Cycling & bikes - Lower back pains

CycleBanter.com (http://www.cyclebanter.com/index.php)

- General (http://www.cyclebanter.com/forumdisplay.php?f=5)

- - Lower back pains (http://www.cyclebanter.com/showthread.php?t=226)

Lower back pains

I am getting lower back pains on my road bike when I ride for more than 1
hour. I have raised the stem to about 2 centimeters below my saddle, but I
still get back pains. The guy at the bike shop recommended I do situps, but
they have not helped. Any suggestions are welcome.

Thanks
Jiyang

Lower back pains

"Jiyang Chen" wrote in message ...
I am getting lower back pains on my road bike when I ride for more than 1
hour. I have raised the stem to about 2 centimeters below my saddle, but I
still get back pains. The guy at the bike shop recommended I do situps, but
they have not helped. Any suggestions are welcome.

Thanks
Jiyang

i have been riding for years with lower back pain, caused by a severe
case of degenerative disc disease. though my no. 1 reason for riding
is for enjoyment, it is also the only form of aerobic exercise i can
still do. the extra blood flow it stimulates really helps alleviate
pain. i feel better after my morning ride than at any other time
during the day. here is what helps me; 1. work on your flexibility. i
stop halfway through each ride and do hamstring stretches, slow toe
touches, quad, and calf stretches. at home, i do these, plus some
yoga. one yoga position that has really helped me is the lying spinal
twist. while flat on your back, extend your arms out to the side and
hold your legs up with knees at a 90 degree angle with feet on the
floor. slowly allow your legs to fall to one side as you exhale,
inhale while bringing them up, then go the opposite way. 2. how long
is your stem? even though it may not be too low, it still may be
stretching you out too much. 3.until you improve your flexibility, you
may have to raise it a bit more until it is even with the top of the
saddle. 4. your abs also need exercise, but sit-ups are one of the
worst choices because they can aggravate lower back pain. do crunches
instead, rolling your upper body toward your hips while keeping the
small of your back flat on the floor. 5. scale your riding back until
you find some relief. an hour is plenty to stay in shape, even a
half-hour is way better than no exercise at all. not exercising and
becoming sedentary is the worst thing possible for back pain. hope
some of this helps, back trouble really sucks. i still have a lot of
pain, that's why i'm up writing this at 3 in the morning. can't wait
to get back on my bike in the morning for some relief!
smokey

Lower back pains

I don't think it's my seat post, because my hips do not rock side to side
when I bike. I think it has to do with my position on the bike. I feel
like I am sliding forward on the bike, and I am using my lower back muscles
to support the weight of my body when I ride in the drops. I have tried
raising the nose of the saddle, but my lower back still goes sore, and
painful after the ride. What muscles do you use to ride in the drops?

Jiyang Chen

"Brian Sanderson" wrote in message
...
Your saddle may in fact be too high. Your seatpost is set to allow leg
extension so you don't hurt your knees (of course), but if it is set just
a
wee bit too high your pelvis rocks side-to-side slightly and this can
leave
you with lower back pain after a while. I find it isn't a problem on
short
rides, but definitely a problem after hour-long rides (or longer). I just
can't seem to leave that darn seat alone...

Lower back pains

"GABIKE" wrote in message
...
to get back on my bike in the morning for some relief!

The hallmark of a true cyclist :-)

Simply the act & motions of riding cured my own sciatica
(other ppl's MMV).

Of course, there are various types of lower back pain --
disc degeneration, pinched nerves, kidney stuff ...

In my own case, it was just an unhealed fractured coxxyx
pinching the sciatic nerve, and riding the bike spread
things apart and released the nerve. The bike that cured
me was a well-fitting, flat-bar'd MTB -- not bolt-upright,
and not stretched-out & optimally aero. I probably
luckily just hit on the right combination of posture and
exertion. The instantaneous relief I felt was better
than any orgasm.

To the Original Poster:
You say any suggestions are welcome. Best thing is to
talk to some doctors who know what they're talking about.

I ride because back in 1998 I was a police officer who answered the call
to a
house fire. My job was to just make sure motorists didnt try to drive
through
the scene and run over the fire hoses.
Much to my suprise it was a arson in progress and the turd was armed with
2
pistols in his pants and has 2 automatic rifles and a sniper rifle in his
truck.
A bystander identified him as the homeowner, I went up to him just to make
sure
he was uninjred (didnt know it was a arson at this point), I was answered
with
a .22 and a .45 . I was hit 3 times before I was able to return fire. One
in
the left arm which shattered the radus (sp?) and had to be repaired with a
steel rod, one shot went between my vest and belt and has lodged in the
spinal
colum, this cannot be operated on due to it being actualy in the spinal
bone.
Thre third shot hit me in the head and somehow didnt penetrate but left me
with
a nasty knot.
I didnt kill him (not for lack of trying) but nearly riped his leg off
with my
issue .44.

Dr told me I will end up in a wheelchair someday and the more I exercise
the
longer I will continue to walk.

So I got a bike

Its now a few years later and I ride approx 100 miles a week. Believe it
or not
I now feel very little back pain on or off the bike and I am more fit than
any
of my friends. Im legally 18% disabled and can out do any of my firends in
anything we do.

I abselutly believe a bike can cure anything.

Holy crap, dude, you make Lance look like a nancy boy.

Lower back pains