Electric scooters are quickly becoming more popular with commuters and recreational riders. It’s a great way to get around your city or have a little fun. What many people forget is that riding an electric scooter is a physical activity, much like riding a bike or skateboard. It’s important to take precautions to avoid injuries, especially for adults or heavy riders.
While many riders do protect themselves in the event of a crash such as wearing a helmet, other forms of pain or discomfort can come from riding an electric scooter. The most common pain points include the neck, back, abdomen, hand, wrist, and fingers.
At Varla, we want our customers to have a great experience each and every time they hit the road on one of our long-range scooters. Here are some tips and tricks to avoid some of the most common types of pain and discomfort and ensure you are riding safely. Also, for the begainners, you can check this blog “Tips for Beginners How to Ride an Electric Scooter”
Common Types of Pain or Discomfort While Riding an Electric Scooter
NOTE: Before we jump into the list, we want to stress that you should stop immediately and take a break if you experience any pain or discomfort while riding your electric scooter. By continuing to ride, you could make the injury worse and increase the discomfort or pain. If any pain continues for a prolonged amount of time, you should seek help from a doctor or another medical professional.
Back and Neck Pain
Some riders experience stiffness or soreness in their backs and necks after riding their electric scooter. This is usually caused by poor riding posture. Pay close attention to how you are standing. Are your back and neck straight? Do you feel like you have to hunch or lean forward to reach the handlebars?
One of the best ways to avoid this type of discomfort is to adjust your handlebars to the appropriate height. You should be able to reach the handlebars naturally with your back straight and knees slightly bent.
Stiff Legs and Knees
Standing on the deck for long periods of time can cause a strain on your legs and knees. This is especially true if you are riding across rough terrain. The first problem is that you don’t move your legs often when riding an electric scooter, so they may become stiff from being in one position for too long. If that’s the case, be sure to periodically park your scooter and stretch your legs.
While riding your scooter, ensure that you are standing properly. Most riders prefer a skateboard-style stance with the front foot facing forward and the back foot at an angle or completely sideways.
Also, check to make sure that your knees aren’t locked while riding. Your knees should be bent slightly. This helps to absorb the shock when you go over a pothole or bump in the road. For Varla owners, you’ll enjoy the added comfort from our industry-leading suspension system built into our models.
Hand and Wrist Pain
When riding your scooter, you will be using your hands and wrists for steering, accelerating, and braking. This could be putting a lot of strain on your hand and wrist joints. Over time, this could result in conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome, cubital tunnel syndrome, or tennis elbow. These conditions often are attributed to holding your hand and wrist in an awkward position or prolonged exposure to bumps and vibrations throughout your ride.
If you are feeling discomfort, check and see if your hands and wrists are in a natural position. If you have to bend your wrist up or down too much, you might need to adjust some of the handlebar accessories like the brake lever or throttle. For example, riders may adjust their trigger throttle upward so that they can see the display screen better. This can force you to put your hand in an uncomfortable position to reach the accelerator.
You can also get a stiff wrist from holding it in the same position for long rides or gripping the handlebars too tightly. It might be a good idea to stop mid-trip to give your hands and wrist a break.
Your hands are especially susceptible to cold temperatures. This can cause pain if they are exposed to the elements for long periods of time. If you live in an area that gets winter weather, gloves are a great way to protect your hands. Just make sure that you pick a pair that allows your hands to move freely so it doesn’t impact your ability to drive or control your scooter.
Finger and Thumb Fatigue
Many riders report feeling fatigued in their fingers while riding their electric scooter. Our fingers are not connected to large muscles like our arms and legs, so repetitive motion and use can cause them to become tired more quickly. Hand and finger exercises are a good way to mitigate fatigue in your fingers. You could also adjust parts like the throttle (both trigger and thumb) to make them easier to operate.
Abdominal Pain
Riding an electric scooter requires good balance. Most of your balance comes from engaging the muscles in your abdomen. If you are new to riding an electric scooter, you may need to build up these muscles. By doing some core exercises, you can not only reduce the chance of injury but also improve your riding balance. If your stance is incorrect, you might be putting unnecessary strain on your core to compensate for this.
Best Practices Before You Ride Your Varla Scooter
One of the best ways that you can reduce the chance of injury or pain when riding your scooter is to stretch properly beforehand, especially if you are planning a long ride. Focus on stretching and strengthening the areas mentioned in this article. By taking 10-15 minutes to do this before each ride, you can significantly improve the quality of your ride.
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