Groin Pain from Cycling: The Triathlete's Guide to Saddle Pain
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
Groin pain from cycling is often caused by prolonged pressure on nerves and soft tissue around the saddle area, especially during longer rides or after increasing training volume. This article explains how bike fit, saddle position, mobility restrictions, and nerve irritation can contribute to cycling-related groin pain.
It also covers warning signs that should not be ignored, along with practical ways to reduce symptoms while riding. A Triathlete Physical Therapist can help identify the source of pain and guide treatment strategies that support long-term riding comfort and performance.
What Causes Groin Pain From Cycling
Dealing with some sort of groin discomfort when first getting into cycling is a less talked-about rite of passage, much like falling over while learning to use clipless pedals. Most riders will experience some discomfort as they get used to spending more time in the saddle.
Normal discomfort will usually be felt on your ischial tuberosities, or your “sit bones”, only while riding and should improve as you get used to being on the bike. But discomfort that turns into lingering groin pain or numbness off the bike is not normal, especially if you also start noticing issues in the bathroom or the bedroom.
Groin pain from cycling is typically caused by prolonged pressure on nerves and soft tissues from the saddle. The most common nerve to be compressed is the pudendal nerve, leading to a diagnosis of Pudendal Neuralgia, AKA “Cyclist’s Syndrome”.
The pudendal nerve is responsible for sensation of the external genitalia, perineum, and anus as well as controlling bladder, bowel, and sexual functions. So compression of this nerve can lead to:
Burning, shooting, or stabbing pain of the external genitalia, perineum, and/or anus
Sensation of sitting on a golf ball when seated on a chair
Issues and/or pain with urination and bowel movements
Erectile dysfunction
A back injury can also lead to groin pain or numbness, but that is more rare.
Getting a proper bike fit, changing positions while riding, and mobility exercises can all help decrease groin pain while cycling.
Warning Signs You Should Not Ignore
Groin pain that goes away after taking 1-2 days off the bike can usually be solved without too much medical intervention. However, you should consult a medical professional if your current symptoms start lasting longer, or if you start having any of the following symptoms:
Numbness and/or tingling down one or both legs
Leg weakness
Loss of sensation in your groin area
Worsening bowel or bladder problems
If you experience groin numbness, bowel or bladder changes (especially the inability to initiate urination or bowel movements), significant leg weakness, or severe back pain, seek medical attention immediately.
When to See a Physical Therapist
Nerve-related issues like Pudendal Neuralgia are often “diagnoses of exclusion”, meaning other medical conditions are often ruled out first. That’s because many cases of nerve compression from cycling are not severe enough to clearly show up on imaging or other tests.
Physical therapists, especially those with pelvic floor training, are uniquely positioned to help with exercise-related groin pain because treatment is based on your symptoms and functional limitations (e.g. groin pain with cycling) rather than on imaging findings alone. That may include addressing factors like bike position, pelvic floor tension, training load, or mobility restrictions.
Addressing groin pain from cycling early on makes rehab much easier and recovery time much shorter than waiting for symptoms to get really bad. Consider seeing a Triathlete Physical Therapist if:
Pain starts affecting your ability to train
Saddle or bike fit changes have not helped
Pain lingers for a few hours or more after rides
Pain keeps returning whenever you increase cycling volume
Pain starts affecting your life outside of exercise (e.g. sleep, sitting tolerance, sexual function)
A Triathlete Physical Therapist can help determine where your groin pain is coming from. They would also be able to recognize if your symptoms may require further medical evaluation and help guide you to the appropriate provider if needed.
How Bike Fit Affects Groin Pain with Cycling
A poorly fitting bike and wrong saddle type are the biggest contributors to groin pain with cycling. Getting a proper bike fit can help with positioning and determining if you need a different saddle.
Saddle Position
Common bike fit issues that can lead to groin pain include saddle (and subsequently handlebar) height, saddle fore/aft position, and saddle tilt. Your fit will also depend on whether you are riding a road bike or a TT/triathlon bike.
When on a road bike, you should be sitting on your “sit bones”. If you feel any pressure, it should be there instead of on soft tissue or just inside the “sit bones” (that’s where the pudendal nerve passes through!).
On a TT or triathlon bike, though, you will be in a much more forward leaning position. So you should be “sitting” on the pubic rami, or the bony area near the front of your groin. Again, you should be putting pressure on the bony areas, not on soft tissue.
The TT or triathlon bike seat posture also applies if you decide to use clip-on aero bars with a road bike. You may need to change your saddle position depending on whether you are using the aero bars or not.
Saddle Type
Sometimes a good bike fit can solve your groin pain without needing to get a new saddle. But if it doesn’t, or if your saddle is the wrong size, trying a different saddle is the next step.
Like running shoes for running, finding the right saddle is highly individual and can require trying several different brands and models until you find the right one for you. And there are also different saddles for road bikes and TT/triathlon bikes.
Most triathletes dealing with pudendal neuralgia have success with a center cut-out saddle for a road bike or a split-nose saddle for a TT/triathlon bike to decrease pain and pressure on the soft tissue while riding.
Bike fitters located in bike shops will often have several different models and sizes you can try during your bike fit to help make the process of finding the right saddle faster and easier.
How to Reduce Groin Pain While Riding
Once a nerve gets irritated, it usually takes quite a while to calm down. So you might continue to experience some symptoms during longer rides, even after getting a good bike fit and finding a comfortable saddle.
A way to combat this is by decreasing pressure on your pelvis and allowing more blood flow to the area. Even if you are no longer sitting directly on the nerve courtesy of your bike fit, tissue compression near the nerve still decreases blood flow to the area which can irritate an already sensitive nerve.
Two ways to do this while riding is to take breaks often by riding out of the saddle for a few minutes or changing positions by riding on the drops.
Stretching and Mobility for Triathletes
Your pelvic floor muscles can sometimes become overly tense as a reaction to groin pain, which also contributes to nerve compression. So decreasing saddle compression through a bike fit and position changes while riding are sometimes not enough to get rid of all of your symptoms long term.
For long term symptom relief without giving up cycling, the nerve needs to be able to move within the surrounding tissues without getting irritated.
Mobility exercises targeting the pelvic floor and hips, especially hip internal rotation, can help decrease the tension in the muscles around the nerve. The Happy Baby pose, Adductor Rock Backs, and 90-90 Hip Switches are some examples of exercises you could try. None of your mobility exercises should be painful; that would just irritate the nerve further.
Focusing on deep breathing, especially while doing the mobility exercises, can also help calm your nervous system and subsequently your pudendal nerve.
If you are located in Nevada and are looking for a physical therapist who understands triathletes, I’d be happy to help you. I specialize in remote rehab for triathletes and also have pelvic floor training to better help you with groin pain from cycling.
If you want to continue training and riding without pain (and without rehab taking over your life), schedule a virtual assessment with me below!
