Biking/cycling after prostate surgery

Dear all,

I thought it might be useful for me to share my experience biking after my RRP. Lots of guys ride bikes, and it’s a great exercise for us older men, since many, including me, can’t run anymore due to arthritis or other ailments.

I had my robotic radical prostatectomy surgery September 12. Obviously I was very tender down there for a while and biking was completely out of the question. I’m not sure when I was sufficiently healed form the surgery to begin biking, but it was not an issue for a while because I had problems with blood clots and urinary retention that had me using a catheter for weeks longer than would be normal. Finally all that mess resolved itself, and about eight weeks post surgery I asked my urologist what he thought about getting back on a bike, and he said that everything down there was as healed as it would be.

I started riding my mountain bike immediately after. I did a couple of things to make it easier on my sensitive parts. First, my bike has a rear shock that adjusts for a stiffer or softer ride. On my trails I haven’t normally needed the softer adjustment, by now I use it. Second, I adjusted the angle of the saddle to put the nose downward a little. Without adjusting it down, the nose bothered my perineal region some when I went over bumps. There are bike saddles with no nose, but I found that was not necessary.

When I go over bumpier sections of the trail I can feel it in the affected regions, but it’s not painful. A lot of the time I rise up off the saddle when the trail is rougher. I don’t ride very far, but I keep increasing distance, and have had no ill effects. I have not yet been out on the road bike.

Post Edited (fiddlecanoe) : 12/12/2016 7:57:20 AM (GMT-7)

I'm curious -- how quickly did other guys get back on their bikes? Any advice?

My surgery was in February and I am not a winter rider, so I waited until May and my first post surgery PSA. I also found a noseless saddle. I had no problems and have continued with no issues going on 5 years now. Ride on!!

Tom

Reltnie,

Did you get a noseless saddle because the traditional saddle was uncomfortable? I was able to ride with a conventional saddle as soon as I got back on my steed. I just angled the nose down to avoid pressure on the perineum.

FC

I like to chime in on any bike-related thread and make the case for a recumbent trike. It has been a miracle for me. While I have not had surgery, as I am metastatic (and now mCRPC), I have had a TURP surgery so have some experience with incontinence issues. More important, since like many metastatic men, my spine is one location where lesions have appeared. Being in the recumbent position is amazingly easy for my back. I can peddle away for very long periods on the same days where walking just a few houses down the street would knock me out with pain. I would think it likely is better on the prostate area than a traditional saddle arrangement. Happy trails!

I was given the ok to cycle at my 4 month post-surgery follow-up appointment. (I was given ok to run at 5 weeks). Best, Joe

Who's the maker of the noseless saddle? I won't be riding for a few more months as I too don't ride in cold weather, but would like to get the saddle ready.
Thanks,

Hmmm that looks interesting, I'll have to give that one a try.
Thanks,
Mark

I started riding my bike about six weeks after the operation. I was still leaking like crazy and had to change pads often during the ride. After riding for about two weeks, I regained control. It may be coincidence but I think the added pressure on my pelvic floor muscles of sitting on a bike seat while wearing pads helped to strengthen my pelvic muscles.

I was wanting to get back into cycling. I've been off my road bike for about 2 years while all this prostate stuff came about. My concern at the moment is will riding jack up my PSA and cause a decision issue as I'm currently on AS? Last year, my urologist suggested one of those big seats. I said um no to that. I've thought of the noseless option.

While I can't answer at the moment, "how long after surgery were you back on a bike", I can say that I got back on my machine 3 weeks after robotic mitral valve repair and did 10 miles.

Guy parts get numb normally during a good ride. I can only imagine the horror after RALP.

last post before today 12/16/2016...jus sews ur nose

I've just been diagnosed with Prostate Cancer. I've elected to have the prostate removed by the robotic method. Changed the saddle on my road bike to a Adamso (ISM) noseless one. Has anyone had any experience with these? I took it off a TT bike.
Diag at 66
Biopsy 5/2018 8 out of 13 cores
Gleason score 3 + 4.

Long time road rider and ex racer here.

Cyclist syndrome - or pudendal nerve entrapment is a real thing, and was always a concern for me even before PCa. Recovering from surgery and the impact of a narrow saddle only makes things worse.

I had my surgery in late August, and by the time my doc said more activity was OK - winter had moved into Boston, and has only recently left. I've only been out on the bike in the past month - and fitfully so as we had snow in early May! So far, so good.

I've been riding the Terry Fly Ti saddle with a center cut out for years. I simply angled the nose down a hair more than I normally ride, and it seems to work great. I find it a very comfortable road saddle, with good stiffness and performance and not ridiculously expensive.

Here's one source /www.biketiresdirect.com/product/terry-fly-ti-saddle?v=0000000&adl=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwur7YBRA_EiwASXqIHIMsXtMRr-aiaz8lCOAYR7dyrZAYnRaTVUTdxKkm5lueuvCZdj2PEBoCnesQAvD_BwE