IMPOTENCE AND NERVE ENTRAPMENT IN LONG-DISTANCE AMATEUR CYCLISTS

Objectives - To assess the frequency and duration of symptoms suggesti ng peripheral nerve compression after long distance cycling. Material and methods - A questionnaire based cross sectional study among 260 pa rticipants in a Norwegian annual bicycle touring race of 540 km. Resul ts - Thirty-five of 160 responding males (22%) reported symptoms from the innervation area of the pudendal or cavernous nerves. Thirty-three had penile numbness or hypaesthesia after the tour. In 10, the numbne ss lasted for more than one week. Impotence was reported by 21 (13%) o f the males. It lasted for more than one week in 11, and for more than one month in three. Both genital numbness and impotence were correlat ed with weakness in the hands after the ride, a complaint reported by 32 (19%) of all 169 respondents. Forty-six cyclists (30%) indicated pa raesthesia or numbness in the fingers, half of them from the ulnar ner ve area only. Conclusion - The frequency of impotence, numbness of the penis, hand weakness and sensory symptoms from the fingers in bicycle sport may be higher than hitherto recognized. It afflicts both experi enced cyclists and novices. In some, the complaints may last up to eig ht months. Besides changing the hand and body position on the bike, re stricting the training intensity, and taking ample pauses may also be necessary in prolonged and vigorous bicycle riding to prevent damage t o peripheral nerves.