Help, slipped disc

stolmie

Hi everyone, Ive ordered a Voodoo Bizango and due to pick this up tomorrow. The issue is that I have a slipped disc and really concerned this might make it worse and wondering if anyone else has been in the same position. My disc bothers me most at night when lying in bed, cannot lie on my front and the other way it causes me problem is up hill walk. Im thinking about cancelling my order. I dont want to spend nearly £700 on a bike I cant use, part of the reason I've bought it was to get more active. I have been doing yoga etc but cannot get rid of the slipped disc, had it for 3 years now. Tried NHS physio and that was pointless. Anyway has anyone else been in a similar position.

steve_sordy

Not a slipped disc exactly, but similar. That was in 1996 and I was off work for 3 weeks and struggled for 18 months until a physio gave me an almighty thrust in my back and replaced the vertebrae that were displaced. I had problems on and off for 10 years until I went to see a chiropractor. That helped a lot, but I couldn't do it myself and it was expensive. I continued to have problems involving collapses and time off work. I was becoming old before my time. In Dec'08 I was reading an MTB magazine letters page and a reader was give advice by three specialists about back problems. They all gave different advice, but agreed on Pilates as being "a good thing". So I started in a Pilates class as soon as the Xmas hols were over.

The instructor gave me some one-on-one initial tuition and an assessment to judge which class I should join. I was 57 and she put me with four women all in the mid 70's and above! YIKES!!! Was I really that bad? Yes I was.

I soon moved on to more experienced classes and they were all women, apart for one six-month period when an ex-rugby referee in his mid 70's joined us (he was fit, but not flexible).

Pilates was a life saver for me and for the next 12 years I did not miss a class. It is good for flexibility, core strength and balance. All good things for mtb, I'm sure you would agree. But the key thing is that I learned exercises that I could do at any time, pretty much anywhere. Which was handy because my job involved a lot of travel around Europe; economy class airline seats seem to be designed to cause back problems.

Eventually, I developed a small range of exercises that help my specific problem, such that when the lockdown stopped the classes, I could continue at home. I now do those exercise every single morning and (touch wood) I have not had a problem this year.

My younger brother has always been a super-fit guy playing football and later squash, then yoga. He was then crippled by sciatica. I persuaded him to ride a bike because it stopped my minor problems with sciatica. Biking got rid of his sciatica. Then I persuaded him to have a go at Pilates, but it took me three years! He was reluctant, "like yoga isn't it" Err no, similar but not same as. Within weeks of starting, he was hooked and started going every single week. Like me, he was reborn and wished he had started sooner!

All back problems are different but a strong core is always a good treatment. My apologies for banging on a bit, but I thought it important to get across what Pilates can do for you.

If you decide to give it a go, start with small classes where the instructor can see up close and personal what you are doing and how you are doing it (there will be laying on of hands!) The discipline of attending classes was good for me. I'd paid, so I was going! I suspect that if I hadn't paid in advance there would have been quite a few weeks where I would not have gone at all (sun shining, the trails are calling....)

Once you know what you are doing, you can move to larger classes. They tend to be cheaper, but it's pretty much "monkey-see-monkey-do" in the large village hall settings. People are going through the motions but they are not doing it right.

stolmie

Thanks for the reply, everyone i know who has had a slipped disc has had the extreme case where they couldnt walk etc, mines is different, typical, mines is just a continues pain all day and worse when sleeping or going up hill. I do alot of exercises and some pilates also but I just cannot get rid of it. I was offered a jag but didnt take it as to me its not solving the issue. What I dont want is a bike to make it worse or that i cannot use the bike, today is pickup day at 4 and still cant decide what to do.

stolmie

Well I went for it and got the bike, now I've only cycled home 3 miles from Halfords but I had no back pain and there were some uphills that were absolutely thigh burners so fingers crossed. The last bike I had was around 14 years ago and it was a spec rockhopper, this bike is so much better, so light and smooth gear changes. Will be out and about over the week and see how my back gets on, dont want to do too much as I'm unfit and because I'll struggle it will put me off going out on it more.

steve_sordy

I discovered through the passage of time that Pilates and MTB are the perfect combination for car of my back. I have never had a back problem recurrence whilst on my bike, not even when falling off.

If for any reason, I stop either Pilates or mtb for a 3-4 week period and don't replace either with something equivalent, then I will get a problem, usually a painful one.