Back pain
04-17-24, 04:34 PM
#26
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Thread Starter
For me, onset of pain was 24 to 48 hours later. Delayed feedback is not very effective at driving behavior modification. But that's another story.
I recall reading somewhere along the back pain journey that every spine is different, so personal testimony is of limited experience. Cadaver studies of people who did and did not experience back pain found little correlation between reported pain and common physical spinal conditions.
So take everything with a grain of salt.
Lowering my saddle near the limits of conventional wisdom regarding knee angle helped my spine immensely. Occasional mid ride stretching helps my spine. Indeed I've found a too upright position is bad, but also too low. My saddle to bar drop is zero, and I can ride literally hundreds of miles moving between flats and drops. That's my spine.
I recall reading somewhere along the back pain journey that every spine is different, so personal testimony is of limited experience. Cadaver studies of people who did and did not experience back pain found little correlation between reported pain and common physical spinal conditions.
So take everything with a grain of salt.
Lowering my saddle near the limits of conventional wisdom regarding knee angle helped my spine immensely. Occasional mid ride stretching helps my spine. Indeed I've found a too upright position is bad, but also too low. My saddle to bar drop is zero, and I can ride literally hundreds of miles moving between flats and drops. That's my spine.
I have a fitness bike it’s where comfortable , and handle bars are slightly below saddle
04-17-24, 05:24 PM
#27
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About 3 miles at a 3 mph pace. When I walk specifically for back rehab, I use a special motion, rotating each hip in a circle as best as I'm able. When I've been fixing a sciatica attack, that hurts like the devil for the first mile, then gets better. If you don't have pain while walking just a normal walk works fine. Oddly or perhaps not oddly at all, walking seems to be about the best core exercise, works everything. I guess that makes sense, after all we are bipeds and are supposed to be walking during many of our waking hours, but we don't do that much now that everything is mechanized - and the bike is also a machine. Thus many of our core muscles are activated specifically by walking - that's what they're for.
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04-17-24, 05:38 PM
#28
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Now seeing downtube42's post, it's totally normal for muscle exercise to produce soreness about 48 hour later, known and DOMS - Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness. It's normal, just means you did something unusual or did it more than has been usual recently. Since pedaling activity varies with the individual, the amount of activation of the posterior chain also varies. Those who activate that muscle chain on the bike are more likely to get a sore lower back from greater than usual cycling activity. That's a decent theory anyway, not a proven result.
That said, I've found that strengthening my whole posterior chain reduces or eliminates my back pain after riding. My favorite over time has been the Romanian deadlift, relatively light weight, high reps, a full stop at the bottom, no jerking. For this old man, say 40 reps with 100 lbs. but start with way, way less.
That said, I've found that strengthening my whole posterior chain reduces or eliminates my back pain after riding. My favorite over time has been the Romanian deadlift, relatively light weight, high reps, a full stop at the bottom, no jerking. For this old man, say 40 reps with 100 lbs. but start with way, way less.
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04-17-24, 06:56 PM
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This was my first thought in reading the original post. I've never had back pain from cycling, but a few days ago I strained my back from lifting something too heavy. It's not a bad strain, but I can feel it when I'm walking. I've been riding every day and don't notice the back pain when I'm riding, and it's not worse when I finish. From my experience, cycling should not cause back pain. Others may have different experiences, but my thought is that if you ride with good form (and the bike fits you), you shouldn't get back pain from riding.
