back pain?

[Antaresia]

I've been riding for three weeks, I've accomplished commuting to work, and just today I biked that ugly stretch of 20 up-hill blocks (kind of bummed about the girl who zipped past me like it was nothing).

But I'm getting a little bit of lower back pain, is that normal for a new rider? Has anyone gotten it and gotten over it? Tips? I keep reading about "bike posture", but I think I have okay posture. I'm a bit frustrated about this.

Stupid lower spines.

Oh ya, I guess this is sort of an intro post for me too. My friend wants to loose some weight, so one day while chatting fb I ask "when are we going to walk the sea wall?" and she says "how about now?". So we go, and I get inspired by all the people biking it. "I remember when I use to have a bike, over a decade ago. I WANT TO BIKE THE SEA WALL". And I throw myself into it, reading all I can about bikes before I get one (mostly how to lock it properly, and not get killed in traffic). I had no idea there was such a strong sense of community out there. That there were so many different bikes styles. Where to start?!

I got myself a cheapo used bike to start out on - early 80's CCM mixte. I realized I could commute to work. So, now I'm a commuter with a junky bike I love, high hopes, beer in my granny basket, and lower back pain.

[ny biker]

I've had problems with lower back pain. Regular stretching, especially the hamstring muscles, helped a lot.

[blackhillsbiker]

Yoga is doing wonders for my lower back. The cow/cat stretches are helpful before riding.

Deb

[KathiCville]

Yoga and working on your core strength will likely help with your lower back pain.

I've found that doing "pigeon pose" (yoga) and rolling out my IT band on a good foam roller 4x to 5x a week has made a huge difference in keeping my back, hips and legs from getting too tight from cycling. You'll find lots of posts here on TE about the joys of foam rollers.

I had a constant lower backache until I realized how important it was to stretch key muscles regularly. I still get twinges but now I know what to do to help myself. The trick is to do the stretching and the roller consistently, even when you're not feeling aches and pains.

Now I'm focusing on strengthening my way-too-weak core by doing planks and working with a balance ball. (Another subject that has inspired posts aplenty here on the forums.)

BTW, welcome back to cycling!

[alice]

I had some lower back pain when I first started riding after a long time just because my muscles weren't developed for whatever it is that they do while I'm cycling. It went away after a few months.

Also, beer is the best thing to have in your granny basket!

[nscrbug]

As a long-time sufferer of chronic low back pain due to a bilateral pars defect (fracture) that has resulted in one of my vertebra sliding forward off the vertebra below it (spondylolisthesis)...I can sympathize with anyone that deals with back pain, especially while cycling. I know it goes against what all the fitness "experts" out there preach, but I simply MUST stretch extensively BEFORE riding. I do a lot of knees-to-chest moves while still in bed, then I roll over on my tummy and do child pose for a minute or two. Then I do a few more stretches while sitting on the edge of the bed, before actually standing up. From there I'll do a runner's stretch on the floor beside the bed, and if time allows I may throw in a few prone planks. Once I'm done with my stretches, I move to my inversion table, where I invert to various degrees for about 6 minutes. Only then, am I ready to swing a leg over my bike. Even once I am on my bike, it takes me about a good 30 minutes before I actually feel limber enough. Back pain really sucks.