# ow! my butt!! saddle sore cures



## *rt* (Feb 3, 2004)

i know this was covered ad nausem on the board in its previous format but when i run a search all i come up with is everything ever posted by Saddle Sore!! and as much as i would just love to read everything he/she has ever posted i'm a lot more interested in getting rid of this painful little bump on my nether-regions!

i've never had a saddle sore before (riding for 5 years now) and all in one weekend i crash AND get a saddle sore. ow! ow! ow!

i've been putting A&D Ointment on it but it doesn't seem to be helping one iota. any other suggestions???

thanks!!

rt


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## bill105 (Mar 19, 2003)

chamois cream at just about any bike shop. itttsssss nnnniiccceeeee. but be careful, its addictive.


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## Spirito (Nov 26, 2001)

*stay off the bike*

there is no faster way - keep it clean, use some form of astringment, keep the area dry and use fresh dressing regularly & wait till it heals comletely.

riding on it means it will take longer to heal.

ciao


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## Mariowannabe (Oct 21, 2002)

*Hydrocortisone Cream*

1% is the way to go.


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## K-Zero (Feb 7, 2004)

*I can't believe it's not butt'r...*

I know nothing about getting rid of the pain (never had 'em), but when it does go away I suggest your start using Chamois Butt'r -- I use it occasionally on my long rides and I never had a problem with my tush.

K-Zero


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## funknuggets (Feb 4, 2004)

*Im no dermatologist... but*

Ok, here is my take on the issue. These are much more prevalent as you suddenly ramp up on your mileage, and after slight position changes. 

I have not found any type of crotch butter to work. I find that the better quality short that you get, the better off you are. Wear clean shorts and take the shorts off as soon as you can after your rides.

I think there are different types of saddle sores, chafing sores.. .and the bumps you have indicated. The bumps can be many things, but most often if you treat them right, they will go away on their own, but I have found that you will have a tendency to get them back in that same place. I treat mine a bit differently. I make sure to wash that area well, and sleep with boxers or nothing on. This sounds gross, but I either pop the lump like a pimple, or have my wife... who is a nurse lance it. This will release the fluid that is causing the pressure. I will immediately put some drying type agent on it... like some kind of astringent ... like something with salycitic acid, and then dry the area, then put an antibacterial agent on it... like neosporin for a few days until it clears up. With the neosporin, I am always able to train through the issue. 

Take care of this as soon as possible... and try and address the positioning if that is the cause.... and try and identify whether it is a specific pair of shorts that is causing the issue. Cause if you dont nip it in the butt, it will continue to haunt you... and the surgery to remove it if it turns into a cyst is ugly. I had a fellow racer have that surgery this year to remove a recurring and painful saddle sore, not pretty. 

Best of luck.


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## *rt* (Feb 3, 2004)

*thanks...*



funknuggets said:


> Ok, here is my take on the issue. These are much more prevalent as you suddenly ramp up on your mileage, and after slight position changes.
> 
> I have not found any type of crotch butter to work. I find that the better quality short that you get, the better off you are. Wear clean shorts and take the shorts off as soon as you can after your rides.
> 
> ...


well, i definately ramped up the mileage recently and i guess crashing could be considered a slight change in position! 

i always get out of my shorts immediately after a ride (there's nothing more uncomfortable than sitting around in a sweaty chamois!) and i always wash my shorts inside out to be sure that the chamois is getting as clean as possible. (even if turning them inside out isn't helping, i think it is so i keep doing it!).

it might be time for me to buy some new shorts and i've been using the voler shorts because i really like the chamois (and they come in XS that fits).

i've been washing the area with, well basically acne soap and i've been sleeping in boxers for ages now. (I've even considered wearing them to work but as a girl they tend not to wear comfortably under my clothes!)

i'll try the astringent and an antibacterial agent (i'm allergic to neosporin but bacitracin should work).

thanks for the info.

rt


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## Asiago (Jan 28, 2004)

*Desitin - Desitin - Desitin!!!*

The stuff for babies' diaper rash! This stuff is excellent, excellent, excellent for saddle sores. Hydrocortisone cream doesn't hold a candle to Desitin. It really is the miracle cream for saddle sores.

From a father who was fortunate to have a plentiful supply of desitin in the house...


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## innergel (Jun 14, 2002)

*Try some Bag Balm*

I'm just getting over my first saddle sore of the season and this stuff worked wonders. I used Triple Antibiotic Ointment for a day or two, and then Bag Balm for the last 4 days. It's totally gone now. Less than 1 week from inception to totally gone. I also skipped a day or two on the bike this week. Thanks goodness it's early in the season.

Any decent pharmacy will have this stuff. It comes in a square, green can and looks like dark yellow vaseline. Kind of nasty looking, but it's great. And cheap.

J.


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

innergel said:


> I'm just getting over my first saddle sore of the season and this stuff worked wonders. I used Triple Antibiotic Ointment for a day or two, and then Bag Balm for the last 4 days. It's totally gone now. Less than 1 week from inception to totally gone. I also skipped a day or two on the bike this week. Thanks goodness it's early in the season.
> 
> Any decent pharmacy will have this stuff. It comes in a square, green can and looks like dark yellow vaseline. Kind of nasty looking, but it's great. And cheap.
> 
> J.


If the pharmacy doens't have it go to a country feed store. It's designed for cow utters. I've used it too and it works great..........


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## c_dale (Feb 1, 2004)

another trick that i've found works, especially if you're staying off the bike for a while, is hot compresses. i've only used them on sores that have come to a head and not popped, but it increases the circulation there and seems to help them drain.

i just basically wet the corner of a folded washcloth in water as hot as i can stand and then apply it for for about 15-20 minutes (resoaking to keep warm when necessary). besides that, i just use neosporin and stay off the bike. if you catch them before they get too big, this usally gets them mostly away and back on the bike in a couple of days at the most.

good luck and have a speedy recovery!


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## spookyload (Jan 30, 2004)

You also might look at getting a new saddle. I had a bad year of saddle sores in 2002. It seemed like as soon as one cleared up, another would replace it. I switched to a Sella Italia SLR for 2003 and didn't have a single problem. Nothing else changed, just the saddle. I put in six centuries and one double century last year too.


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## JetSpeed (Nov 18, 2002)

I got this idea from someone on this forum a while back and it seems to work for me.
Go to Target and buy their store brand baby wipes (appx. $1.19). 
Before each ride wipe your butt and the area most prone to sores throughly.
I've been doing this since September and no sores at all !!
This even worked on my indoor trainer sitting on my butt for 1- 1-1/2 hours sweating.
Also, do what the others have said, i.e., clean shorts everytime, get them off etc. . . .


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## Howard2 (Feb 2, 2002)

*If You Have To Ride With It*

I'm in the tropics and the heat and humidity seem to make them more common (at least for me, I rarely get them when I'm in New Mexico). If I have to ride with one until it clears I do the following:

1. All the things mentioned in other posts about cleanliness, washing shorts, etc.
2. Shave the area around the sore.
3. Cut a 1/2 x 3/4 inch piece of "moleskin" - stuff sold under the Dr. Scholles trademark to cover blisters on your feet.
4. Clean area with alcohol, let dry.
5. Place a small spot of neosporin right on the center of the sore.
6. Put the moleskin patch centered over the sore.

The neosporin may help heal the sore, but its main purpose is to keep the moleskin from sticking to the sore - makes it easier to remove.

7. Remove the moleskin in the shower after the ride, use medicated talc to dry the area after the ride & before going to bed.

Sounds complicated, but its really pretty simple. I've been able to ride through all sores over the last two years and they heal within 3 days to a week (mostly related to how soon I started taking care of them).

Howard


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## crankset (Dec 3, 2001)

*One more thing*

The cleaning of the area is a good idea and putting some kind of ointment. Something not usually suggested is shaving the area. If you read on the subject you will see that hair is blamed a lot for saddle sores. The movement pulls on the hair, lets bacteria in and it can lead to saddle sores. 

Add shaving to the equation. I have tried it and it helps. Too bad you are allergic to Neosporin, it works real well for this.


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## Ken2 (Jan 30, 2004)

*One more idea...*

This may help prevent saddle sores: put your shorts, chamois side out, in bright sunlight for a couple of hours, twice a year. This will kill bacteria that cold water washing won't kill.


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## Spinfinity (Feb 3, 2004)

spookyload said:


> You also might look at getting a new saddle.
> 
> My wife, health care professional and full-time crusader against bacteria, claims that there are colonies of bad stuff living in your bicycle shorts and seat. When she gets a saddle sore she washes her shorts in really hot water and some other stuff designed to kill anything that drinks it or swims in it. The one time this practice failed to stem the tide of invasive microbes causing a repeat saddle sore in the same spot, she bought a new seat. It worked, proving to her that the old seat had been colonized.
> 
> Me? I use Body-Glide to prevent chafing, get out of my shorts quickly and get very few saddle sores. When I do get one, I clean it up as soon as I find it with hydrogen peroxide and it goes away in a couple of days if I stay off the bike.


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## RemingtonShowdown (Feb 4, 2004)

That part of your body is the most sensitive and most important area to keep well, proper. It's imperative that you use chammy cream, body butter or something equivalent while riding. And while it may sound icky you ough to look into going hairless as this will significantly reduce the friction, temperature and bacteria within this area. It takes some balls (ha no pun intended) and regular maintenance but smoove is the shiznit. And besides, your wife/girl may just like it!!


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## *rt* (Feb 3, 2004)

*thanks for all the responses...*

FWIW, i do shave (and have since before i started cycling...competitive swimming will do that for you - nothing worse than a furry bikini line!!), i always change out of my shorts immediately, and i always wash my shorts inside out (however, the hot water idea is a good one since i usually wash in cold to protect the lycra).

i've been riding the same saddle for the last 5 years and have never had any problems with it before so i'm hesitant to start fooling around with new saddles 2 weeks before the start of my race season. on the other hand, it is possible that when i overhauled my bike recently, i put my saddle back on at a slightly different height or angle (eventhough i marked the seatpost) which may have irritated things.

i've been using astringent and a combo of desitin & bacitracin for the last 3 days and things seemed to be clearing up until i spent nearly 7 hours on the bike over the weekend (4 hrs sat & 3 on sun). now i think i'm back where i started from.  unfortunately taking a big chunk of time off the bike is really not an option right now with my first race coming up on the 14th of this month. (perhaps the moleskin idea will be put into play!) on the other hand, i have to go out of town for buisness from wed-fri this week and will be off the bike the whole time. hopefully this will give it time to finally heal.

thanks again!

rt


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## MR_GRUMPY (Aug 21, 2002)

Very strange that you would have problems with Voler shorts. You do have the shorts with the blue pad, don't you? If you have raw skin, the only thing you can do, is to take a few days off. Make sure that it doesn't get infected, or you will be in big trouble.


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## *rt* (Feb 3, 2004)

*never had problems before...*



MR_GRUMPY said:


> Very strange that you would have problems with Voler shorts. You do have the shorts with the blue pad, don't you? If you have raw skin, the only thing you can do, is to take a few days off. Make sure that it doesn't get infected, or you will be in big trouble.


they are my favorite shorts. i've got the women's shorts with the seamless chamois. usually they're awesome.

rt


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## Lucky (Feb 9, 2004)

*If you can't do Neosporin...*



*rt* said:


> i'll try the astringent and an antibacterial agent (i'm allergic to neosporin but bacitracin should work).


and you have trouble with Bacitracin, try povidone iodine (Betadine). It's a very good antiseptic. My doc recommended it when I was having a little trouble with one of the surgical incisions on my wrist. Cleared it right up.

Good luck!
Kathy


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## pmf (Feb 23, 2004)

*zit medicine*

Squeeze it -- this hurts, but its necessary to drain it if there is pus in there. Then dab some acne medication with 10% hydrocortisone. I typically do this right before bed. The acne medication should dry up the sore. Do this for a couple of days and it'll go away. Take a break from riding for a little while.

Keep your crotch clean. It helps to shower before and after riding. I have used an astringent like Sea Breeze afterward. Clean shorts help too. Laying the chamois out in direct sunlight will kill bacteria that the soap in your laundry doesn't get to.


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## Jamieshankland (Jan 8, 2005)

Holy hell did I stumble upon this thread in good timing... IM dealing with this hellish problem as we speak!!


Im definatly heading to the pharm. to pick up some stuff now but with one question. Is the bag balm to cure it, or to make sure you dont get them again?


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## Leopold Porkstacker (Jul 15, 2005)

Überbump of this thread!  

Anyhow, since I had been out of cycling for some time, only to come back into it rather suddenly, I, too have run into this problem recently. Back eleven years ago when I was a hardcore roadie, I shaved the legs, ass, and nutsack. Of course, to avoid chafing I’d lube everything up with just generic Vaseline (now that I have a wife and kid I have a valid reason to be caught purchasing the stuff though). I wear cotton briefs (not the “tightey ******” variety though) under padded cycling shorts, and have found this to work better than those special cycling underwear briefs they sell (the last pair of those I wore pretty much rolled my member up into a small booger nugget from the spandex shifting and the sweat combined).

Anyhow, even if you don’t shave all yer stuff, the Vaseline seems to work well to avoid chafing – a low-tech solution to a low-tech problem.

-he who stacks pork


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## mandovoodoo (Aug 27, 2005)

Another cause - worst one I had was this way - is something left in the sore. I had a broken off piece of hair surrounded by sebaceous **** deep in one. It would heal, then come back. Finally blew up big time and I figured it out with some fine tweezers. Since that time I always make sure the thing is completely and absolutely drained. Squeezing doesn't seem smart, at least not hard, but one can soak things out and bubble things up with peroxide in addition to all the good advice above.

This year I got a great dangerous infection in my toe and had to fix it with multiple antibiotics of the KILL IT ALL kind. Haven't had a single problem since then!


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## steveroberts13 (Nov 14, 2004)

*my cure*



*rt* said:


> i know this was covered ad nausem on the board in its previous format but when i run a search all i come up with is everything ever posted by Saddle Sore!! and as much as i would just love to read everything he/she has ever posted i'm a lot more interested in getting rid of this painful little bump on my nether-regions!
> 
> i've never had a saddle sore before (riding for 5 years now) and all in one weekend i crash AND get a saddle sore. ow! ow! ow!
> 
> ...


stay off it until totally healed, i did not and paid the price in a much longer time to heal, and for me, getting rid of the PI shortsd with blue chamois...


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## rufus (Feb 3, 2004)

in my case, saddle sores other than the normal chafing, occur as deep hematoma-like things under the skin.it feels like a hard lump , too deep to squeeze like a zit, but you can try lancing. this relieves some of the blood buildup, but unless you lance exactly the right spot and get it all, it'll go away for awhile only to build back up again later. 

i use something like neosporin, or bag balm, and that usually helps dissolve the thing away. often, it eventually works its way closer to the surface so that squeezing like a zit will have a rather nasty, but effective result. then a couple days for the remaining inflammation to die down, and you're good to go. 

i had a particularly nasty one on the inside of my upper thigh that came and went for months, sometimes inflamed and swollen, other times just feeling the hard spot under the sin. then one morning, i just gave it a squeeze and balm. really nasty.


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## Dr. Crash (Apr 17, 2005)

*had my first*

Too deep to squeeze. 

I did apply noxema to the area after showers and it seemed to do the trick. 

I use Assos chamois cream or the Ozone protect creme al the time now. Works well. Assos gives me that minty feeling, otherwise, both good.


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## ruly62 (Feb 9, 2004)

*Steps to eliminate saddle sores*

This steps help me to rid the saddle sores.

1. Shave your crotch area with hair removal cream(sensitive skin)

2. If you get a sore by infected follicle,I use this product for ingrown hair,*PFB*
(see website: www.vanishmybumps.com)

3. I use this product before riding(Crotch Guard Skin Care Oil)
www.crotchguard.com

4.After ride wash your crotch area an apply crotchguard.

This steps works for me!


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## RodeRash (May 18, 2005)

Skimmed this over -- Jeez, saddle sores could become a medical sub-specialty! 

"Doctor Platzenstabber, MD specializing in afflictions of the nether regions of cyclists." 

Should be a medical monograph in the British Journal of Medicine, Boston College of Surgeons, Journal of the American Medical Association. If not a monograph, a BOOK. 

This has been an "issue" since day one . . . 

Hot packs, sitz baths will draw any "lump" to the surface where it comes to a head and drains. 

But you're dealing with a lot of complex bacteria and bio-chem here. 

New chamios are sooooooooo much better than the deer-skin and wool shorts. But they need to be washed each ride. In a MACHINE, w/ soap, water. So, two or three pairs of shorts. 

The shorts need to be dry -- also WELL RINSED. Sometimes soap residue will cause allergy, irritation. I hand rinse after the machine cycles. Look at the rinse water -- suds, and you have soap in the shorts. 


Shower after the ride. Scrub down where the "rubber meets the road" -- soap, water. I think having a shower head on a hose that allows rinsing is worth the investment. Rinse, rinse, rinse . . . rinse some more. 

Soap and water are good anti-bacterials. But you need to rinse, rinse, rinse. Otherwise the soap and residue just provides a media for germs. 

I like A&D Diaper Rash Ointment. It's 40% Zinc Oxide in a petrol base with some other stuff for bacteria. Keeps things adverse for bacteria. This stuff is water-proof and needs to be scrubbed out of the chamios! 

Women . . . This not from me, from a gynocologist in a seminar. Burn your nylon panties! 

Cotton, cotton, cotton. 

Baby powders, talc, etc. are nice agents for "drying" but contain perfumes which may be allergenic. 

Some MD could write a book on this topic and make a Zillion Dollars. I swear to GAWD. 

This is the "nastly little secret" that cyclists don't discuss.


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## jakerson (Jun 15, 2004)

*sportslick???*

Im surprised nobody has mentioned Sportslick... (Antifungal, Antibacterial, aloe, antioxidant, vitamin e, vitamin c, etc)

Course, I use it as a preventative most of the time and I haven't needed to use it as a treatment.

Am I the only one who uses it?


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## moschika (Feb 1, 2004)

jakerson said:


> Im surprised nobody has mentioned Sportslick... (Antifungal, Antibacterial, aloe, antioxidant, vitamin e, vitamin c, etc)
> 
> Course, I use it as a preventative most of the time and I haven't needed to use it as a treatment.
> 
> Am I the only one who uses it?


when i saw "sportslick" i thought you were talking about this  :
http://www.kptv.com/Global/story.asp?S=3047061

Originally posted March 9
HALSEY -- A state panel is expected to investigate a high school coach who acknowledged licking a student's wound. 

The Oregon Teacher Standards and Practices Commission decided to look at the case after a parent complained that Central Linn High School coach of Scott Reed's "repeated inappropriate behavior." 

The 34-year-old was disciplined for licking the bleeding knee of a female athlete. The school district placed Reed on probation and required him to take a "bloodborne pathogens" course. 

The student whose knee was licked told police it happened after Reed had given team members a pep talk about a coach licking and healing the wounds of injured players. 

Reed asked permission, then knelt down and licked the girl's knee. 

An athlete says Reed seemed to be "joking around" and the licked athlete was not offended.


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## Middle of the Pack Mike (Sep 8, 2005)

*HELP Please!!*

I've got the saddle sore from hell and don't know whether to keep riding or go to the doc.

Got it on the left butt very close to where my leg joins my privates. Its right under the sit bone on that side. It has come and gone for about 3 weeks. It popped once and I thought that would be the end of it. Once it got very painful and I did the hot compress thing and stayed off the bike for 4 days and it improved, then got slightly worse over the weekend.

At the moment it is an underground bump. Not really even that painful - more of a nuisance. There is no head - too deep. Lancing seems like it would be tough since there is no defined head at all - its kind of smooth and red with no hairs (might be an ingrown one). Its less than the size of a penny, but can swell a little on a long ride.

Do I go to the doc for antibiotics? Keep riding through it and do the hot packs hoping for a head that I can pop/lance? I took 3 days off early this week and it didn't seem to change much. Did a lunch time ride and it didn't bother me much, but there is a lump under there which shouldn't be.

Thanks for any help.


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## cpuffe (Aug 1, 2004)

To ward off saddle sores, I...

* shave the whole "taint" area when I do my legs  
* use homemade chamois cream that one of my teammates recommended years ago...add 1 oz each of triple antibiotic ointment, loratadine antifungal cream, and hydrocortisone cream into a mostly full tin of Bag Balm and mix thoroughly.
* take the shorts off ASAP after rides
* wash the shorts in hot water, but no bleach 

FYI 10 oz tins of Bag Balm are available (at least in Texas anyway) in the pet section of Wal-Mart.


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