Slaw5300

I'm a 67yr old female & 225lbs....It's been 50+ years & back in May 2020 I began riding a bike again. An ordinary Schwinn like I had as a girl. My past exercise program for over 1yr was walking. I only rode 30-40 min DAILY & very slowly at that. I noticed some mild & brief butt soreness at first that would go away quickly & about 3 mo in I would feel more like a mild ache down there when I stood up after sitting. I was still bike riding with this discomfort & doing alot more sitting than normal , not going anywhere with Covid out there. I quit bike riding & I started chiro treatment 10 wks ago 3x wk due to inability to sit without tailbone pain & serious aching & radiating burning pain in sit bones including ENTIRE buttocks area! The skin is so sensitive too. Chiro Dr said ALL my muscles back there are in spasm! My tailbone is ok too just tender at tip from compression of biking & sitting. He said it is soft tissue issues at this point. I know my overweight had to have super compressed tissues in the bike seat area because it was uncomfortable at the end of the rides. Having triggerpoint massage, TENS & ultrasound 3 x wk...using NSAIDs, heat, 10 motor back massage/heat, biofreeze & a gentle outdoors walk (as soon as I get up)..especially trying to stay on my feet more than sit too. Standing relieves symptoms right away except for skin sensitivity. I fear some permanent nerve damage or something & wonder who else has had my problem? Do I need a physiotherapist or where could I go next? Will it ever go away? Chiro has helped alot, I have come a long way & I havent talked with him about also trying something else as yet... I have doubts of pills or injections & just want to heal myself. Thanks for all replies.

Carbonfiberboy 

I'm 75. I've been lucky and have had problems but probably not my share, since I'm still riding.

Fixing: doctors don't know everything, but in my experience they are your best resource, especially family practice physicians because, except for deliveries, they tend to see mostly older patients. So see a doctor and ask for a diagnosis. That last word is the big word. Once you have a diagnosis, then it becomes a treatment issue. The doc will tell you what sort of treatment to seek. Might recommend a specialist, in fact probably will. I think most clinics are open now, though there are the usual precautions, mandatory mask, temp check, the usual.

Temporary: Try more walking. You don't need to do anything special before, just set out. Try to walk somewhere it's pretty flat to start with. What works for me is to do an exaggerated hip roll with each step, trying to get each hip to move in an approximate circle as you walk. So you step forward, the unweighted hip goes up and then forward, then that leg comes down and that hip also goes down as the opposite hip goes up and then forward, etc. This rolling motion exercises the muscles which surround the nerves exiting your back, hopefully relaxing them and taking the stress off the nerves. When my lower back and butt was really sore, this hurt a bit for maybe the first mile, then the pain gradually went away. Your miles may be much shorter than mine.

Permanent: the problem started with the ordinary Schwinn. To me, this would be a personal health crisis. My advice is to go to a bike shop and buy a new or used mountain bike. There are used bike stores here and there and those bikes will be better than box store bikes. You'll want to go somewhere that people understand bikes and will sell you an appropriate size. Fancy doesn't matter. If this works for you, you'll probably buy a nice bike in 2-3 years. The Schwinn had 2 problems: your position was too upright and the saddle probably too soft. Too soft is not good. The saddle which comes with the bike will very likely not be the right size or shape for you. A bike shop can help you select a better saddle if they determine that the stock saddle wouldn't work for you. The mountain bike will be more complicated with different gears and brakes than you're used to, but you'll get the hang of it. The bike shop folks will be happy to help you get started with it. They know that if can make your experience a good one, they'll see you again.

Your tailbone shouldn't be anywhere near the saddle, though it's possible the tailbone pain is from muscles pulling on it. I once broke my tailbone in a climbing fall and had to walk backwards up stairs and hills for 6 weeks. It seems that every muscle in one's body is attached to the tailbone.

That's all I have. Hope this helps or perhaps leads to help.

canklecat

Take it slow and persist. Vary your exercises -- cycling, walking, light weight lifting, range of motion exercises (yoga, calisthenics, Pilates, whatever you like, they're all the same as far as the body is concerned). Massage. Soaks in warm/hot bath with Epsom salts.

You're overcoming years of comparative inactivity. It will take time for the body to adapt. I've been there. And it's an ongoing challenge.

The pain can be discouraging but try to persist in getting some activity every day.

Slaw5300

Thank you for your encouragement, it seems like I have been suffering forever with only a few small gains, this radiating achy nerve pain throughout buttocks when I sit even with special cushions is discouraging but sounds like these things can take months to go away but it should go away. Some things I'm already doing like continued walking, as long as I am on my feet I feel good. So I stand to eat, pay pay bills, talk on phone anything I can think of. Too much bending tho is aggravating. I will try everything suggested and do my best with selfcare..I don't feel so afraid I have lasting damage now.

Slaw5300

This thank you is to Carbonfiberboy for your sound advice. I am taking several walks daily rather than a single long one to maybe avoid irritating anything more & will try your gait adaptation. I appreciate you mentioning you once had a broken tailbone & got over it. I agree as you mentioned that much that connects to my tailbone has been injured/overused & is pulling it & causing my symptoms. I feel more relieved that even tho it may take some months I should get back to normal. I will take your advice along with Cancklecat's.
You're right, I rode totally upright on that Schwinn & not sure I will ever bike again but I would definitely now go to experts if I decide to in future. Again, thanks for putting my mind at ease that This should resolve & I havent caused myself any permanent damage.

berner

I began cycling at about age 70 or so. It took quite some time until I learned the saddle shape best suited to me and for the backside to become accostomed to such a small saddle. Until those changes occurred, I had reached a point of considering giving up cycling. Fortunately, I'm stubborn and in the end comfort was achieved. It was interesting for me to observe several years later,that a saddle that was comfortable, after loosing about 10 ponds of padding (fat) from my backside, suddenly that fine comfortable saddle became uncomfortable. I stayed with it and comfort returned.

freeranger

Does your bike have a heavily padded saddle. Contrary to what some may think, it's not what you want. To illustrate, on a pillow place your hands on it with a space between them. Now push down on your hands and notice how the space between them is now raised. Not what you want to happen when sitting on a bike saddle! A firm (not a brick) supportive saddle is better for you. Some come with a cut-out in the center which may also help. I don't usually recommend a specific saddle, but I'll go out on a limb here. Terry is a woman owned business and makes a variety of saddles. They also offer a comfort guarantee (can read it on their site). I recently bought my wife a Terry Liberator (women's version) which she is very happy with. But what works for one person may not work for another-good to be able to return it if it doesn't work-so if you do purchase a saddle, read their return policy carefully, whatever the brand. And you'll be more comfortable if not sitting straight up on the bike-the handlebar stem may need to be longer so that you aren't sitting so upright and putting more pressure on your tailbone. Might want to visit a bike shop for advice on a different stem.

qcpmsame 

Best post about saddles for new cyclist I have seen. Even if you have a Hybrid, Mountain Bike, or Cruiser type, get a good, modern saddle. A good Local Bike Shop can help you get the one that best suits you. Stick with your cycling, its a great means of getting and keeping fitness, and just passing the time.

Bill

Russ Roth

Another common issue is thinking you should be sitting straight up for comfort which just shifts all the pressure and work to your butt when really you should be leaning forward at least 15-20 degrees. Besides Terry, Specialized puts a lot of time and research into their saddle design and are worth a look. Just like you shouldn't assume softest is best, neither is widest, just one that puts the right padding under your sit bones. What also matters is when the discomfort occurs, with new riders if it starts after 30-40 minutes its probably just needing to toughen up a little and ride more often, less time and especially sharp pain is just a lousy fit, find a better one.