eyeheartny

Hi Guys,

I'm new to the sport, just been riding a few months. I have two herniated discs at L3-L4 and L4-L5 and a partially torn disc at L5-S1. Injury was 11/09. I went through 6 months of PT last year and felt really good as of September. I was weight training pretty seriously both before, during, and after my rehab. Once I started cycling I slowed down on the weights quite a bit in an effort to lose some upper-body muscle mass and drop some weight. I was in gym shape but definitely leaned out from riding a lot.

The last 3 weeks have been super rough. My back has been bad again, and I'm wondering whether cycling is the culprit.

I had a professional fit when I purchased my bike. One issue that was tough to resolve was the curve in my lumbar spine; the way my hands, butt, knees, and feet are positioned means that my back has a bit of curve, since I have a very long torso relative to my height.

It's been getting worse. I saw a guy for MAT work (it really helped during my rehab) and he sorted me out, but as soon as I rode (three days after that session) the tightness came back. I got it to resolve, and when I rode again last night my back locked up a few minutes into my ride.

I know no one here should give medical advice, but I'm wondering if I'm overlooking something. I know my position is good, I've been evaluated by a great fitter who is a local legend. I am struggling with the issue that if I get in the gym enough to keep my back strong and healthy, I don't have enough time to ride and end up sucking when I go out and get on the bike. I work full time and am in graduate school, so it's not like I'm sitting around.

Thoughts? Words of wisdom? Advice? I'm struggling with feeling like cycling is not only not helping things but actively making my back worse.

Daerkon

I don't want to give medical advice as I am utterly unqualified in that department. I can however relate personal experience. My spinal issues are predominantly higher than yours (apparently not so uncommon in cyclists), ruptured discs dating back to 96 when they wanted to operate (I chose time and steroids as I was very suspicious of the surgery) until last year a Spring crash caused me to undergo spinal surgery in the C3-6 range. This was necessary to prevent paralysis and to address nerve compression on the right side (I was losing function of my right arm and suffering significant muscle wastage). I had a 4 level laminoplasty and foraminotimy. Returning to the bike was a top priority for my recovery (if mostly for psychological reasons) and very painful. Despite the entirely different spinal area I would comment that in order to ride successfully following major spinal issues other aspects of fitness come into play much more so. It is far more critical for me to maintain excellent core strength now and have good form than it ever was before.

I am a strong believer in modern medicine so I would always defer to doctors advice, but having a doctor that understand the competitive athlete is also important. My doctor fully supported me riding my first post injury century only 4 weeks out of my brace - though he did caution me again and again about what could happen if I fell! At the end of the day dealing with these injuries and recoveries is more psychological than physical. We are all getting older and our capacities are diminishing, injuries simple take us down that path in greater leaps. My advice would be find a doctor that really understands who you are and can assist you in achieving your goals.

achoo

I've had C5-C6 fusion surgery in my neck to address a herniated disk, and I have had on and off symptoms of another bad disk from the lower thoracic/upper lumbar area for at least 15 years now.

I have the worst symptoms from my lower back when I slack off on my gym time and my back muscles weaken. Your symptoms sound worse than mine, though, so maybe you've reached the point where keeping your back muscles strong is no longer sufficient. That happened to my neck and I had to get surgery.

But FWIW, it doesn't take long me to get enough exercise to keep my back muscles strong enough - normally 4-5 sets of 10-15 squats one or two times a week suffices - and I do those sets FAST. Each rep itself is under control, but I only take 10 seconds between sets.

I learned that workout from someone who went to my high school a few years before me - he learned it when he played for the Green Bay Packers. He actually had us doing 3-4 sets, starting with "only" 10 reps on the first set, using a weight that resulted in failure about rep 4-6 of the third or fourth set. I now do more sets and reps to emphasize longer-term endurance more than short-term explosiveness.

Be warned, though. If you've never done squats before, that workout will kick your ass. Literally. Along with your quads and, most importantly in your case, your back.

Other exercises that could help:

seated rows - stretch really far towards your toes to get your lower back more into the exercise
dead lifts - especially stiff-legged deads

Those two are probably at pretty extreme ends of how hard they isolate your lower back muscles. Seated rows just a little, stiff-legged deads a LOT. Squats would probably fall right in the middle of that range in isolating your back, but squats would feel closer to dead lifts because squats work so much of every large muscle group in your body. Even your shoulders and arms won't escape a good squat workout.

ECT

I had my L5/S1 vertebrae fused last summer. I've discovered (with the help of my physical therapist) that the greatest threat to my back from biking comes from having really tight hip flexors. These are the muscles that pull your knees toward your chest. When they get tight, they pull a host of muscles associated with my back out of whack. I have to stretch these muscles immediately after I ride. If I skip the stretches or do them too quickly, my back hurts the next day. I've also found that I can't get much of a stretch unless I've just come off the bike.

Like the others, I'm not a doctor, and suggest you consult one. But back pain is something I've battled for two decades, and I ride several times a week.

Good luck. You can find some good hip flexor stretches online.

tadawdy

Multiple, sequential disc injuries point to probable significant instability in the region. Traditional deadlifts are out; even done correctly, they create significant shear forces on the lumbar spine. Back squats also may not be the best idea. Front squats are probably safer, as they allow for a more upright posture.

I'd suggest harder exercises over heavy axial loading, such as 1-leg squats vs. barbell squats, as well as lots of core stability. Trust me, I'm as big a fan of squats and deadlifts as the next guy. I have a couple clients with disc issues, and I'm constantly resisting having them do these favorite exercises. I'd rather err with caution, and I just don't think their benefits over other exercises really matter when you already have significant lumbar spine injury. There are other, productive things you can do. Keep the risk/benefit in your favor.

blue192

I had ruptured the L4-L5 disc a few years ago. You might try checking out thudbuster seatposts, worked wonders for me. https://thudbuster.com/ I am not affliated with the company. Aside from a Chiropractor you might want to check out some basic yoga exercises, they work wonders and you would not have to buy any weights etc.

deep_sky

I would see a chiro who is also experienced in treating athletes.
Take a look at your flexibility. Apart from strength issues, tightness is also one of our worst enemies. Tight hip flexors, tight glutes, tight hamstrings, these all can contribute to back issues.

Chini563

good luck with that and ride your bike!