Back ache on bike.

freehub

Hi.

Does anyone know if worn cleats can somehow cause back ache? I've not altered my bike position at all and it used to be perfect, but now I can't get comfortable as my back aches and siezes up.


Thanks
Will.

ride_whenever

probably tight hip flexors causing glute deactivation and increased lat load.

freehub

Sorry what? I've no idea what you are on about? :?:

rake

he said the cold is causing it.

freehub

You sure? I was ok last year in the cold.

rake

not sure. my back is terrible if the cold gets at it on a ride.

ride_whenever

Cyclists tend to have tight hip flexors (the muscles used to lift your leg up from the hip) three of them, these are the antagonistic muscles to the glutes (bum) so tightness there will stop your glutes working properly. This moves the tension into your lower back.

pm me if you want some exercises.

JohnnyAllez

ride_whenever wrote:

Cyclists tend to have tight hip flexors (the muscles used to lift your leg up from the hip) three of them, these are the antagonistic muscles to the glutes (bum) so tightness there will stop your glutes working properly. This moves the tension into your lower back.

pm me if you want some exercises.

Cue the flood gates opening

Bhima

Sounds like you need to do a bit of stretching.

This might help you:
http://www.nimbuscycles.co.uk/html/mobi ... cises.html

There's lots of different stretches and exercises which target different areas though, so this may not totally cure your problems.

Monty Dog

In terms of your original question, you wouldn't expect incorrect cleat position to give you lower back pain - knees yes, hips maybe, lumbar no. Generally lower back pain is due to weak core muscles and inflexibility, including hamstrings and quads.

freehub

Can worn down cleats cause knee problems? As in, due to the cleats wearing, it means they're a little lower to the pedal, right?

rake

i think thats tripe freehub.

John.T

freehub wrote:

Can worn down cleats cause knee problems? As in, due to the cleats wearing, it means they're a little lower to the pedal, right?

No. Worn Look cleats cause all sorts of injuries as they come undone while sprinting but the area that sits on the pedal does not wear much. It is the parts that clip in to the pedal that wear.
I have never had any wear problem with SPD-SL other than the pad on the R540 pedals does wear and makes them a bit loose.

Chip \'oyler

Have you altered the angle of your saddle?

I was starting to get a bad ache in my lower back after a few hours on my winter bike. I've had it for years and never had a problem. So I checked everything over and noticed the angle of my saddle had tipped upwards slightly. My seatpost is an inline one, and is altered by tightning or slackening the front or rear bolts. I reckon the years of sitting down might have tipped it back. Anyway, I've moved it to it's original position and now my back is trouble free.

But I also agree with all other posts. It's worthwhile doing a series of stretches after every ride

Oceanblue

There's a great article on back pain in Cycling Plus this month, there is also a good one on cleats...

giantsasquatch

What might of happened is one or both SPD's have become crooked or have moved forward or back off the ball of your foot.

How much float does your SPD's have? Black and red-tipped have the least. These can cause more knee problems. although better for climbing.

Check seat post hasn't lowered a fraction.

ride_whenever

Monty Dog wrote:

In terms of your original question, you wouldn't expect incorrect cleat position to give you lower back pain - knees yes, hips maybe, lumbar no. Generally lower back pain is due to weak core muscles and inflexibility, including hamstrings and quads.

But if you're cleats are wrong it'll mess up your kinetic chain, you could end up with tightness in the base of your lats causing back pain.

redddraggon

Monty Dog wrote:

Generally lower back pain is due to weak core muscles and inflexibility, including hamstrings and quads.

He might no like to admit it, but he's rather inflexible for his age. Having a bike too big probably doesn't help his bad back either.

ride_whenever

It's actually unlikely to be tight hamstrings as the route of the problem. It'll contribute, but tight hip flexors deactivate the glutes, increasing the hamstring and lower back loading, causing tightness and pain respectively. However tight hamstrings are usually a symptom rather than a cause if you see what i mean...