Cycling is often considered as the best exercise, but the latest study by the South African Journal of Sports Medicine has revealed that it can give men a third, supernumerary or accessory testicle.
The report also mentioned it as a common phenomena among cyclists. This condition of nodule can even be spotted in women and the study has cited an example of a 29 year old woman who had developed a condition of "cyclist nodule".
The study reveals that nodule, a soft tissue that measures less than three centimetres in length, is often caused due to constant rubbing of the bottom on the hard saddle of the cycle.
The repeated vibration and friction between the lower bones of the pelvis (called the Ischial Tuberosities), the tissue under the skin of the bottom (called the 'superficial perineum fascia') and the saddle, result in lump formation. Although these tissues have few blood vessels, the lesion is not well vascularised.
Meanwhile, the study conducted on the female cyclist revealed that she had developed a solid nodule, which measured 12 mm×7 mm×15 mm. Doctors gave her painkillers and advised to give up cycling, which she was reluctant to do. However, she changed the saddle of her cycle, which reportedly helped her.
"Symptoms include pain on pressure and when sitting on the saddle, which may even require the cyclist to give up the sport. The absence of the symptoms of an infection lets a doctor know it is not an abscess, a common condition in this region," said the report.
The basic treatment for this condition is steroid injection, but the definitive treatment for removing the nodule is surgery. But again, some reports have said that the lesions may recur, even after removing them.
