This week I discovered a completely new way of getting a bad back...
I woke up with a stiff neck, as if I'd been sleeping in an uncomfortable position. When I tried to get out of bed I developed painful spasms in my lower back muscles and couldn't stand up straight. I've had this kind of problem before, usually after doing something stupid. For example - the time I picked up my 22" colour TV and carried it half a mile to the local post office to send it back to be repaired under warranty. I don't drive and was too proud to cadge a lift, and too mean to pay for a taxi! The pain from that lasted for nearly a week - not nice I can tell you
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Anyway, with this new unexplained back problem I spent all day hobbling about the house wondering what to do about it, when suddenly there was a clunking noise in my neck as if something had just slipped back into place. My back felt better immediately. It's strange how something in the neck can cause lower back pain. Perhaps it was due to a pinched nerve?
Returning to
your back problem BTFB... Are you by any chance using gear ratios that are too high for your current fitness? From some of your other posts it seems that you are keen to make progress as quickly as possible and I wonder whether you are just pushing yourself too hard? 15 miles isn't a huge distance and shouldn't be causing you to develop backache but if you are thrashing yourself in 53/12 (whatever) then I'm sure that wouldn't help. If the ride is hilly, then do you have and use low enough climbing gears? I'm a couple of inches shorter than you and a few stone lighter but I find climbing hard work compared to my smaller cycling pals. I often get a sore back on long hilly rides.