What should you do if you get injured while cycling outdoors?
1. Knee Injury
Causes:
1. Cycling for too long, causing excessive strain on the knees.
2. Poor coordination between the bicycle and your body leads to overexertion and knee damage.
3. Knees getting cold in cold weather.

Treatment Methods:
1. Apply ice to the knee, but not for more than 20 minutes.
2. If the pain is at the front of the knee, raise the saddle by 2–3 mm. If the pain is at the back of the knee, lower the saddle by 2–3 mm. When climbing, alternate between sitting and standing positions to use different muscle groups.
3. Keep your knees warm in cold weather by wearing knee pads or long pants.
2. Lower Back Pain
Causes:
Long periods without cycling or beginners not used to off-road cycling may experience lower back pain, which can sometimes extend down the legs.
Treatment Methods:

Focus on training these areas during workouts. The more you cycle, the stronger your back muscles will become. A high-quality dual-suspension bike can also help alleviate lower back pain.
3. Neck Pain
Causes:
Keeping your neck stretched out for long periods can tire and strain the neck muscles.
Treatment Methods:

Maintain proper cycling posture. Don’t grip the handlebars too tightly; let your elbows and shoulders relax, and keep your upper body loose to ensure flexibility. Regularly massage your neck muscles. If the pain persists, consult a chiropractor for an adjustment.
4. Skin Abrasion
Causes:
Cycling at high speeds, lack of concentration, brake failure, or other unexpected situations.
Treatment Methods:

Clean the wound with medicated cotton swabs and red medicine. To keep the wound clean, wear loose clothing and get a tetanus shot.
5. Skin Inflammation
Causes:
Reason:
Friction between skin surfaces, between skin and clothing, as well as pollen in the air, among other factors.

Treatment methods:
Pay attention to personal hygiene and apply anti-bacterial treatment to the body and skin. Before departure, you can use petroleum jelly and tea tree oil to rub areas prone to inflammation, providing lubrication and protective treatment. If the weather is relatively warm, wear thinner and looser clothing.
6. Sunburn
Cause:
Inflammation and damage to the skin due to prolonged exposure to strong ultraviolet rays.

Treatment methods:
Apply sunscreen to areas such as the face, nose, arms, hands, neck, ears, and exposed legs. Scar tissue is very sensitive to sunlight; if you have scars, cover them with clothing or other items. Wear leg and arm sleeves on your legs and arms. Calamine lotion and ice can help relieve sunburn. Keep using high-quality moisturizer to ease symptoms and keep the sunburned areas moist.
7. Acne (Rashes/Bike Seat Sores)
Cause:
Often occurs between the thighs and is caused by the friction and pressure between the skin and the bike seat, leading to damage of the skin’s epidermis. Sometimes it's caused by ingrown hairs. These sores can easily become pus-filled when infected by sweat.

Treatment methods:
Purchase high-quality cycling shorts. After cycling, take off sweat-soaked shorts and change into clean, dry clothes immediately after showering. If you get acne, wait until it matures, then lance it, squeeze out the pus, and disinfect it. At the same time, use hot wax to remove hair from the infected area to prevent the acne from worsening.
8. Eyes
Cause:
Certain things may injure the eyes, such as sunlight, insects, plants, dust, stones, mud splashes, etc.

Treatment methods:
Prepare two pairs of glasses—one for sun protection and one for wearing in low light (you can buy glasses with interchangeable lenses or ones that adjust automatically to light conditions). If mud is splashing everywhere, don’t rely solely on glasses—also turn your face sideways and use your nose to shield one eye from the mud.
9. Fractures
Cause:
Relatively serious cycling accidents.

Treatment methods:
Take care of the injured area and seek medical attention calmly. Be careful not to subject the wound to further external impact. If there's an open fracture, cover the wound with a clean cloth and bind it to stop bleeding. Immobilize the injured part with bandages or a splint.
10. Sharp Pain in the Ribs
Cause:
This sharp, sudden pain in the ribs is caused by injury when the diaphragm is pulled upward from beneath the ribs.

Treatment methods:
When cycling, do not hunch over the handlebars. Keep your back straight and chest upright, giving the diaphragm enough space to move. Warm up before exercise. Ride at a speed within your physical limits.
11. Heatstroke
Cause:
If the human body cannot regulate its temperature through sweating, heatstroke may occur.

Treatment methods:
Move the person suffering from heatstroke to a cool place, remove their clothing, and wrap them in cold, wet sheets. Alternatively, place the patient in a bathtub to lower their body temperature below 38°C. If the person is conscious, give them salt water every ten minutes to replenish fluids. Cyclists can carry heatstroke prevention items such as cooling oil, Rendan, or Shidishui.
12. Sprains
Causes:
Incorrect cycling posture or uneven road surfaces causing excessive stress on joints.

Treatment methods:
Wrap the injured limb with a bandage and suspend it to reduce swelling, minimize internal bleeding, and prevent inflammation. Apply anti-inflammatory ointment or use ultrasound therapy or physical exercise treatments. Gently moving the injured area aids recovery and helps avoid muscle atrophy and stiffness.
13. Wrists and Hands
Causes:
Rough roads, excessive impact, or having arms too straight and gripping the handlebars too tightly for extended periods.

Treatment methods:
Install shock absorbers and suspension stems, and wear cycling gloves. Occasionally take your hands off the handlebars while riding, shake them a bit, then grip again. Hold the handlebars with the rear part of your hands, avoiding the sensitive area between the thumb and index finger.
14. Achilles Tendon
Causes:
Issues with pedaling technique. When the saddle is too high, you have to pedal forcefully with your toes, and prolonged overexertion can damage the tendon.

Treatment methods:
Adjust the saddle height. While cycling, keep your foot and ankle at a 90-degree angle and try not to move them. On long trips, try pedaling with different parts of your foot to avoid excessive tension on the tendon.
15. Back
Causes:
Caused by incorrect posture. When cycling on rough roads, a straight spine lacks cushioning, and bumps cause spinal joints to compress together, exacerbating back pain.

Treatment methods:
Choose a bicycle that fits your size properly, maintain correct cycling posture, and keep your back slightly arched while riding. Your hips and shoulders should not slump, allowing the back to arch slightly more upon impact, which is harmless.
Choosing the correct cycling posture is the most direct and effective way to avoid bodily injuries and cycling accidents, so riders, please pay attention.
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