You can do thru a stage of saddle sores they are by god a heinous pain to tolerate!

I hope the lady and whomever else has them and sorts the saddle probs well coz they're irritating!!

I'm also a big fan of SMP saddles I just love a lite 109, have been on them for 5yrs now which some ladies like yet frowned on in male circles for some crazy reason.

 

[buggi]

Yes, it's probably caused by the edges of your cotton underwear, and made worse by the soft foamy saddle (unlikely though it sounds). Padded cycling shorts are designed to be worn with nothing underneath - you will feel much more comfortable straight away.

+1
Ditch the cotton underwear, it's causing you to sweat and also causing friction, and the combination is not good
Ditch the foam saddle, all that extra saddle is causing rubbing.

Get bike specific padded underwear or padded cycle shorts... Either are designed to wear with no knickers and available at all good bike shops or wiggle.com or CorinneDennis.co.uk (or .com can't remember off the top of my head)
Get a proper saddle fit. Go to an independent bike shop for this, what we call a local bike shop or LBS, not a big chain store like Halfords or Evans who don't know what they are talking about. Don't be embarrassed to tell them the problem, they've heard it all before.