Old 06-05-19, 08:47 PM
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clengman
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Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
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Bikes: '73 Schwinn World Voyageur, '98 Nishiki BSO

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Originally Posted by MoAlpha
A herniated disc is usually an outcome of a chronic degenerative process. That said, positioning can be an aggravating or precipitating cause and deconditioning of core muscles often contributes.

In terms of the mechanics of the process, discs bulge or herniate by being squeezed out posteriorly from between the vertebral bodies, so flexion (forward bending) of the spine is what does it. This is something one should try to minimize on the bike and elsewhere by rotating the pelvis forward and flattening the lumbar spine instead of bending it. Think about the proper form for a starting a deadlift. Doing a deadlift wrong is a perfect way to squeeze out a disc and doing them right is a great way of improving position on the bike and protecting the spine.
This is exactly what I've found to be the case for me. I did have sale to bar drop of 7-8cm and I really couldn't maintain that position without allowing my lumbar spine to round over.

Now I have my bars 1 or 2 cm below the saddle and my PT gave me a good program to strengthen glute medius muscles, abs, and posterior chain and worked a lot on proper hip hinging. It has worked really well for me.
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