Back Pain

Stormtrooper

I have been using my hardtail fot the last 3 years mainly up Afan.
Over the last 5 to 6 months i have been suffering with a lot of lower back pain especially after the descents.
As i'm in the market for a new bike would a full susser help combat this as i wont be jarring or shocking my back so much.

.blitz

A fs will make no difference. They are not designed for comfort. Traction and shock absorption but not comfort.

Most cyclists suffer from lower back pain it is caused by a muscle imbalance. We all have a leading leg esp on the descents and your leading leg will be taking the strain and getting stronger while your other leg is just there for the ride. The weaker leg will also be more flexible than the stronger one - hello back pain.

Back/hip/glute stretches help a lot there are loads on the net and a strong core also takes the strain off your back so work those abs as well.

Make a conscious effort to lead with your other leg it is very difficult at first esp dh but you will get there. Single-leg squats can build up the strength in your weaker leg.

A sports physio will charge you £37.50 for 30 minutes and tell you everything that's wrong with your musculoskeletal system but none of us are perfect and unless you are riding at the top level you can help yourself for a lot less.

The important thing is to get into a routine with the stretches & excercises and not wait until you are in discomfort - prevention is better than cure etc etc

miss notax

Hiya

Nothing to add but I agree with the post above - find yourself a good chiropractor / physio that understands biking! I also sympathise as my lower back literally seized up after two rather enthusiastic laps of Cwmcarn last Thursday afternoon We were away for two days biking and we had to drive home Friday morning as I couldn't move - gutted.

Stormtrooper

Well thats one of the most helpfull replies i have had on here about anything.
Looks like i need to shape up lol.
Thank you

agg25

I too suffer from a bit of lower back pain and I've found doing the plank exercise has helped me a lot (where you stay in the position of forearm and toes on the ground and hold it for a minute or so) and doing some lower back exercises at the gym. Stretching would also help.

kay_cream

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cajun_cyclist

I think conventional wisdom is that if you get a back pain, too much weight is resting on your lower back, hence, for a road bike, the handlebars should be raised up higher, it's all something like this. Maybe others can contribute more to this.

So you may referring to mountain and hybrids more but it still might have to do with one's own weight distribution.

Rankles

Personally I wouldn't see a chiropractor, and a good physio will just repeat the second post.

I had trouble with lower back pain generally after sustained sections of singletrack where I wasn't quite seated or standing for any long period.

I was recommended some swiss ball extension exercises and stretches. Look up swiss ball lower back extension (20 reps x2) and skydiver (15 reps x2). Only ever use bodyweight when training your lower back.

I've been doing them almost daily in the gym for over a month and the pain has been almost eradicated!

composite

Have you changed anything to do with the saddle recently? Back pain can often be caused by the saddle being too far back. I had lower back pain for a while until I got my saddle position right, but then recently had a small crash that made the saddle come a bit loose. I tightened it back up at the time on the trail but started getting the back pain again over the next week, until I noticed it was in a slightly different position. It was only out about 10mm at most.

Exercises for the core area that I would look for are: plank, side plank, bird dog, glute bridge and anti rotational press. These should all help in making your core stronger which will help with riding anyway.

Rankles

Ok guys so i had my first race this weekend and two laps or so in and my lower back seized up. I finished the race but afterwards I struggled to bend down. After a nice ice cold bath the pain eased off a little but it still hurts today.

I'm seeing my (awesome) physio on Saturday and I'm happy to pass on any information I pick up. If you want me to massage you though that will cost extra.

Dave_P1

I used to suffer with lower back pain but only when racing and that happened for every race last season.
So, first race of the year last weekend, one extra lap compared to last year too, bike setup identical and no back pain.
I can't put this down to one particular thing but I have been doing more ab work in the gym along with the plank which I think might have helped.