Bike fit or frame problem?

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I have two bad disks in my lower back (L4 & L5) that were nearly blown. I too have always been very active. However, I've found riding helps my back - but there are some things I have learned that may or may not help, and some things that echo what others here have said:

My handlebars cannot be lower than my seat, and I spend more time in a more upright position - I'm only just now fairly comfortable with my hands on the brake hoods, and I only spend a few short minutes at a time in the drops. The injury is 3 years old now and still creates problems from time to time, but I've learned I must take my time with EVERYTHING.

If a more upright position helps, you can get a hybrid and put road tires on it. Or, I know a number of people who have bad backs and ride recumbent bikes now.

Someone else said core strength - absolutely work the abs. I hate ab work, but I make myself do it at least once a week.

The suggestion of getting a physical therapist to have a look at your position on the bike is an excellent one. I recommend PT for anybody who's had a debilitating injury, without the guy I had, I don't know if I'd be on a bike at all yet.

Most of all: (((hugs))). I know what it's like to lie there in pain, crying and wondering if life will ever be normal and let you do any of the things you want to do without hurting so much.

[Triskeliongirl]

I think the recom. of getting a PT in the loop is a good one, and perhaps also an orthopod.

I had severe back and hip pain (both on and off the bike) that didn't go away after a cycling accident. It turned out that it was caused by a poorly healed fracture that left me with a 3 cm leg length discrpancy, twisted hip, and inflamed SI joint. First it took a really good orthopod at our medical center to diagnose the problem. Next he sent me to a really good PT that gave me back strengthening exercises, and physically manipulated my SI joint until it was healed. She also gave me inserts for my shoes to wear on the short leg side. Then I went to visit with a cycling biomechanicist (Tom Slocum of High Sierra Cycling) who measured the impact of my LLD (and also twisted hip) on my pedal stroke, and made me a custom crank set that compensates as well as possible for my biomechanical issues.

If you are willing to travel, you might want to visit Andy Pruitt in Boulder, who runs a clinic specifically for cyclists with biomechanical issues, and he could also give you a therapeutic bike fit, which is diff. from the fits you can get in a normal bike shop.