Lower back problems

[Lee]

I am having problems with my lower back, intermittent pain, normally not crippling by any means just a dull ache. But 2 weeks ago, I had a minor off, no damage done except I tensed up and really hurt my back. Struggled to walk for the rest of the day but it improced daily to the point it's fine again now. That's the worst i;ve been but it seems to be getting more frequent that i have the dull ache.

So I'm assuming that there must be some core stability exercieses I can do to strengthen it, any idea what though?
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[16mm]

[Chrissylaa]

Back problems are a serious matter and cannot be answered on a forum.

Notwithstanding,i used to get a few aches and pains and found that climbing out of the saddle instead of in it all the time helped.

Aim for 50/50.(in the saddle Vs out of the saddle)

It's quite tough staying out of the saddle on longer climbs but think of all the extra muscles needed.

Bear in mind this is just a suggestion.

[Roy Gardiner]

[Gary K]

Stretch your hamstrings and glutes to start with for 2-3 weeks and see what happens.....!

After that, you need a specialist diagnosis/help.

[Des]

Lee, it comes with severe old age - get used to it.
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www.kentonrc.co.uk

[Magnier]

How tall are you Lee?

I think if you're fairly tall its fairly common. I suffer at the end of races in lower back.

Physio noticed straight away and gave me loads of excercises which helped but mainly core work at the gym, strengthen the muscles in that area.

And plenty of stretching before and after!

[babydinotrackboy]

After years of back problems I have tried it all,

everyone is different, what works for me might not work for you because our problems are unlikely to be exactly the same.

That said finding a good osteopath has changed my life and sporting potential.

Pilates made it worse and I saw some of the supposedly best practitioners of this in the country, stretching can help but only if you know what muscles to stretch and when, never stretch before you have warmed up and in most cases you should only stretch after exercise not before, and this should be different from a proper flexibility session which should be done all by itself. Glutes and quads are often the main cause of lower back tightness but people focus on hamstrings which in some cases can actually make it worse.
If you are serious about you back health read this book, it will change how you approach most things sporting.

Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance by Stuart McGill phd
You are welcome to pm me with any questions about what's helped me
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www.performancecyclecoaching.biz

www.fasttrackcoaching.biz

[ozzopro]

To help ease your the lower back pain when on your bike you need to strengthen the area by completing certain core exercises.
Concentrating on keeping correct posture is a must when doing core work and you will see an improvement much faster.
Exercises I would recommend include the half-plank to full plank, bridging and leg raises, these exercises all work your deep core muscles including trans. abs. I would go and see your local Sports Rehabilitator/Therapist to help you with the exercises, otherwise type in the exercises in Youtube and it will give you a good idea on how to perform them correctly.

[paterson]

Chiropractor combined with weekly pilates one to one sessions worked a treat for me. Expensive but definitely worth it.
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I got my legs at http://www.cyclingfitness.net

[Billy Boy]

Eat more cheese.
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[Hughjars]

I'm with Gary on this. In the last few years I have been treating more and more cyclists with non specific low back pain.
Extensive, regular hamstring stretching tends to reduce the chronic nature of this problems and then with occasional deep sports massage the problem is usually managed.

However if this does not work after a few weeks, then perhaps see a specialist for further tests.
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www.velodromeshop.org.uk

[kay_cream]

Hi Lee, We represent an osteopath who is an ex-champion cyclist, so can hopefully give you a few useful tips about back pain/cycling.

A main cause of back pain is poor posture and this is often the case for cyclists who suffer from back pain.

Although incorrect saddle height can create poor posture, the most likely cause of a bad back when cycling is actually poor posture during your day to day activities, rather than during cycling itself. Poor posture in everyday life places tension on muscles, ligaments and particularly discs. If you put your back under this pressure on a day-to-day basis, your body is less able to accommodate the increased physical demands cycling places on it.

Consciously changing your posture can be difficult after years of moving the way that you do. This has led Adam, the osteopath, to invent a product called PosturePlast (www.postureplast.co.uk) which is an adhesive support for the lower back.

By keeping your back in its 'safe zone', it promotes good posture on a day to day basis, keeping your back healthy and making it more able to cope with the demands of cycling . PosturePlast can also be worn during cycling and should help to give you an indication of whether your setup is causing poor posture – if it is, you will feel PosturePlast guiding you to sit (or set up) differently.

If you are suffering from pain it is also important to get off the bike regularly and do some gentle stretches before continuing; tight quads and hamstrings will affect pelvic mechanics and can cause back pain.

If you have any more specific questions about how poor posture can cause back pain for cyclists then get in touch, and hopefully the above information is useful.

[Hans Datdodishes]

[Lee]

[John McC]

I can recommend a Doctor of Chiropratic who pratices in High Barnet; he has worked wonders with my back and even managed to sort a long term persistent cough by manipulation of the back.

I've seen a few physios at work, but they fail to take a hollistic approach, so not greatly impressed.
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John McClelland's victory in the motor paced event with Derek Marloe on the derny was a thing of beauty (Oldmanof)

[Hans Datdodishes]

[DenHaag]

[Chrissylaa]

[Hans Datdodishes]