Key points
- Contact stress refers to pressure on a person's body from contact with an object or equipment.
- Traditional bicycle seats (saddles) create contact stress with a person's groin and could cause sexual and other reproductive issues.
- Using no-nose bicycle saddles may reduce exposure to contact stress with the groin.
Why I should be concerned about exposure
Contact stress happens when an object or equipment exerts pressure on a localized area of the body, causing discomfort. This pressure can cause compression of soft tissues, impairing blood flow.
Workers who ride a bicycle at work may be at risk for genital numbness or other sexual and/or reproductive health problems. These issues might arise from pressure to the groin (perineum) from the shape of a traditional bicycle saddle.
Prolonged pressure from a traditional bicycle saddle may be associated with an elevated risk of erectile dysfunction in men. For female cyclists, this pressure may be associated with genital numbness and reduced sexual function.
Who is at risk
Many workers in public safety occupations ride bicycles as part of their job, including:
- Police officers
- Emergency medical technicians (EMTs)
- Security staff who patrol by bicycle
What I can do to reduce or eliminate exposure
No-nose bicycle saddles have been found to reduce pressure in the groin and may improve the sexual health of bicycling workers.
Higher handlebars were found to decrease genital pressure in a study of female cyclists.
Resources
Getting help
If you are concerned about contact stress in your workplace, you can talk to your employer or workplace safety officer.
For information on the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, please see resources from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) website.
You can also talk to your doctor about workplace contact stress.
Where I can get more information
- Women's Bike Seats: A Pressing Matter for Competitive Female Cyclists
- Genital sensation and sexual function in women bicyclists and runners
- Effects of Bicycle Saddle Designs on the Pressure to the Perineum of the Bicyclist
- Nocturnal Penile Tumescence and Rigidity Testing in Bicycling Patrol Officers
- Health Hazard Evaluation related to bicycle patrolling police officers