Lower Back Pain

MattHall

Hi im new to the forum!

I'm also fairly new to mountain biking aswell, i bike everywhere on my BMX and i used to do odd trails on a MTB every weekend a few years ago, but have recently got back into riding mountain bikes. One thing i have noticed though after around 10 minutes of riding i get a sharp pain in my lower back which lasts for around 2-5 mins, then goes away! My seat is adjusted at the right height for me and i think the bars are too. I am around 6ft 2" and have short legs and a longer top half which may be causing some pains? I also get the same pain in the morning when i first get out of bed!

Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this before and what they did to 'fix' it!

TimesLikeThese

kind of depends...
do you have an old back injury?
do you have poor posture generally?
if you do any core work to strengthen your abs and back does your back 'go' then as well?
If yes to any of the above then physio for specific exercises.
If no then do
1 - general core work to eliminate any weakness issues
2 - stretch gently before you ride
3 - perhaps raise the height of the handlebars to see if a more upright posture helps

MattHall

I did once get jumped on by a big guy when i was on the floor and i literally folded in half, and couldn't walk properly for a few weeks. I also have quite poor posture so im guessing this is the problem. I will try raising the bars to see if that helps at all.

Thanks...

Redrocket_99

im 6'4" and had the same problem as you for ages. what helped me was strengthening my core - situps, doing the plank etc.......... i still get a dull pain on longer rides but its nothing compared to before.

pimptovimto

I am not a doctor but have had a similar problem this worked for me

Try you tubing some examples of stiff leg dead lifts, there is one of a woman with skimpy shorts on, I only mention this because her form is excellent in the video, if you don't do much weights then do the movement unweighted to begin with and then up the weight very very gradually, whatever you do don't over do this, it is very easy to prolapse a disc so take it easy is my advice.

I saw an improvements(even unweighted) very quickly even after just a week of doing 10 reps of this every other night, if you don't then it might be worth paying a visit to the doc in case you already have slipped a disc.

good luck

PV

ride_whenever

go see a decent sports physio who can advise you on your areas where you're weak and could use improvement.

Whereabouts are you, perhaps someone can recommend someone.

ketka82

I think lower back pain is fairly common in new or returning riders and tends to just subside as your body adjusts and your core strengthens. I agree that some daily core exercises could certainly help. That's not to say that you shouldn't get it checked out if the problem persists or is particularly painful. Backs are delicate things and once damaged can be hard to fix.

If you're riding a hard tail and doing a lot of bouncing over roots (especially at this time of year when the ground is pretty dry) then this is putting a huge amount of strain on the lower back that it isn't used to. Backpacks can also cause back pain if they're not fitted properly or are too heavy.

MattHall

Yeh the pain has now pretty much gone unless im on very long downhills! I did post this thread when i was on a hardtail but im now on a full suspension, which is ALOT better! I do still get the odd pain when i wake up in the morning though :S