Lower Back Pain

badhorsy

Hi all,

I get really bad lower back pain while cycling. I cycle about 30 miles daily (commuting), but because it's in the city, and I'm forever stopping at traffic lights, I don't really get too much pain.
Whenever I go on longer rides into the country, it really becomes noticeable. I also typically get numb hands on longer rides (even with gel gloves), but I can cope with these by riding one handed for a bit to shake the life back into them.

I've never had a proper bike fit, aside from a preliminary once over in Evans to help me decide what frame size to get. I'd love to get a proper bike fit, but as a student in London, over £100 is pretty hard to come by.

I'm pretty sure my saddle is in the *correct* position. At least, my knee is over the pedal axle when the pedals are horizontal, and the height seems ok.
I'm starting to consider playing around with the stem, even though my reach seems comfortable enough. That is, I don't feel either too stretched out, or too squashed.

I'm 6'1, riding a 58cm Specialized Secteur Elite.

Any advice while I'm saving up my pennies for a pro fit would be awesome!

Valy

Have you been cycling for a while?

When I started cycling I was getting aches in my lower back but I later understood that it was simply caused by the lower back muscles getting tired. After a while it was fine. You may want to raise your stem with a few spacers or by just getting a new adjustable one. Numbness in the hands may suggest a lot of weight being on them.

As for your hands - you may wanna get some more bar tape and get some double-wrapping done. I put some handlebar tape over the grips on my mtb and I stopped having any numbness as the area was much greater now - I did not even use the newly bought Specialized BG Gel Mitts!

Monty Dog

Most lower back problems are down to riders weak core muscles - 'invest' in some sit-ups, stretching (particularly hamstrings) and core-body exercises, it won't cost a penny but will improve your cycling.

seanoconn

The best thing to do is visit a physio and find out what's causing the problem. A physio that has an intersest in bikes is even better.

But at £50 a session that might not be much help. So the non-professional option would be to either flip your stem/buy a cheap stem with a greater degree of rise on it or/and do a load of stomach crunches to strenghen your torso & lower back exercises, found on this site and the web.

I'm in the same boat, good luck.

HadronCyclist

One of my friends used to get terrible lower back pain whatever kind of ride he was doing. One day I realised his cadence was very, very low (about 40-60 rpm).As soon as he learnt to use an easier gear and spin a little more, the pain subsided.

If you feel that you are pushing quite hard and your back pain could be linked to this, I suggest shifting down a gear or two and spinning faster!

I'd be happy to give you some pointers about your body position if you post a picture of your position on the bike. Won't be as scientific as a proper fit, but might be able to point out any obvious problems.

Berk Bonebonce

If your saddle is too high, you will tend to notice it pretty straight away. But not if it is too low. It is quite a common failing to have a saddle too low. And a saddle should be dead level, but some find that the nose pointing slightly downwards is preferable.

kingrollo

Monty Dog wrote:

Most lower back problems are down to riders weak core muscles - 'invest' in some sit-ups, stretching (particularly hamstrings) and core-body exercises, it won't cost a penny but will improve your cycling.

+1

If you hamstrings become to tight - they pull harder on your back muscles - causing all sorts of problems. Stretch these twice a day and always after ride.

Bozman

+1 Physio.
If you're after strengthening your core muscle stay away from sit-ups etc, sit-ups put a alot of strain on your back.
Pilates is the answer for core strength and lower back issues, it feels a bit girly but your pro cyclists will probably do it and if you visit a physio i guarantee they'll give you a s**t load of pilates to do. + Chuck plenty of stretching in before and after your rides.

northpole

Pilates is what my osteopath recommended to me when I had lower back problems.

If you are commuting check out how much you are carrying in a back pack and the pressure point at the bottom of the bag - this can place quite a bit of stress on your lower back without drawing attention to itself - I am convinced that was a large contributor to my problems over several months.

Lower back pain and numb hands sounds like your riding position is all wrong- but it could be partly down to you guarding your back problem. I would try a few of the decent bike shops and ask if they would spare you a few minutes to check your position in the saddle. If you are straight up with them you might be surprised at their positive & helpful attitude. Worst that could happen is they say no!

Whatever you do, don't ignore this problem if it has been ongoing - I did and spent several months barely able to walk let alone go near a bike.

Peter

Burghley

Hi

The first law of pain (having eliminated non-bike related ailments) whilst cycling is to change your position slightly and see if it makes any difference.

Three starting points:

1. Height of saddle

2. Reach to levers

3. Difference in height between saddle and bars

E.g drop the saddle 1cm; move it forward on the rails 1cm; flip the stem to raise the bars and shorten reach.

Give that a try and report back.

Rgds

Pete

vision267

Your saddle could be too far forward,if your saddle is too far forward all your weight is carried on your hands.Hope it helps,also don't cycle with your arms locked.Have a slight bend.