Back Pain

[Chandler Bing]

I wonder if you good people could help with some back pain i've had recently.
The pain was right at the bottom of the back & when i went to a physio he diagnosed stiffness in the sacro-iliac joint on the right-side.
I can cycle around 15-20 miles without a problem and then the pain kicks in & i can feel the power output dropping. Not a crippling pain but enough to curtail the ride. I've experimented with moving the saddle forward/back.
My hamstrings are very tight and i cant stretch more than a few inches past my knees, but im reluctant to think this is a problem as my riding position is not at all extreme and also i've ridden in this position for many years without problem. Any thoughts would be appreciated

 

[jolisa46]

Back pain is a common condition and, in the UK, it is the largest cause of work-related absence. Back pain can be very uncomfortable, but it is not usually serious.Back pain can affect anyone, regardless of age, but it is more common in people who are between 35-55 years of age.In the majority of cases, the cause of back pain can be linked to the way that the bones, muscles, and ligaments in the back, work together.Lower back pain, also known as lumbago, affects 7 out of 10 people at some time in their lives. Lower back pain is a pain, or ache, on your back, in between the bottom of your ribs and the top of your legs.Lower back pain can come on suddenly, or gradually, and is sometimes the direct result of a fall, or injury. The complex structure of your lower back means that even small amounts of damage to any part of the lumbar region can cause a lot of pain and discomfort.
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dacia

Guaranteed ROI

 

[Bill Gates]

I'm suffering from some back pain my self right now. I think I overdid the situps a couple of days ago. My remedy which has always worked before is to take a couple of paracetemols and rub some pain relieving gel into where it's sore.

But also I think more importantly I'm going to carry on moving about as normal. I'll get out on the bike for a couple of hours later. I won't be doing anymore situps for a week or so though.

 

[Kirstie]

My hamstrings are very tight and i cant stretch more than a few inches past my knees, but im reluctant to think this is a problem as my riding position is not at all extreme and also i've ridden in this position for many years without problem. Any thoughts would be appreciated

Tight hamstrings are a known cause of lower back pain...

 

[Shady]

There can be a number of reasons which can all combine to issues for lower back pain - I myself have issues of lordosis which is excessive curvature of the lower spine which gives me a number of problems with my lower back.

I get issues with sacro iliac stiffness and the way to release the stiffness is to lie on your back on the floor, keep your left leg straight and bend your right knee keeping your heel on the floor until your right foot is up in line with your left knee then keeping your shoulders flat on the floor, grasp your right knee with your left hand and move your right leg over the top of your left (making a number 4 shape if that makes sense) and then press your right knee to the floor which should release the stiffness - just reverse the legs and arms to release the other side.

Most of the time lower back issues can be attributed to your hip not being level - basically your quads and hamstrings pull on either side of your hips and keep them level. If your hamstrings are tight then it can tilt your hips down at the back and cause issues and conversely if your quads are tight (which is my situation) then it tilts your hips down at the front and up at the back so causing excess curvature in the lower back leading to problems.

Stretching really is the only way to ultimately solve lower back issues.

 

[yoyo]

Been to the osteopath today for spasms in my lower back - was dressing on Sat morning and hurt my back so that I developed pains in both legs and pins and needles in my feet. I nursed myself through the weekend using heat from the electric blanket and Shady's exercises. Yesterday I went for a walk with Mr Yoyo on the coast with no ill effects. The treatment has worked but something he said in response to me saying this situation occurs quite often has concerned me somewhat. He said that he was surprised that my upper body seemed to lack muscle tone considering I walk and cycle so much. He thought that my body should be stronger and suggested that I take exercise to strengthen it more. The gym bores me intensely and I do not enjoy swimming. Has anyone any suggestions?

 

[02GF74]

there are many forms of back pain, lower back pain is very common and affects the muscles.

as ^^^ say, medical opinion now is to taking paracemtol/ibrupofen (pain killer thing) and keep moving - it used to be the opposite.

Also the fact that you have pain is your body telling you something is wrong but you won't cause further damage by ignoring/ or masling the pain.

 

[Hont]

Agree with Shady. Tight hamstrings are definitely bad for backs.

I can recommend "Treat your own back" by Robin McKenzie as an excellent book for treating yourself.

 

[Danny]

I started to suffer from similar back pain after many years of pain free cycling. Following advice in earlier threads about back pain, I went to Paul Hewitt for a bike fitting session and he recommended I alter my riding position quite radically. Basically he argued I would be better off in a much more stretched out position as this would transfer some of my body weight away from my lower back to my hands.

I have to say the changes he suggested have not been a complete success for me and I am still experimenting with my position, but I know others have had much more positive results.

Some years ago I suffered from some chronic back problems - not I think related to the pain I get cycling - and was helped greatly by seeing a chiropractor who not only successfully treated the problem but provided good advice about looking after your back.

Some recent research has shown that learning the Alexander Technique can help prevent and alleviate back problems. I haven't tried it myself, but people I know what have learnt the technique are generally enthusiastic.

Yoga and palates would both be helpful ways of improving your flexibility, and, if you are not already doing so, you should do some simple hamstring stretches before and after each ride.

 

[yoyo]

Dannyg, I have found that much of what you have posted works for me. The Dutch bike position has been best for my back, having tried drops and mountain bikes. I definitely recommend chiropracter or osteopaths for back treatment - I was very successfully treated last Monday that I bounced out of bed on Tuesday with no pain at all. I had some lessons on Alexander Technique during my student days as an organ scholar from a professor at the Academy but I did not get on with it at the time. Providing my back doesn't play up at the weekends I will stick to cycling upright with a suspended seatpost for a broken coccyx and sessions with an osteopath when required.

 

[jimboalee]

I used to suffer back pain after about 2 ½ hours riding.
There was nothing wrong with my spine, ligaments, hamstrings. I didn't have Lumbago or sciatica.

The problem was I carbo-loaded the previous day, helped along with large amounts of diet coke and coffee. On the morning of the ride, I would wash the egg on toast down with a large coffee, and swig back a full sugar coke.

What happened was the large amount of fluids expanded my bladder sufficiently to apply pressure back up the ureters toward the kidneys. This was painful. The only coarse of action was to stop and find a tree.

On another thread, I have implicated my power and nutritional requirements calculation spreadsheets. These spreadsheets originated for the necessity to estimate my rehydration requirements. They expanded in time to a comprehensive mathematical model of myself on my bikes.