A preliminary study to assess saddle induced discomfort and non-traumatic perineal injuries for male cyclists
Résumé
According to the studies conducted on large samples of amateur and professional road cyclists, between 33 to 41% complained of problems such as neuropathic pain, perineal chronic numbness, saddle sores and nodules, impotence and erectile dysfunction [1,2]. A research project has been initiated aiming to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the saddle related discomfort, and the mechanism of onset of non-traumatic injuries through performing MRI scans, along with pressure mapping and motion capture experiments for two common cycling postures: "tops" and "drops" (Figure 1). A novel approach has been taken in this study for scanning cyclist's perineal anatomy by making use of a PARAmed upright open MRI scanner. The advantage of this scanner is its capacity to accommodate a cyclist in realistic postures for imaging. However, due to its usage of 0.5 tesla magnet, the optimum resolution for a good compromise between image acquisition time and ability in subject-specific computational model generation of the thin structures of the perineum was a concern. Therefore, a pilot study was conducted to examine the image quality, and assess the levels of tissue deformations for the two mentioned postures.