Webmaster's note: many
prostatitis sufferers write to the newsgroup sci.med.prostate.prostatitis and ask about the relationship between bike riding and prostatitis. Your webmaster believes there is one. This page contains some newsgroup postings on the topic.
1.)I bicycle a lot. Can this bring about prostatitis? Can I have prostatitis without bacterial or fungal infection? What can help? Biker shorts, a cup?
I gave up bike riding, and so do most other people with prostatitis, from what I can tell. Some alternatives: recumbent bikes, gel pack seats. Your prostate (sometimes called the "seat of masculinity" is fairly close to the surface of the area that touches the seat of the average road bike. So every bump and pothole you go over is transmitted to that region. A recent report here in the states attempted to link bike riding with impotence, by the way.
2.) I'm not having any dysfunction, just dull pain. While riding, my right testicle has pulled all the way up into my groin twice. This is excruciating. Is this normal in prostatitis? (my doctor says no bicycle for one week)
Exercise is important generally, and, I think, especially so to prostatitis sufferers. I've heard of what you describe, a testicle ascending, but never relative to prostatitis. I wouldn't assume that your doctor is right that you do have prostatitis, by the way. No one really knows
what prostatitis is, so be wary of any diagnosis pertaining to it. Did he take any cultures of any sort? Probably not. He doesn't really know, he's just going by the law of averages.
I'd say your doctor is right to hold off on bike riding for a while. Personally, I'd suggest longer than a week. Is there any possibility you have a groin pull or something like that?
3.) I'm on Tiaramide (100mg), Aplace( (100mg), and Bacchidal (200mg). What are these drugs? What do they do? I think Tiaramide is also called norfloxacin. Isn't it for urinary tract infections? I don't want to seem uniformed, but I can't exactly have a heart to heart with the pharmacist.
I can't really help you with this because I'm not a doctor or pharmacist, and also have no first hand knowledge of these drugs. Most "flox" drugs are part of the quinonelle (and I know I have the spelling wrong) family. They are non-penicillin antibiotics that have many side effects. There are several health and drug sites on the Web that may be able to give you more information. Sorry, I don't have the links. Does anyone else?
Another prostatitis victim replied:
I'm a 100-mile-a-week bicyclist who also has prostatitis. Biking can make your prostatitis worse if you don't have your clothing and your seat configured properly. However, a bike cannot give you a bacterial infection. If you have a good diagnosis (lab work on your EPS) that shows you have bacteria in your prostate gland, no amount of biking or not-biking will affect the fact that you have an infection. If you don't have a lab analysis showing an infection, and your bike is not configured properly, you may have nothing more than irritation to your prostate gland from biking. Note that I am not a doctor.
You should find a seat that has a soft central area (midway between front and back). Several makers have holes cut in the underlying material at this part of the seat. My best seat is a "tailbones" by "Serfa." Also your seat should always be pointed down in front as much as possible. Any bike shop will (erroneously) try to have your seat end up nearly level. In my experience this will mash your prostate gland too much. Point it down in front more than the bike mechanics want you to. Put bar ends on so that you have two different hand heights on your handle bar, and ride dynamically, constantly moving your position (both seat and hands) so that you do not remain in any one posture for very long while riding. If you're using a road bike, put "Aero" bars on the front and use them, the "aero" bar position raises your seat quite a bit and saves your prostate some wear and tear.
I took 3 months off from biking last winter to nurse an unrelated injury, and notice no relief to myprostatitis. However, when I have ridden a borrowed or rented bike for even a short time, without a proper seat alignment etc. as described above, I have made my existing prostatitis much worse.
Of course always wear padded bike shorts. I often wear two pair, one right over the other.
