Bike Riding?

Didn't Bluebird or someone say to stay away from Bike riding? I'm thinking of taking it up again. Any thoughts from the masses? Thanks folks!

Axe

Axeman.  My Dr. does not recommend bikes motorcycles or horses for a while.  Hope this helps

Mika

Axeman,

I am in the same boat... I love to mtn bike and trail ride my horses... Unfortuneately, I have been told by doctor to stay away from these activities for 3-6 months depending on how the incontinace recovery is doing... :-( So, I will do something else this summer... More hiking I guess.

Ray

Hey Cedar Chopper, I play guitar both bass and rhythm. It's a great hobby now, was in lot's of groups in the past 40 years.

As far as the bike riding. I'm 2.5 years since the operation. I rode some last summer a little bit, but really want to ride 10 or so miles a day and get back into it. It probably is best to stay away from it 3 - 6 months after the operation. I would think i'm ok now to ride some.

Thanks for all the replies.

Axe

Partial quote from previous posting by bluebird… It truly amazes us when we read postings that some members have gone back to riding bikes, etc….   Not us!!!   We are going to protect this little guy with everything in our powers.   If it means no bikes… no horseback riding… Not A Problem … we can sure live without those!!!   Again ~ this is strictly a Personal Choice     I know there’s a bike seat with an opening ~ which is the only way to go if you’re going to ride!!!   Protect your sphincter muscle at all cost!!!!       Partial quote from previous posting by sjr… I did go bike riding 40 days later with absolutely no problem. Since my surgery,       Hey ~ Axeman,   There have been other discussions about this topic.   And there is a special seat with an opening in it to help relieve the pressure.   Swimom has some info on this seat… I’ve tried to find the posting…. but don’t seem to be having any luck… Yep ~ bikes, horses, riding lawnmowers, snowmobiles, specific exercise equipment….and hard surfaces that put the extra pressure and/or shake the sphincter muscle area (insides too!)... is not recommended after surgery.   It definitely is a "personal choice" as to when you resume your “activities”.      A personal choice for us…. Living a nice long time being continent…. We have only 1 sphincter muscle left and we definitely don’t want to injure this area so ~ we choose not to do many things.   And the neat thing about it ~ is we’ve incorporated new things into our daily life… because of this choice.   It is mind boggling to us when we read about members golfing so soon after surgery.    Isn’t it wonderful that we have choices and “we make the choice”.   Each person heals at different rates… Please let you’re body tell you when it’s right for you… to do the things you’re itching to get back to!     Take care and Happy Every~Day…………   Lee & Buddy

    Dear Bike Riders…..     I just want you all to know that    “ I care about  my guys on the forum!!!!!!! ”      I truly understand the passion and the desires to get back to the norm.   So ~ I’ve linked a few sites that have the seats that relieve the pressure from the sphincter area… I’m sure most of you have already checked this out ~ but I feel better doing this …                             then I know I’ve helped “your” sphincter…. Too!!!  ~ Happy Biking ~                “don’t forget your helmets!”                                                            Chirp~Chirp~Chirping   This is not an advertisement…. It is just “Helpful Hints” …     Link:   http://lakeside-bikes.com/itemdetails.cfm?id=2305 Link :   Specialized BG Comfort Saddle   Copy & Past in address http://lakeside-bikes.com/sitesearch.cfm?navigatorid=0&pageid=19&destinationid=0&contenttype=0&faqid=45 Page opens… Type in site search:   open SEAT     Warm Hugs and Gentle Thoughts of you Riding in the Wind ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~    In Friendship ~ Lee & Buddy Post Edited (bluebird) : 6/29/2007 8:19:32 AM (GMT-6)

Thanks for bringing this topic up again.

I posted above and stand by my advice.  RECUMBENT BIKES are the only answer for serious bike riders.  The seats that Bluebird hasrecommended are very nice if you are out for an occasional Sunday ride, but if you are going to do 20/30 miles or more at time they are still a serious pain in the ####.  Even the split, highly padded seats put too much pressure on a very sensitive area of the body.

Narrow bike seats might even be the culpert in serious prostitis, testicular cancer, and other problems.  They are bad news.  I know.  I was a serious recreational rider.  I rode centurys and triathalons and trained hundreds of miles a week.  I even blame it for my PCa.  My doctor agreed that it caused problems, but stopped short of calling it a cancer causative.

So...If you are going to ride long distances, Get a recumbent bike.

Have Fun

I had asked bluebird for this link (Thanks for bumping it, bluebird), and find it intersting that most of the bicycling discussion revolves around incontinence, but when I searched on Google (KW="prostatectomy bicycling") it brought up several references to an association between bicycling and ED.  Here's one of them, with the related paragraph from it as follows:

"Bicycle riding is widely recognized to be both beneficial for the environment and an excellent cardiovascular exercise. However, population studies have shown that riding a bicycle for more than 3 hours a week is an independent risk factor for ED and generally occurs in a younger and healthier population. Single-vessel arterial revascularization surgery may provide an opportunity for natural, spontaneous erections in men who experience ED as a result of bicycle riding. Munarriz and colleagues^[5] of Boston University performed a retrospective analysis of the records of 79 men with ED associated with bicycle riding who received penile revascularization surgery from 1998 to 2002 with a single anastomosis between an inferior epigastric artery and a dorsal artery. They demonstrated significant improvement in erectile function and intercourse satisfaction and a corresponding improvement in overall well-being. This therapy should be considered in a carefully selected population with isolated arteriogenic ED.

From another article:

"Bicycling. Studies have indicated that frequent bicycling may pose a risk for erectile dysfunction by reducing blood flow to the penis. The greatest risk is in cyclers who sit upright while cycling. In addition, a 2004 report in the Journal of Urology found that long distance cyclers may reduce their risk by riding a road bike instead of a mountain bike and by choosing saddles without a cutout."

 

Seems from that articles that there is an issue with blood supply, even without prostatectomy, and that there are other good reasons to avoid it in this situation.  (I'm not an avid biker, but it does come in handy sometimes, and it looks like the wisdom now is to avoid it, even if the incontinence is not an issue.)