Back problems

Hi,
Wondering if any one had any advice... Just recently after even short rides, my lower back gets really painfull, almost like it has frozen up a bit... I have had back problems before but not for a while... Im riding with flat bars at the momment, but kind of thought my positioning was good, has anyone else had similar problems, or any idea of how I can maybe rectify this, maybe riser bars would help, so I am more upright?
Thanks
H

raise your bars, do stretches pre and post ride, yoga style twists to loosen it all up.

Spend £40ish quid and go to an osteopath or a chiropractor.

If you've suddenly upped your mileage, that can contribute to lower back pain. And have you dressed warmly enough during the recent milder weather?

I think if you've had back problems before (I have as well), you're doomed to intermittent relapses. I find that taking an anti-inflammatory post-ride stops me from making things worse. Just being generally tense and stressed is sometimes enough to trigger old injuries, and it justs gets worse as soon as I feel a twinge. Ibuprofen has been a great ally.

chiropractors are a con. I haven't been for ages, and my back is better than it ever was when I was going (my back has had a series of injuries over the years). Every time I went back, he'd be telling me I need to go 2+ times a week. Fuck that. Physiotherapy is where it's at.

Thanks, yeah have been taking Ibuprofen, and will def raise the bars a reckon too, it just worries me as I just hope it dont get worse....

Went to an osetopath who thought I should go every two weeks. I stopped going when he started to veer into chanting on the fourth visits. However, his work before then sorted out a similar problem to hjh. It's a matter of treating the cause and not the symptom. Medicating persistent pain is unlikely to cure.

chiropractors are a con. I haven't been for ages, and my back is better than it ever was when I was going (my back has had a series of injuries over the years). Every time I went back, he'd be telling me I need to go 2+ times a week. Fuck that. Physiotherapy is where it's at.

+1 as physio or massage, will loosen the tight muscles that are pulling the bones out of alignment.

or u ridin a bike like this?

Thanks, I do reckon I need to raise my bars, also maybe the frame is too small for me, Its a medium Plug, and I am 6"1 ish... Seemed fine for ages no problem...
Before I had Physio for months and Acupuncture, nothing helped at all, until I pretty much lay still for like 3 weeks, which was hell, but then it did get better... But back then was so much worse that now...

I'd suggest yoga or pilates as a way to strengthen the back/core and also to improve flexibility.

as a cyclist you probably have over developed legs which can cause a great deal of lower back problems if they are not adequately stretched out.

doing nothing is the worst thing for back injuries. not to get some movement.

I know, i thought that too, but the specialist I saw a few times reckoned the only thing to do was operate, id been to Paris to get a cheap MRI as well, as the waiting list for one on the NHS was the size of Texas, I really didnt want to go under the knife, so thought as a last try I would just try literally completely resting it... And weirdly it worked...

I've had a bad back on and off for years; every so often it 'goes' for no obvious reason. When I stopped couriering for a year my back, shoulder and knees all miraculously got better so it's not hard to guess from where my problems stem. Just use your common sense, try whatever you think sounds plausible but don't expect miracles. In my experience the worst part of having a bad back is all the unsolicited advice you get from well meaning people who have been thru 'the same thing'. But since you asked...

If you use a back-pack, or messenger-bag; wear it high-up on your back.

How is your position on the bike?
Are you rotating your hips forward to give a flatter back?
Hamstring stretches are very good. Tight hammies (which you get from cycling and overdeveloped quads) drag your pelvis down which in turn drags your lower back down = pain. Hamstring stretches rule and should be done anyway but check your position as well.

Cyclefit can be helpful if you have a spare £200 :)

Are you very tall ? - I am and with a (every now and then) 'back problem' but its not the result of cycling or continuing to cycle - went to the doctor and he demonstrated the deterioration of those rubbery bits (shock absorbers) in-between the discs at the lower spine = pinched nerve .Doc says nothing to worry about its just 'the ageing process' take it easy ... At work my sitting posture is bad and I'm half 'crippled at times but once on the bike I'm fine just as long I don’t have to stop

How is your position on the bike?
Are you rotating your hips forward to give a flatter back?
Hamstring stretches are very good. Tight hammies (which you get from cycling and overdeveloped quads) drag your pelvis down which in turn drags your lower back down = pain. Hamstring stretches rule and should be done anyway but check your position as well.

Cyclefit can be helpful if you have a spare £200 :)

Ive been a massage therapist for the last ten years and I can say that, Yes, Hamstring stretches and quad stretches on a regular basis are extremely important! Yoga and pilates are an amazing thing too if you take them seriously. Forget any hippy crap connected with it, It is a legitimate stretching and strengthening regime that will benefit you massively through any back problems you might be experiencing. Doing Yoga (Ashtanga) changed the way I do everything with my body. riding especially! Check your seat hight too.

"Hamstring stretches and quad stretches on a regular basis are extremely important!"
" Forget any hippy crap connected with it"
Make your mind up! :P

Thanks folks, I really appreciate it... Its pretty far out being able to just ost something in the morning and having all this advice... So cheers...
But yep, I am quite tall, 6"1 or 2 " and so this can sometimes be a problem... Think I may well check out the yoga type options... I dont think I have the saddle to high at all, but maybe the bars not high enough... Anyway Im going to try a few variables, see if it helps...
But yeah thanks ...
H

I know a really good Osteo who specialises in sporting injuries, back in particular. He's deaf as a post and south African. PM me if you'd like his details. Clapham based and about £40/session. He's not a rip-off merchant. I once went to him with a buggered neck from a boxing injury, he gave me one session and then basically told me to buy a bag of frozen peas and told me how and when to use it. He could easily have kept me coming back for more sessions if he wanted to cash in. I was in so much pain I would have done anything!

If you're 6'1", your bike is going to be on the small side. This won't just affect the handlebar height relative to your hips, it also affects the horizontal difference too, and this can also cause problems. If the toptube/stem is too short, it can cause you to hunch up and put a bad curve in your back.

Pilates - do it, it will do you so many favours!!!

Courant

Thanks dude...
Has anyone gt a diagrame or illustration of what the perfect position is? I know that is probably debatable etc, but as an idea?

I've had really good results from a Chiropracter it all depends on the injury. My most life changing alternative (dunno if thats what you call it) remedy was getting a shiatsu message off a physio, she hammered me I almost fainted and bruises all over my back but pains in my neck I had been getting cycling and on computers went straight away. That was 5 years ago and I've rarely suffered from anything like it since and before it was daily.

There's no such thing really as a perfect position. However, there are a couple of principles you can follow. Your saddle has got to be at the right height first, and this will depend on you your hamstring and calf flexibility. Too low, you'll knack your knees, too high and you'll strain your hamstring and/or your achilles. Further, how much your hamstrings stretch (or, more to the point) how much in reserve they have to stretch with you in the saddle, affects how much you can bend at the hip while maintaining a straight back. A perfectly straight back while riding isn't necessary (or, I believe optimal) however a very bent back is definitely bad because your straining the ligaments in your spine. I'd probably say (without having seen you on the saddle!) that your back is probably too curved.

The question is the, what's the cause. Make sure you saddle is at the right height first. If the handlebars are too low, and your hamstrings are tight, the bars need to come up. But, the other possibility is that your handlebars are too close, so even with perfectly flexible hamstrings, you have to hunch just to hold onto the bars.

A good rule of thumb is: with your saddle set and your back in a favourable position (i.e just off straight) and your hands off the bars (If you can't hold this position without your hands on anything, your saddle needs to go further back, so you can sit in balance), your handlebars should block your view of the front axle. That's for drops. If you've got a straight bar, it could potentially go even further forward, so the front axle appears in your field of vision behind the handlebars.

It took me quite a while to tune my postion, which eventually involved: saddle moving back; bars going up; bars going forward. Judging by other riders I see on the road, quite a few people could do with doing the same three things!

What's your inside leg measurement, and what have you got your bike setup like (top of saddle centre to bottom bracket, top of saddle centre to bars both horizontal and vertical)?

HTH,

Courant

get drop bars, so then you can alternate your riding position from time to time, i find that helps.

Having a stem thats too long is bad for your back, but also having it set too low also is bad for your back.

However in my opinion the best thing is the drop bars, alternating your position mid ride really helps a great deal.
You have the top bar position, the brake hood position, the side of the brake hood position, the ends of the top bar, then you have the various positions using the lower bar.

this allows you to stretch your back in ways a flat bar won't allow you to do unless you sit up and let go for a while.

If your worried about braking whilst in the top bar position like i was, get crosstop levers which are available by a few manufactures, like for instance Cane Creek.

hope that helps

dylan

P.S.

Posture is so important and sheldon here ---> http://www.sheldonbrown.com/pain.html#posture
goes into detail about what's what
and about cycling and pain in general here --> http://www.sheldonbrown.com/pain.html