Low back pain

[sadieme]

I had a herniated disc 2 years ago, L4 /L5. Its not been an issue since then. But it was pretty severe when it was acute.

Recently its started hurting again. Not incapacitating like it was, but its very sore and hurts when I bend my lower back. It seems to have started since I started riding my bike. Its not so bad the day I ride.. but the next day... OUCH!

During my treatment for it included the direction NOT to do any bending of my back. To keep it as straight as possible. Obviously, when riding.. its not possible to keep it straight.

I did move the saddle forward some, which has put me in a more 'upright' position, but not sure if thats going to make a real difference.

Soo.. has anyone had back issues like that and how did it affect/not affect your riding?

If it continues I will go see my dr.. but I was wanting opinions of the people here who know cycling!

Thanks
Sadie

[Bethany1]

Understand the bad back. Last year was so bad I could barely do anything. Just being able to do 6 miles on a bike is a vast improvement even though I complain a lot about it here. LOL. Over the past couple of days I've had to accept the fact that this what my body says it can do and don't argue with it.

Have you had some PT to keep your muscles strong? I try to keep up with mine, but it's easy to forget. Mine is muscle injury related not disc though so I don't know what treatment you have been doing.

Talk to your doc about riding a bike and take it easy. You don't want to go back to zero and start over. It sucks.

Cycling has helped my back in that I get the stretching I need so it doesn't stiffen up on me. I don't know what bike you have but you might need a comfort style bike that is upright like my DH's Trek Navigator or his Electra Townie. His Townie is amazingly fast despite how goofy it looks. I can't ride them since sitting up straight hurts me.

Hope that helps some.

[Hi Ho Silver]

I also had a couple herniated discs and finally had to have a spinal fusion (L5). As a result, I cannot bend my back as others do.

If I'm riding and want to get in an aerodynamic posture (as much as I can), I have to rotate my hips forward. In that position, my weight is not on the "sit bones" -in fact, my "sit bones" are barely touching the saddle. Instead, my weight is primarily on the base of the pubic bone.

That position can get uncomfortable (to say the least!) on the girly bits. The only work-around I've found is to exert more force than usual on the pedals at a lower cadence than is generally recommended (versus the "ideal" method of spinning the pedals at a fast rate with little force on the pedals).

[sadieme]

Thanks for your reply Bethany. Yes, I have had PT, but it was 2 years ago as well. they did give me core exercises to do, which I did for awhile, but have slacked off in recent mos. I need to get back to doing them again

HiHo Silver, Thanks for the info. That sounds like a difficult position to ride in. I know that when I get in that position, (pressure on the girly bits) its VERY uncomfortable and I'm not able to do it for long before I am squirming around trying to take the pressure off. Maybe I can find a happy medium. Your work around sounds like it might work, not to mention increasing the level of the workout!

Do you think its possible that the riding is the cause of my recent pain? Or is it all in my head? LOL

[Zippinalong]

*Do you think its possible that the riding is the cause of my recent pain? Or is it all in my head? LOL*
I think that's a pretty good guess since you said it started to bother you when you started to ride and you mention the directive of not to bend your back. Sounds like a visit to the doc would be in order.

[Hi Ho Silver]

Thanks for your reply Bethany. Yes, I have had PT, but it was 2 years ago as well. they did give me core exercises to do, which I did for awhile, but have slacked off in recent mos. I need to get back to doing them again

HiHo Silver, Thanks for the info. That sounds like a difficult position to ride in. I know that when I get in that position, (pressure on the girly bits) its VERY uncomfortable and I'm not able to do it for long before I am squirming around trying to take the pressure off. Maybe I can find a happy medium. Your work around sounds like it might work, not to mention increasing the level of the workout!

Do you think its possible that the riding is the cause of my recent pain? Or is it all in my head? LOL

I doubt the pain is all in your head - sitting in a tilted position for any length of time is taxing on the back muscles. So riding could likely be the cause of the pain if your core isn't very strong. I don't know if it would apply to you, but I find that I can keep my back happy if I walk briskly ~3 miles about 3 to 4 times a week. It seems to strengthen my back and stomach muscles so that my torso can be easily supported.

[new2ride]

I empathsize with your situation -- I have hardware at L3-L4-L5. I cannot bend the way I used to. In addition to the hardware, I also have two forms of arthritis, along with spondelythesis. I have a hybrid and a road bike and it's much easier for me to ride the hybrid. My posture is somewhat straight on the hybrid and there's not as much strain on the lower back from curling to ride the road bike. I love riding my road bike but my entire spine isn't happy with me riding, so to keep my spine happy, I ride the hybrid.

My road bike is a WSD Specialized Dolce Comp and my hybrid is a WSD Trek 7.5 FX. In spite if my back problems, I continue to ride - I cannot give it up because I love riding.

[sadieme]

I have taken a few days off from riding and it seems to be less sore. Although I have been taking some ibuprofen as well. I may give it another day or so and see how it feels. Process of elimination??

I can see my dr, but I have recently moved and need to get my records of my back issue transferred here, preferably before I see him. Although, if I need to, I will go see him sooner.

My bike is a hybrid. I just made an adjustment to the saddle that put me in a more upright position, but have only ridden it once since I did that. I may try it again and see how it goes.

It does seem like I need to do some more core work though. Walking may be on the agenda as well.

Thanks for all your support and info!