Does lower back pain 'go away' eventually?

[dude7691]

I'm like you prefer sitting rearwards over the pedals for the same reason as you and use my quads more, as I am of short leg and long back this helps me keep 'balanced' without too much weight on the arms(I ride a custom frame with long top-tube and more laid-back seat-tube). KOPS is a bit of myth, but a good starting point.
My bars are slightly lower than the saddle, am overweight with a bit of a belly and my neck is not as flexible as it once was. My saddle is quite high and has been criticised but my hips don't quite rock.
And yes, I do get lower back pain after a while, and I have thought that it's as a result of both using the quads more and being a low cadence/high power grinder which (I think) puts more pressure/strain on the lower back muscles.
I do find I can keep going and more often than not the pain recedes but never quite completely goes away. I don't tend to do much stretching between rides, but will do when am out if I feel necessary.
So my thinking is think about whether you grind-away (especially as I do uphill) in a high gear straining the lower back, or whether spinning a lower gear might help?
Is it an issue for those of us relatively long-backed?
Do you get back-ache from a long walk?

Yoga with Adriene on youtube has some good short beginners work-outs as well as back-specific programs that might also help.

Yeah, I'm going out a bit later today to see how the position affects my muscle engagement. If I end up using my quads more, I'm going to feel it! Was watching a Phil Burton fitting video and he gave the analogy of if you stamp straight down on someone's hand, you're more likely to break it than doing it at an angle which explains why the pros go as far forward as they legally can.
My saddle is at the right height for me I think, any higher and I'd be at risk of fully locking out my legs. I've moved my saddle half a cm forward for today's ride (30 miler) to see if there's any difference in back discomfort and raised by 0.25cm to compensate for that reduced distance to the pedals.
I'm more of a spinner myself, don't have a cadence meter but definitely on the higher end of the scale. I'm usually running a 30/11 on the flats and that suits me. On the hills, I'm spinning away on a 30/28 or 30/32. The only time I do tend to grind a little bit is on false flats (2-3%) and then I will usually drop my cadence a bit, just personal preference.
Weird you mention that about walking In my memory no, but the last time I did any sort of "long walk" was over a year ago, when I worked as a waiter. After 8 months one of my feet gave out as I had major premature cartilage decay, so I'm unable to walk more than 30 minutes at a time now. My bicycle is basically my mobility scooter!

Will look into that Yoga channel, thank you

 

[dude7691]

Id bet good money the bike is the wrong size

I followed the sizing guide for me personally, at the time I got this bike I was 5ft 8 and that was on the upper end of the "small" bracket. So that's the bike I got. I didn't get the medium as that was for people up to 5ft 11 which seemed a bit much for me. I'm currently 5ft 9 so perhaps just a fraction too big but not significantly so.

 

[dude7691]

indeed or theres something on the fit thats wrong, piccies on the bike might help ?

Will post some picture when I get home from my ride today Both with me on and off it so you can see my position.

 

[dude7691]

I've had hip flexor inflexibilty - it's a natural problem for us because of the repetitive motion of pedalling.
I was taught to lie on your back, bring one knee up, hold both hands around that knee, then pull the other leg up to meet by pointing the knee out & resting the ankle on the knee that you're holding.

Stretching out hamstrings & your back will help too.

I try to keep the abdominal & back muscles in good shape with press ups and burpees. Hilly rides do seem to cause more pain in the back and the legs, but it's good to vary seated & standing climbing. I think the press ups & burpees help with conditioning for standing climbing too. In any case, at 54kg, you should fly up the hills.

My last road bike had the saddle a lot higher than the bars - it's ok for pro cyclists but not so great for an amateur like me. Now I'm more comfortable with a less extreme position.

All the best with reducing the pain & getting back to enjoying two wheels.

Yep, I've used that stretch after rides before and it certainly does help to loosen up! I have a very weak upper body as I've always tried to keep as much weight as possible in my legs to help with my power to weight ratio. I am now seeing the value of having more upper body strength let's say
I do indeed excel on steeper hills, but when my back is killing me I'm no good to anyone as I can't put full concentration into good technique and this slows me down significantly. Also, I don't have the best max power output so on the flats I get punished for that, so by the time I get to a hill I am already quite fatigued and unable to use my full power, hence my quest to put on a few kg in muscle.
Yep, I'm trying to not even worry about aerodynamics at the moment. I bend my elbow and tuck in above 18-19mph but below that the discomfort just isn't worth it. It's something I am aiming to work on once I've sorted out my back problems

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

I followed the sizing guide for me personally, at the time I got this bike I was 5ft 8 and that was on the upper end of the "small" bracket. So that's the bike I got. I didn't get the medium as that was for people up to 5ft 11 which seemed a bit much for me. I'm currently 5ft 9 so perhaps just a fraction too big but not significantly so.

Size guides based on height are 💩

 

[mudsticks]

Yoga or pilates to improve your strength and flexibility.

I'd say yoga, but then I teach it too so..

If you don't address these problems of too much strength and stiffness in some places, not enough strength in others, then things will only get worse, and more painful for you.

Your body is well designed for being a human with a full range of activities and movements.

It's not supposed just to be a cycling 'machine'..
That will make it hurt, and then you will be miserable.

I love cycling, I've done it all my life, but combined with lots of other types of exercise too.

If it wasn't for yoga, my body would have been broken by decades of hard farm labour by now.

(my bank account too possibly but that's another story)

Find something to complement your cycling that will address these issues - or things will only get worse and you'll be popping handfuls if painkillers, or end up on steroid injections.

Personal instruction is far better really as the teacher can see what you do, and give advice on remedial action.. Obv that's tricky right now, so maybe something online would be better than nothing.
But go carefully, and mindfully.

It's not a competition - it's supposed to be good for you..

Look after your body, and it will look after you

 

[dude7691]

Size guides based on height are 💩

It's the only option I had at the time I'm afraid! The bike I bought is a Triban 520 and Decathlon don't have any local stores, so I ordered it online and for all intents and purposes I adore it haha.

 

[ColinJ]

I just tried that hip flexor stretch. I could immediately tell that it would probably help with my sore back; unfortunately I don't think I will be able to do that stretch or any similar ones!

I had a bad DVT in my upper left thigh and the scar tissue inside the vein from that limits what I can do with that leg now. For example, I can't maintain a normal seated posture for long because the poor circulation in my leg causes it to swell badly. Fortunately, the movements involved in walking and cycling are not affected. When I sit now though, I have to slump with my left leg stretched out in front of me as much as possible to avoid 'kinking' the vein.

My leg started swelling and going numb as soon as I began the stretch so I had to abandon it. I have a couple of stretching books I can refer to so I will see if I can find some stretches that can help with my back but not cause problems with the dodgy vein.

 

[dude7691]

@ColinJ @mudsticks @avecReynolds531 @cyberknight @DaveM77 @Fab Foodie @T.M.H.N.E.T @sleuthey @vickster

Update:

I just went for a 15 mile ride to test out my new forward saddle position (moved forward by 0.5cm, and up by 0.25cm).

Mile 3: Mild pain. Quads felt wayyy more engaged (and in pain of course) and I had far more power on the short bursts where I needed it. Glutes felt like they were barely in the game though, wasn't a fan of that.
Mile 7: Moderate-Severe Pain: I got off my bike due to the pain being too much to deal with, fully stretched out for 15 minutes until my back felt okay again.
Mile 9: Left shoulder started getting pain, only mild and nothing bad but shows that the weight on my arms was more noticeable. Back was okay at this point after the full stretch down. The next 5 miles were downhill/flat so I sat up and relaxed my back a bit so no more pain here.
Mile 14-15. A 1 mile climb, averaging 5%, max 15%. Back pain becomes severe and starts hindering my performance. I go ahead and standing up, sprint the last 100m of the hill (aiming for a strava PB, which I smashed by the way :P) and the pain in my back was like it was on fire. I'm not kidding you when I say the pain in my back was worse than my quads. The shot of pain when I stood up almost threw me off the bike.
End of ride: Took a full stretch down to be able to stand up straight without pain.

By my logic, I am assuming that the forward movement of the saddle caused this agony. I'm going to move my saddle back to where it was, and maybe a few mm even further back. I can't be risking having this happen again.

For reference, I am averaging 16-17mph on these rides, which are moderately hilly. I'm definitely pushing myself to my limits cardiovascular wise and also muscle strength, I'm pushing up to my threshold and beyond it on the hills.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Sounds like you are pushing too hard for your current fitness and just need to back off to let your body catch up.

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

Your bike setup is wrong and/or the wrong size for you. Left shoulder issue is likely excessive weight forward of the BB and the feeling in your quads is almost guaranteed to be from over enlistment due to the saddle fore/aft.

 

[dude7691]

Sounds like you are pushing too hard for your current fitness and just need to back off to let your body catch up.

I'm not sure about this, upper body definitely agree with you. I'm starting yoga tomorrow because it's clear my flexibility is not up to scratch. As for my legs and cardio, I feel like I'm at a comfortable range with those. I'm by no means going "flat out" all the time, and it is getting easier and easier the more I do it.

 

[dude7691]

Your bike setup is wrong and/or the wrong size for you. Left shoulder issue is likely excessive weight forward of the BB and the feeling in your quads is almost guaranteed to be from over enlistment due to the saddle fore/aft.

If I have to get a new bike due to it being the wrong size well, that would be frustrating I have to say. I'll try moving the saddle back again and go a few mm further back than it was before and see if that makes any difference. I'll be going out on a recovery ride with my friend Sunday, so I won't be pushing quite so hard so can stretch out on the bike if need be. Definitely agree regarding the quads, that was a side effect I was very much expecting. My glutes are stronger anyway, so I haven't got any complaints moving the saddle further back.

 

[Mo1959]

I’ve been plagued by lower back and sciatic problems for years now, to the extent I think it has affected my leg strength. Lately, my quads have been very fatigued. Tried putting the saddle quite a bit back today and felt a definite improvement.

 

[dude7691]

I’ve been plagued by lower back and sciatic problems for years now, to the extent I think it has affected my leg strength. Lately, my quads have been very fatigued. Tried putting the saddle quite a bit back today and felt a definite improvement.

Thank you for this! Sorry to hear you're struggling with the same issue I have, you know my pain Regarding the leg strength I empathise with that. When your back is in agony you just can't push as hard. I thought moving the saddle forward might help as it would put more weight on my arms and less on my back but ohhhh how wrong I was haha. I'll try pushing it back a little further than normal and see if I get some improvements, even if I end up sacrificing a bit of speed it's damn worth it to not have to go through this again.