Gutted!!!

fooshnicken

My doctor has advised me not to cycle for 4 - 6 weeks!

I ride to work every day, a 14 mile round trip and I love it. However I have always a bit of back ache since I was involved in a car accident quite a few years ago. A couple of weeks ago I started to find that I was getting bad back ache when I woke up in the mornings, so I went to the doctor.

He advised some sports massages and gentle stretching exercises, which I have done for about ten days or so. Over the weekend I got stuck halfway in a stretch so i went back to see my doctor yesterday.

He thinks I have pulled/stretched ligaments and tendons in my lower back and that I need to rest. I asked about cycling and his reply was that I could go out for a gentle ride at weekends but not to cycle to work for now.

Just my luck! After a cold winter I go and do my back in when the weather finally begins to turn for the better.

I'm tempted to ride in to work one day a week just to be able to stretch out, but I don't know whether this would be a bad idea or not.

bobtbuilder

I feel your pain.

I was made redundant from my job that I commuted in January and now I have to work in the Big Smoke

term1te

Maybe check you have the bike set up correctly, saddle height, how far you stretch to the handle bars, etc. Incorrect set up can lead to back problems, especially on longer rides. You want to make sure you don't exacerbate the problem when the Doc lets you back on the bike. There are a number of websites and articles that can help calculate the correct bike set up for you.

Anonymous

Heh heh, welcome to my world!

boneyjoe

I've a bad back due to a slightly skew spine, but find cycling really helps to loosen things up. Having said that, I cycle on an MTB, which is more upright than your standard road bike - maybe give that a try - on slick tyres its not really that much slower! I've actually found you need to be REALLY careful with the back stretches recommended by doctors and physios, as if you over-do them or stretch cold, you can be in agony for days. Cycling also works/shortens the upper leg and butt muscles, so make sure you stretch those too, as they're close to the back and can cause problems. Hope that helps!

u01akrg

I had 6+ weeks off last year (after a lazy winter), and developed a problem in my hip brought on by running for a train. Prognosis was foreshortened/unbalanced muscles. The physio gave me stretches and exercises, but I reckon I over did the glut stretches and gave myself groin strain.

Over a year later and still get a twinge now and again, but a bit of a rest, stretching and core strength exercises always sort it out.

Hope your back gets better soon!

CiB

Gutted +2

I popped a spoke on the way home last Wednesday and it's taken until today to get the spoke in from stock and the wheel trued up. And now boy elder of the two sprogs has gone down with appendicitis leaving me to get the other to school & back over the next few days, so no commute this week either. It's a nice run, 20 miles. Missing it already...

Bah...

zedders

I'm no medical expert but can say from personal experience it seems as though many people rush back from injuries or fail to let them heal propperly - including myself.
Due to various incidents over the years I have ruptered my achillies. (very very bad) Broken my ankle (very bad), and busted up my shoulder (just bad), but to name a few. Several years later at only 33yrs all play me up from time to time, and I don't think they will ever go away. And IMO, it's because I rushed back to quickly or didn't get proper treatment/physio.

Therefore I wish you well, but say take it easy my friend.

Dunkeldog

I feel your pain. Two days before last Christmas I ruptured a cervical vertebra - six weeks of agony, lying down for three of those - only to recover just in time for a previously arranged keyhole heart surgery and another six week lay off! It's only now I'm slowly regaining last summer's fitness! Bought myself a new steed as a sympathy reward though!

fooshnicken

Thanks for all the replies. I found myself getting really irritated last night on the way home, stuck in traffic