Redesigned Bike Seat May Prevent Problem
If you're a male who rides a bicycle, it may be time for a new seat, advises a UCSF Stanford Health Care urologist who has studied penile injury suffered by riders using traditional bikes.
"Serious riders even joke about the numbness or pain that often accompanies the pressure on the perineum - the area between the penis and the testicles - that often linger after long bike rides," says Robert Kessler, M.D., professor of urology at Stanford University School of Medicine. "But it's a serious issue. Urologists regularly see cases of long-term or even permanent damage to male riders, including the inability to develop or maintain an erection."
Bike riders can relieve these symptoms by standing periodically as they pedal and shift position in the saddle, but a long-term solution, says Kessler, is a heart-shaped bicycle seat with a depression in the center. This design takes pressure from the perineum and redistributes it to the bones on each side. Since 1998, such "special seats" have become widely available in bicycle shops and are priced competitively. Kessler says that while most symptoms are temporary and considered only mildly annoying during an otherwise pleasant activity, "it's not worth the risk to persist in using a seat that over time might cause permanent damage. I wouldn't wait for symptoms before changing seats."
In a study completed this year, Kessler and a colleague looked at 25 men, ages 27 to 62, who reported symptoms of perineal pain, discomfort, numbness or erectile dysfunction. All but two of the men - who put in a minimum of six hours per week of riding - had complete or almost complete loss of symptoms after a minimum of one month. Kessler says tests have not shown whether the seats offer any comfort advantages to women, although he notes that bike shops regularly sell other products, including seats, targeted for female safety and comfort.
