Salmosebago

This season I have had some pretty serious lower back spasms. It's been starting at 90 minutes into a ride (mtn or road doesn't matter) like clock work. I am guessing it is because I'm just not conditioned yet, and I'm just getting older. I was talking to a friend, a very strong rider, and asked him the following: Ibuprofen before I ride helps but only for a while. What do you think about dissolving a couple tablets in your bottle for a "slow drip" while riding? Well, this Saturday I rode 78 miles straight through; 3 tablets 90 minutes before the ride, 2 tablets dissolved in each of 2 bottles, 4 hours of ride time and no back problems. Thoughts? Seemed to work pretty well.

tallmantim

Hi

I'd be concerned with finding the cause rather than treating the symptoms - do you stretch at stop points? Is your bike geometry correct?

Might be worth looking at getting a bike fit.

Long term use of ibuprofen, especially without food, can cause stomach problems (ulcers) - not sure what a steady drip feed would do.

Otherwise, glad to hear you got through your ride pain free!

Soma Roark

Ibuprofen doesn't really address your core issue... so yes, get a bike fit and also...yoga! At least the core exercises/stretches on a daily basis and especially before you ride.

RiPHRaPH

Your lower back symptoms may really be a symptom of things going on above or below the area (shoulders from being stretched too far/short) or not stretching the hammies. If you are able to ride long but get off the bike hunched over til it works out then ditch the ibuprofen and concentrate on more permanent fixes.

Carbonfiberboy 

I have had lower back problems for years. Cycling helps my back more than anything else, although overdoing it when I'm not in shape can make it sore. If a week of hard riding early in the year makes my back sore, I take a few days off to let it calm down and then go at it again. That usually works. Ibuprofen during a ride for an attack of back pain is fine, IMO. Ibuprofen taken prophylactically is not good. It's just hiding the fact that you are hurting yourself.

IME, stretches don't do anything. Gym work is good, especially the back machine, seated rows, and barbell squats. You can find a lot of floor exercises for the lower back online. They help a little.

As other posters have said, it may be an issue of bike fit. I'd guess more likely it's just a fitness issue.

Wanderer

And, your liver and kidneys won't like what you are doing to them either......

Richard Cranium

If your lower back pain is a symptom of a spinal problem - taking the Ibuprofen is a big mistake.

For years I put up with back pain after running and often when I rode time-trials. In 2008 - I decided I would make somewhat of a "comeback" and set about an aggressive Spring training plan after a particularly harsh winter. I began taking Ibuprofen - as an ongoing - "while training" medication and managed to ride myself right into a completely herniated disc. This resulted in a complete loss of ability to exercise at all.

Ongoing low back pain should never be "medicated away." But then again there is always the chance that your problem is not spinal in nature - so maybe its no big deal.

Salmosebago

Thanks for the recommendations. The conditioning thing (core) is high on my list. Tough to take the time to do it when I'd rather be outside in the saddle! It does seem to be getting a bit better - went out for 2 hours tonight and was fine. Did the fit thing and have taken that as far as I can. I think it's primarily just getting older and not adjusting my regimen to my older body; ie stretching more and I think the yoga thing would also help. Not like I'm taking the stuff every ride but, for a ride like this past weekend, it certainly seemed to help.

$ick3nin.vend3t

^^And now you know why Carbon has had lower back problems for years. ^^

Oh boy...

$ick3nin.vend3t

What I suggest if your working the core, just do isometric abdominal/core exercises. Forget about rep work & dynamic movements. Just fixed body positions for time.


https://www.raf.mod.uk/raftriathlon/r...4F169DC4C7.pdf





Everything in the video & link + the plank progression/variations, these are phenomenal core exercises.

By elevating the feet, the demand on the core increases. Get your butt high in the air.

• Plank Progression
• Prone Cobra/Superman
• Isometric Held Push-ups (feet elevated)
• Hip Thrusts/Bridge

Forget crunches, these exercises knock spots off them for core strength.

dstrong 

Do planks ever get easier? I started doing them about 2 weeks ago, along with some basic stretching. It's had an immediate and dramatic improvement to my comfort level when I'm in the drops.

I'm up to doing two planks, one minute a piece once a day this week, after starting at 15 seconds x 3 a couple weeks ago. While I have increased the length of holding the position, my body starts quivering after about 15 seconds. Will that go away?

colombo357

I slipped a disk 8 years ago.

My solution was an inversion table. I got a $150 one made by Ironman, bought it off Amazon.

Drugs don't help with lower back pain. This table does. Use it a couple minutes a day until the pain goes away. If you don't have any pain, don't use it. Some people overuse it and it seems to exacerbate the pain.

tallmantim

I got one of these under advisement from my osteo when I was dealing with a prolapsed disk last year. Use it for 5-10 minutes every day or two. Coupled with Yoga/Pilates 3-4 times a week, my back now feels great and don't even get twinges any more. Feeling good.

Salmosebago

I was wondering if the inversion table would come up. Been talking with a friend about them and we both thought they would come in handy. All good comments and the core strength advise is being put to use. I have to make the commitment time wise and realize that some days it will be smarter to do that than ride. Thanks again for the replies!

paulclaude

I used to get back pain a couple of years ago when I started to race/train competitively. Planks, pushups, crunches were the solution. No amount of stretching helped - weight training even made the problem worse. I'm now riding and racing pain free. I just do some planks/pushups a few times a week (usually first thing to wake me up) to maintain strength. Never have a problem on the bike now.

Carbonfiberboy 

Weights helped me a lot. I can do a plank until I'm bored.

Back pain is weird. You have to kind of feel your way along. You have to work it until it hurts a little, but not to the point of pain. You have to learn by experience where that edge is. And the pain thing is cumulative. You may not feel it during the exercise or even right after, but you might feel it the next day. So it's a slow, gain seeking kind of thing.

My particular case is from leader falls and doing heavy construction work.

$ick3nin.vend3t

I have tested 100's of different exercise & variations, kept what works, thrown out what doesn't. I can tell you, planks/iso variations are in the Top 3.

When I started deadlifting years ago, what happened was, to satisfy my ego, I had to load the barbell with as much weight as I possibly could handle for x amount of reps/sets, which put my back out. At the time, my ab/core work revolved mainly around crunches, sit-ups etc which involves movement of the lumbar spine. So they were out the routine too. So I had too find alternatives for core work. Isometric ab work it was. For 3 weeks I had too stay away from deadlifting, which drove me crazy because I believed my strength was just draining away. 3 weeks passes, my back finally fixed & eager to see where my strength was at, with the same weight on the bar as I had left it, for the same amount of reps/sets, the bar felt lighter & rose with ease. I couldn't believe it. I soon realised that isometric ab work was phenomenal, hence the top 3 rating & the crunches were gone. 3 weeks on from start of my resumed deadlift routine, I retested my 1RM & found I had it increased by 90lbs, which was impressive. I was so impressed with the Iso ab work, its been mainstay.

The planks do get easier as your body adapts. When you can reach 10 minutes with the feet elevated & good form, for a further challenge, wear a weighted vest & get the butt higher.

When you move your arms & legs, its not the muscles in the shoulders or thighs that contract first. The initial contraction happens within the core & that is why its extremely important for athletic development.