Back Ache and Numb Hands....

badback
badback Posts: 31
edited October 2009 in Road beginners
After two hours on the road my back starts to ache and my hands become increaasingly numb.

I make sure I move my hands to differing positions at regular intervals but it seems to no avail. Would gel padding like the fizzik stuff help or some padded gloves as I don't wear any at the moment.

Back wise I've had the bike set up done and its perfect, is my back just shot to pieces or are there any stretches exercises or technique that anyone has used to allieviate the problem.

Ta muchly.

In the beginning there was just a little bit.

Comments

  • kfinlay
    kfinlay Posts: 763
    If your quite new to cycling especially that length of time then you may have back probs so try to find out some back stretching exercises and build up from there.
    The Fizik handle bar stuff I've never used but found a good pair of gloves to really help - I use the Specialized Gel glove, I'm sure others will have other recommendations

    HTH
    Kev

    Summer Bike: Colnago C60
    Winter Bike: Vitus Alios
    MTB: 1997 GT Karakorum
  • Garz
    Garz Posts: 1,155
    It happens to us all, on my first weeks the aches were present but soon went. If they dont show signs of improving it may need setup adjustments.
  • Garz wrote:
    It happens to us all, on my first weeks the aches were present but soon went. If they dont show signs of improving it may need setup adjustments.

    +1 my hands were killing me on my first rides, had to swap position on the handles every few minutes, now i can leave them on the same position for a long time, with no bother.
    JC
    Pédale ou crève
    Specialized Elite Allez with 105
    Rockrider 8.1 : )
  • Gloves will help a bit.

    I used to constantly have a bad back until I started riding. It's prob just a core strength issue and will go with time. A half-hour stretch session after each ride sorted me out good and proper. If your lower back is tight then pay particular attention to hamstring flexibility. You can stretch your lower back by lying on the floor and tucking your knees toward your chest.
  • Gloves will help a bit.

    I used to constantly have a bad back until I started riding. It's prob just a core strength issue and will go with time. A half-hour stretch session after each ride sorted me out good and proper. If your lower back is tight then pay particular attention to hamstring flexibility. You can stretch your lower back by lying on the floor and tucking your knees toward your chest.

    Good advice! I would just add a short session every morning to build core stability. A bit of a chore but you will see huge benefits, after 2-3 months! You'll find exercises on the web easily enough.
  • Never had hand pain, luckily, but the backaches left me after building core strength........
  • Once you've got a good few miles under your belt you'll find that your back will ease off. I agree with above that to help take he weight off your wrists then you need to help increase your core strength.
    Bianchi. There are no alternatives only compromises!
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  • give it a short while, then see a sports physio, how was the bike fit done? Was your flexibility needed, because if it fits you then you shoudn't be in pain.
  • Flasheart
    Flasheart Posts: 1,278
    :idea: How hard are you gripping the bars? After I was more confident on a road bike I found that I could release some pressure from my grip on the bars. I've found that the hand pain and numbness have all but disappeared.
    As stated before , decent gloves help too. I use the Specialized BG ones, can't recommend them enough. :wink:
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  • I was measured up for my set-up and had back ache as well. Probably the wrong thing to do, but I dropped the saddle just 6mm or so and, hey, no back-ache. So plan is now to go for a slightly higher rise angle on the stem (I reckon a move to 10, perhaps 15 degrees from 5) so that I can bring the saddle back up to the right height. I reckon 10 deg would mean I get another 0.3 inches at the saddle.

    If you are an old crock like me, then maybe this could be a quick fix for you while you work on the stretching etc. The lower saddle is not a permanent fix - will cause other problems in the long term - but may just stop the pain while you identify the problem. You'd be surprised what difference small adjustments make.

    Definitely recommend gel tape and gel/padded gloves.
  • It's too late for you to take much notice of this, now that you've bought your bike, badback:
    http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/fitting.htm
    It might give you some thoughts about why you're suffering with pains in your hands and back though. It's all to do with your fore and aft balance, and only a lot of upper body core exercises will help to improve things, unless you change your position on the bike.
  • Im suffering the same thing at the mo.. brand new bike, brand new riding position and hence brand new pain!!

    3 days in and its getting better though.
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