What is the best bicycle seat for prostate relief?
Spongy Wonder, Spiderflex, Moonsaddle, are some of the seats I'm looking at since my doctor told me to stop riding a bicycle due to prostate problems. Regular bike seats make my butt numb and sore. Have you tried any of these, or other seats, and which ones have you found to be the most comfortable?
Our answer:
The first thing that I want to make clear is that we are not doctors and nor do we claim to be so whatever you do, make sure that your doctor is on board and approves of your choice.
Many cyclists who want to enjoy the exercise aspect of cycling but have prostate issues end up riding a recumbent, so that may be an option that you explore depending on the severity of your issues. If you intend to stay on a two wheel cycle then we recommend that you check out some of the anatomically correct saddles that have a center groove cut through them to relieve pressure on the perineum.
I used to experience a rapid "numbing" in my groin when riding that would come on about 15 minutes into the ride and not get any better until the ride was complete. I checked around and ended up selecting a Specialized Alias Body Geometry saddle. It cured it instantly.
I have been a big fan ever since and you may want to give Specialized Saddles a look but if a traditional prostate type saddle is more your speed, we also have a selection of "nose-less" saddles that will reduce the pressure from the prostate and place it solely on the sit bones. Check out our Prostate bicycle seats here.
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You mentioned a recumbent, one of my friends uses one and it looks like it would be very comfortable. I can’t imagine the bike equivalent of a sofa chair would be too hard on your backside and would eliminate the issues you are having with the bicycle seats.
i found relief from pain and numbness in a saddle with the center cut away so I personally would recommend an anatomically correct saddle.
I agree with the site owner as I also used the Specialized Alias and it was fantastic compared to my old saddle. If riding is really important to you, it would be worth trying them until you find one that works.
The “evidence” that bicycling, and particularly saddles of certain design, can aggravate prostatitis are anecdotal at best and, unfortunately, many medical professionals are not immune to being influenced by what they read in the popular press (as opposed to peer-reviewed scholarly literature). This has sold a lot of split-design saddles of doubtful utility.
Bottom line: there’s no scientific evidence that your doc is right. But, go ahead and assume that he is. Better safe than sorry. I’m 60 years old and ride 200 to 400 miles a week on very slim, hard saddles with no trouble. I did put a semi-split, nose-down saddle on one of my bikes last year and can’t tell a bit of difference. If it weren’t for a broken foot, I’d be doing 500 miles on RAGBRAI right now. Did it on a Selle San Marco Aspide last year with no complaints.
I’ve attached some good resources below, beginning with a link to an Italian study. It seems to me that I recall that a Dr. Goldstein, a urologist that started this whole furor with a popular press article several years ago (addressing ED, not prostatitis), later recanted his opinion, but didn’t get press coverage on his change of mind. Tried without success to find references to that.
The recumbent suggestion is not a bad idea, but then I’m not aware of any good evidence that they are any better for your tender gland — just what people assume to the case based on their hunches.
I do know what causes ED – the same lifestyle that causes morbid obesity. Forget those handsome, slim, grey-haired actors on the TV commercials. The guys with that problem are the enormous, inactive guys on Harley Davidsons, not bicycle riders.
I hope you find something that works well for you. Do whatever you can that will keep you riding.
Ben
3 things people usually do wrong that lead to rear end problems
1- they get a soft seat. a soft seat squishes as your “sit bones” press down, the middle gel part pushes up into your sensitive areas and causes problems. Don’t do this. Get a seat where the sit bones are the right width for you and it should be hard as a board (or nearly so). I am friends with a number of folks that ride carbon fiber seats (you can only press your finger down a smidgen… you can barely tell you’re moving the padding).
2- poor bike shorts. If you haven’t already, drop $100 or more on some great bike shorts.
3- poor bike fit. You should be carrying a majority of your body weight on your arms and legs by clipping in and riding bent over. If you are riding in an upright position barely touching the handlebars you’ll have all of your upper body weight on your rear. The more aggressive position the more weight is held by your arms. A good example of this is a TT bike, where the rider’s upper body is supported by the bone structure in their arms.
If you aren’t riding a road bike (or you are riding a “comfort” road bike where you’re nearly upright) look at switching. Maybe take a TT bike out for a spin and spend your time on the aero bars.
Finally, make sure you’re standing some of the time. Every song change (or every mile) I stand for 8-10 pedal strokes to let fresh blood flow to my lower region. Sitting compresses the blood vessels and if you don’t relieve the pressure periodically you will be far more likely to experience numbness and prostate problems.
I am disappointed that my last comment seems to be removed which shows the overwhelming weight of evidence that the bicycle nose is related to sexual dysfunction. Yet, Ben’s comments indicate he knows the causes of ED and it is not cycling. Is he a physician? Where are the medical studies? You didn’t want a list of 60 studies to the contrary to Ben so Ben’s comment stands unchallenged? What authority does Ben have?
@Steve – That was my fault…I have a plugin that allows you to manage comments without going into the admin section of the site and I deleted your comment by mistake.
Once it was gone I couldn’t get it back….you are more than welcome to post it again as I didn’t delete it on purpose.
While I agree with Ben that that there is little medical/scientific data published on prostate problems and cycling; I have to strongly disagree with his comments on sexual dysfunction. There are research studies from around the world showing a clear relationship between cycling (the saddle nose) and sexual dysfunction in both men and women.
The weight of medical evidence that the saddles nose is related to sexual dysfunction in men and women is overwhelming and is widely accepted in the medical community. The reason cyclists do not buy into it is not because it is not true but instead it does not affect everyone (I am ok for now, so it is not a real problem – coined smoker’s denial). Also bike fitters and saddle salesmen want you to believe otherwise to make a buck. These studies are from many highly respected research labs and are published in peer reviewed journals. Check them out for yourself.
Published Scientific Research on Bicycle Saddles and the Male Perineum
1. Bond, R.E. Distance Bicycling May Cause Ischemic Neuropathy of Penis. Physician and Sports Medicine 3:54-56. 1975.
2. Goodson, J.D. Pudendal Neuritis from Biking. N Engl J Med 304:365. 1981
3. Kerstien, MD, S.A. Gould, E. French-Sherry, and C. Pirman. Perineal Trauma and Vasculogenic Impotence. J Urol 127:57. 1982.
4. Solomon, S. and K.G. Cappa. Impotence and Bicycling: a Seldom-reported Connection. Postgrad Med 81:99-102. 1987.
5. Desai, K.M. and J.C. Gingell. Hazards of Long Distance Cycling. Brit J Med 298:1072-1073. 1989.
6. Mellion, M.B. Common Cycling Injuries: Management and Prevention. Sports Med 11:52-70. 1991.
7. Silbert PL, Dunne JW, Edis RH, Stewart-Wynne EG. Bicycling induced pudendal nerve pressure neuropathy. Clin Exp Neurol. 28:191-6. 1991
8. Groenendijk, MC, HCCM Christiaans, CMJ van Hulten. Sitting Comfort on Bicycles. Contemporary Ergonomics pp 551-557, 1992
9. Oberpenning, F. S Roth, DB Luesmann, H van Ahlen, and L Hertle. The Alcock Syndrome: Temporary penile Insensitivity Due to Compression of the Pudental Nerve with the Alcock Canal. J Urol 151:423-5. 1994.
10. Andersen, K.V. and G. Bovim. Impotence and Nerve Entrapment in Long Distance Amateur Cyclists. Acta Neurol Scand 95:233-240. 1997.
11. LaSalle, MD, C Wen, M Choi, P Salimpour, A Adelstein, S Gholami, RJ Krane, and I Goldstein. “You Don’t Have to Ride in the Tour de France”: Erectile Dysfunction in 81 Consecutive Riders. Abstracts of the American Urological Association. 1999.
12. Broderick, GA. Bicycle Seats and Penile Blood Flow: Does the Type of Saddle Matter? Abstracts of the American Urological Association. 1999
13. Schwarzer, U. W. Wiegand, A Bin-Saleh, H Lotzerick, G Kahrmann, T Klotz, and U Engelmann. Genital Numbness and Impotence Rate in Long Distance Cyclists. Abstracts of the American Urological Association. 1999
14. Nayal W, Schwarzer U, Klotz T, Heidenreich A, Engelmann U. Transcutaneous penile oxygen pressure during bicycling. BJU Int. 83:623-5. 1999.
15. Ricchiuti, VS, CA Haas, AD Seftel, T Chelimsky, and I Goldstein. Pudental Nerve Injury Associated with Avid Bicycling. J Urol 162:2099-2100. 1999
16. Sommer, F, D Konig, C Graf, U Schwarzer, C Bertram, T Klotz and U Engelmann. Impotence and Genital Numbness in Cyclists. Int J Sports Med 22:410-413. 2001
17. Marceau, L., K. Kleinman, I. Goldstein, and J McKinlay. Does Bicycling Contribute to the Risk of Erectile Dysfunction? Results from the Massachusetts Male Aging Study (MMAS). Int J Impotence Res 18:298-302. 2001.
18. Sommer, F., U Schwarzer, C Graf, T Klotz, and U Engelman. Changes in penile blood flow during cycling: what precautions should be taken to avoid a decreased profusion? Dtsch Med Wschr 126:939-943. 2001
19. Schwarzer, U., F. Sommer, T. Klotz, C. Cremer, and U. Engelmann. Cycling and Penile Oxygen Pressure: the Type of Saddle Matters. European Urology 41:139-143. 2002
20. Jeong, SJ, K Park, JD Moon, and SB Ryu. Bicycle Saddle Shape affects Penile blood flow. International J Impotence Research 14:513-517. 2002.
21. Keytel, LR and TD Noakes. Effects of a Novel Bicycle Saddle on Symptoms and Comfort in Cyclists. S Afr. Med J 2:295-298. 2002
22. Grunbaum A, K Rehman, I Kuzmarov, and S. Carrier. The Development of a Model to Investigate the Effect of Bicycling on Sexual Function. International J Impotence Research 14:S50. 2002
23. Mumarriz, R. A Prospective Study in Men with ED of Cavernosal Artery PSV Values While Lying, Sitting, Straddling/sitting on different Commercially Available Bicycle Saddle and Seat Designs. International J Impotence Research 14:S60. 2002
24. Taylor, JA. Inherent Variables within Bicycle Riding and Their Relationship to erectile Dysfunction. International J Impotence Research 14:S30. 2002
25. Sommer, F, A Raible, S Wolter, and U Engelmann. Is there any difference in penile blood flow during cycling in an upright vs. reclining position? Andrologia 34:123-153. 2002
26. Schrader, S.M., M. J. Breitenstein, J.C. Clark, B. D. Lowe, and T. W. Turner. Nocturnal Penile Tumescence and Rigidity Testing of Bicycling Patrol Officers. Journal of Andrology 23:927-934. 2002.
27. Mumarriz, R.. Bicycle Riding Associated Erectile Dysfunction: Treatment Outcome of Revascularization Surgery. International J Impotence Research 14:S55. 2002
28. Southorn, T. Great Balls of Fire and the Vicious Cycle. A Study of the Effects of Cycling on Male Fertility. J Family Planning and Reprod Health Care. 28:211-213. 2002
29. Spears, IR, NK Cummins, Z Brenchley, C Donohue, C Turnbull, Shona Burton, and G Macho. The Effect of Saddle Design on Stresses in the Perineum During Cycling. Med & Science in Sports & Exercise 35:1620-1625. 2003.
30. Rando R, R Squadrone, M Sacchi, and A Marzegan. Pressure Distribution on Bicycle Saddles. The Bicycle Saddle Report 2003.Deutsche Sporthochshute. 2003.
31. Sommer F. Type of Saddle and Sitting Position Influence Penile Oxygen Pressure while Cycling. The Bicycle Saddle Report 2003.Deutsche Sporthochshute. 2003.
32. Lowe, B., S. Schrader, and M. Breitenstein. Effect of Saddle Design on the Perineal Pressure of the Bicyclist. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 36:1055-1062. 2004
33. Dettori, JR, TD Koepsell, P Cummins and JM Corman. Erectile Dysfunction after a Long-Distance Cycling Event: Association with Bicycle Characteristics. J Urology 172:637-641. 2004
34. Taylor, JA, TC Kao, PC Albertson, and R Shabsigh. Bicycling Riding and Its Relationship to the Development of Erectile Dysfunction. J Urology 172:1028-1-31. 2004.
35. Leibovitch, I and Y Mor. The Vicious Cycling: Bicycling Related Urogenital Disorders. Eur Urology 47:277-287. 2005
36. Cohen JD, and MT Gross. Effect of Bicycle Racing Saddle Design on Transcutaneous Penile Oxygen Pressure. J Sports Med and Physical Fitness. 45:409-419. 2005.
37. Huang V, R Munarriz, and I Goldstein. Bicycling Riding and Erectile Dysfunction: An Increase in Interest (and Concern). J Sex Med 2:596-604. 2005
38. Breda G, N Piazza, V Bernardi, E Lunardon and A Caruso. Development of a New Geometric Bicycle Saddle for the Maintenance of Genital-Perineal Vascular Perfusion. J Sex Med 2:605-611. 2005
39. Munarriz R, V Huang, J Uberoi, S Maitland, T Payton and I Goldstein. Only the Nose Knows: Penile Hemodynamic Study of the Perineum-Saddle Interface in Men with Erectile Dysfunction Utilizing Bicycle Saddles and Seat with and with Nose Extensions. J Sex Med 2:612-619. 2005.
40. Schrader, SM. Research on Bicycle Saddles and Sexual Health Comes of Age. J Sex Med. 2:594-595. 2005.
41. Bressel E, Reeve T, Parker D, Cronin J. Influence of bicycle seat pressure on compression of the perineum: A MRI analysis. J Biomech. 40:198-202. 2007.
42. Gemery, JM, AK Nangia, AC Mamourian, and SK Reid. Digital three-dimensional modeling of the male pelvis and bicycle seats: impact of rider position and seat design on potential penile hypoxia and erectile dysfunction. B J Urology International 99:135-140. 2007
43. Wilson C, and TR Bush. Interface forces on the seat during cycling activity. Clin Biomech. 200722:1017-1023. 2007.
44. Asplund C., T Barkdull, and BD Weiss. Genitourinary Problems in Bicyclists. Current Sports Medicine Reports 6:333-339. 2007
45. Nanka O, Sedý J, Jarolím L. Sulcus nervi dorsalis penis: site of origin of Alcock’s syndrome in bicycle riders? Med Hypotheses. 2007;69(5):1040-5.
46. Standard bicycle seats can lead to erectile dysfunction. Mayo Clin Health Lett. 25:4. 2007.
47. Goldstein I, Lurie AL, Lubisich JP. Bicycle riding, perineal trauma, and erectile dysfunction: data and solutions. Curr Urol Rep. 8:491-7. Review. 2007.
48. Bressel E, Parker D. Effect of Graded Bicycle Seat Pressure on Perineal Compression: An MRI Analysis. Br J Sports Med. 2008
49. Schrader SM, Breitenstein MJ, Lowe BD. Cutting Off the Nose to Save the Penis. J Sex Med. 5:1932-1940, 2008
50. Kennedy J. Neurologic injuries in cycling and bike riding. Neurol Clin. 26 :271-9. 2008
51. Cohen, J. Finding the Perfect Bicycle Seat. 2nd Edition, RBR Publishing Company, South Royalton, VT. 2008.
52. Goldstein, I. The A, B, C’s of The Journal of Sexual Medicine: Awareness, bicycle seats, and choices. J Sex Med 5:1773-1775, 2008.
53. Goldstein, I, M Bastuba, A Lurie, and J Lubisich. Penile Revascularization. J Sex Med 5:2018-2021
Published Scientific Research on Bicycle Saddles and the Female Perineum
1. Dickerson, RL. Bicycling for Women from the Standpoint of the Gynaecologist. Am J Obstet of Women and Children 31:24-37. 1895.
2. Steiner E, Chague A, Gross GB. [The "third testis" of cyclists, in women too...]
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3. Groenendijk, MC, HCCM Christiaans, CMJ van Hulten. Sitting Comfort on Bicycles. Contemporary Ergonomics pp 551-557, 1992.
4. McElhinney, BE, T Horner, WW Dinsmore, A Harper, C Goldsmith, and RD Maw. Exercise bicycle-induced vulval abscesses. International J of STD & AIDS 4:174-175. 1993
5. LaSalle M, P Sallinpour, M Adelstein, A Mourzinos, C Wen, J Renzuli, B Goldstein, L Goldstein, J Cantey-Kiser, RJ Krane, and I Goldstein. Sexual and Urinary Tract Dysfunction if Female Bicyclists. J Urol Vol 161 (No 4 Suppl) pp 269 #1040. 1999.
6. Berman J, L Berman, and E Bumiller. For Women Only: A Revolutionary Guide to Overcoming Sexual Dysfunction and Reclaiming Your Sex Life. Henry Holt & Co. 2001.
7. Buller, JC. Female Cyclists and Perineal Symptoms: An Experimental Bicycle Seat. Clinc J Sprts Med 11:289-290. 2001.
8. Baeyens L, E Vermeersch, and P Bourgeois. Bicyclist’s Vulva: Observational Study. BMJ 325:138-139. 2002.
9. Humphries D. Unilateral Vulval Hypertrophy in Competitive Female Cyclists. Br J Sports Med 36:463-464. 2002.
10. Bressel E and BJ Larson. Bicycle Seat Designs and Their Effect on Pelvic Angle, Trunk Angle, and Comfort. Med Sci in Sports & Exercise. 35:327-332. 2003.
11. Frobose I, L Baeyens, and K Tofaute. Ergonomics of 2 Bicycle Saddles – Pressure at the Pudental Area in Women of a Normal Saddle with Gel and of a Saddle with a Hole. The Bicycle Saddle Report 2003.Deutsche Sporthochshute. 2003.
12. Guess MK, KA. Connell1, SM. Schrader, S Reutman, A Wang, J Lacombe, C Toennis, B Lowe, A Melman, and MS Mikhail. Genital Sensation & Female Sexual Function In Cyclists And Runners: Are Your Feet Safer Than Your Seat? Journal of Sexual Medicine 3:1018-1027. 2006.
Hi I live in the UK I was just wondering I can not see how prostate problems can be caused by riding your bike.
I have a problem and it is that I had my prostate removed and an artificial sphincter fitted as the tubes pass under the scrotum when I ride a bike it opens the spincter and I end up wet too much information I hear you say but as I love my bike I still wanted to use it so I have been looking around for a decent seat I have found a company on the net and there email address is info@bicycleseats.org I found a seat called the easy seat duluxe and it is two seats in one that your cheeks seem to fit on to so taking the pressure off the middle sensitive parts has anybody tried it yet I would be very interested to hear from you if you have
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