What exactly hurts?
1. numbness: The sensitive tissue of the perineum and genital area is located between the ischial tuberosities. The ischial tuberosities can support the weight of the mountain biker well. However, if the weight rests on the soft tissue, blood vessels and nerves are compressed, resulting in numbness and pain.
2. sore sitting: Due to shearing forces (especially if the MTB saddle is too high), the skin chafes, especially in the perineal region - seat pimples or abscesses can be the result.
What to do on the body?
Due to shortened hip flexor muscles, the pelvis cannot be straightened on the saddle. This creates pressure. Stretch the muscles in the hip flexor, gluteal and piriformis muscles. If you are also plagued by back pain, you should ask a physiotherapist to show you special exercises.
Tip: Yoga improves mobility - and this can also work wonders for cyclists. The book "Yoga for cyclists" addresses precisely these problem areas.
What to do on the bike?
The saddle must fit your sit bone distance. Many suppliers offer special seat tests to determine the right model. In addition to the right width, the correct adjustment of the saddle is extremely important in order to remain pain-free, comfortable and efficient on the bike.
You should also check the seat length and cant: If you sit too long and too low on your MTB, it's difficult to straighten your pelvis and this can cause increased pressure in the perineal area. If you are sore, check your seat height: if you sit too high, your pelvis will rock back and forth - this can irritate the skin in the seat area.
