I posted some time back about lower back pain and have become confused with all of the possible options and would appreciate your comments on the best approach.

I changed my crank to a compact as I like to cycle at a high cadence 90 – 100 and this also enables me to keep a +65 cadence on those very steep climbs. I was told that push a big gear at low cadence does put a lot of strain on the lower back.

I went for a ride on Wednesday and pushed it hard and it made my lower back sore and it has taken a couple of days for it to settle down. The problem is that when ever I bend forward I feel tightness in the lower back and get the urge to try and bend really hard so that it cracks.

My main concern with all of the options is the amount of money you can waste in trying to sort it out.

Bike fit
Physio
Chiro
Osteo

It all seems a mine field and I get the impression it’s a pay your money take your chance approach with trying to find the best solution.

I maybe wrong and am procrastenating a little too much.

I have some knee/hip/pedalling alignment issues. A friend who was finishing training (now working) in Functional Therapy (bit of all those) helped me out. Sat on a trainer and went looking for root causes of the issues. Have some things to work on now and is helping. Worth a try – he’s based in the midlands. Mail me for details if you want.

physio is probably the best starting point. So many potential causes. I have been suffering a similar problem over the past year, root cause been identified as tight hamstrings through cycling. These then pull on lower back when on bike.

Have tried several solutions and the most successful has been my recent physio who also carried out acupuncture. went from constant agony to manageable after first session, then almost normal after a couple more.

Just need to strengthen my core now and stretch regularly.

Going with the blatantly obvious are your core muscles strong? Train those first and this will support your back. Sports physio or gym to sort that, then worry about how your bike is set up.
I have a lower back injury that was a nightmare without core strength, I went climbing to get strong as I can’t stand gyms!

Had similar problem to you when I pushed hard on a bike, especially when racing.

I now do core exercises three times a week and the problem has almost gone. Also a lot stronger and faster on the bike now too.

I must point out that my back has no injuries and my bike fit is good.

In the best traditions of internet advice I would make a different suggestion!
Is the sore back / back pain only when you cycle? If yes, then I would suggest a bike fitting should be first port of call.
(If you have a back problem generally, then a sports physio probably is the best first option).
Daily stretching and core muscle exercises I reckon are essential for a cyclist, especially stretching the hamstrings and glutes to balance out knees and back but if you have a back problem it is probably worth getting professional opinion before starting these. I’m a building surveyor so am obviously qualified in all matters medical… 😉

Physio and or Osteo with a sports science background.

The problem is that when ever I bend forward I feel tightness in the lower back

Going with the blatantly obvious are your core muscles strong?

Having suffered a back injury many years ago I suffered back soreness after a long ride. Did the whole, bike-fit, doc, physio, osteo thing wasting not only time but money; eventually ended up in a Pilates class.

Several months of classes and a few one-to-one sessions resulted in massive improvements and after a few years back pain a thing of the past. As a bonus my flexibility has also improved.

http://www.pilatesfoundation.com/newsite2/index.php is a good place to start looking.

Good luck

Some interesting comments there. With regards to core work. I did a bit of research on this and it says that if you can hold a plank for 60 seconds then your core is good?

There are so many different exercises that it is hard to know what to do for the best.

Should I lay off the cycling all together until the back is sorted out?

I am sure my pilates teacher will tell you the plank of only one exercise.
My own regime worked up over time is a mixture of standard pilates exercises supplemented with cycling specific exercises; spine curls, the dart, the star, standing on one leg, dumb waiter, corkscrew, arm openings and spine stretch.

There are so many different exercises that it is hard to know what to do for the best.

Whilst these exercises look easy the key to doing them correctly is an excellent teacher, hence my advice to attend a class

Also I can recommend a good book; The Official Body Control Pilates Manual ISBN: 0-0-330-39327-8, which has a cycling specific exercise section

I’m in no way qualified but I have suffered from back issues for many years.

I found that climbing has improved matters.

I’ve been for physio and stuff, they’ll tell you it’s probably linked to tight hamstrings (which unless you stretch em, as being a cyclist they will be!).

Core strength as above, all important (this is where the climbing helps).

I keep meaning to try Pilates (and/or yoga if I could find a non denominational one that is…)

It could be a whole range of things. I’ve had mid-upper back problems in the past and it’s casued by a very slight imbalance in my hips (probably from where I fractured my pelvis years ago), exacerbated by tight ITB. Believe it or not!

Is it only manifesting itself on the bike? If that’s the case, chances are it’s some sort of fit issue although it may not be the obvious one of saddle height, it might be something like cleat position.

What’s your all round core/flexibility like? You can improve that by using basic exercises and a Swiss Ball without the need to see physios etc.

Do you do any other exercise? Cyclists are notorious for doing bugger all in the way of stretching and tight glutes/hamstrings/ITB will all lead to back problems as the back tries to compensate for any imbalances or weaknesses.

My starting point would be a qualified massage therapist, ideally one with a sports background. They’re likely to be able to isolate the cause of the back pain and then recommened proper treatment or a cure/preventative treatment base don that rather than just wild stabs in the dark of “oh it could be this”.

How do you deduce what your core flexibility is like. I suppose postural analysis is the way to determine whether you are tight in certain areas.

The pilates is an interesting option. I was seeing a sports masseuse and whilst it was great, I found it only brought temporary relief to the back ache and once back on the bike it would quickly reappear

I’d guess you have tight glutes, hams and hip flexors. If money is tight and you can do not better that STW diagnosis start by daily stretching of these. My physio actually told me to stretch every 3 hours or so…

Cold, bending over, straight legged, can you get finger tips to floor, knuckles, palms?

And make sure your sitting on your sit bones such that your pelvis is tilting forwards, rather than upright and bending at the lower back to reach the bars.

My back went twang at christmas whilst i was driving. The bike has given me lower back issues ever since, to the point of almost taking my breath away. I’ve just purchased the book Kona TC mentioned in a hope i’ll find some inspiration there!

I too suffer with lower back problems,steming from a over the handle bars incident 16 years ago ,which resulted in being laid out flat after head diving into a bog as result of missing the plank that served as a bridge.
Result was cracked 4 th vertibrae n serveer bruising ,
Nhs treatment was physio for 4 weeks.
Now the 4th n 5th vertibrae get restricted in movement and push presure down the spine resulting in lower back pain and hip misplacement .

So my cure is see oestio 1-2 tmes a year to free it all up,swimming and when all else fails dose of ibuprofen n diazepan to get the muscles out of spasms .

Yoga is working well for me, after 3x physio, a chiropractor and a crack at pilates (independently rather than instructed). My teacher is very good though, her maxim is generally that Yoga is not about the pose but how you feel doing it. My flexibility is very restricted due to excessive cycling and no stretching, so I’m looking to reverse that trend. Pilates might work for you (and would certainly be better in a class) but for me it was regressive.

I also recommend a good slow yoga class. Some yoga classes are westernised and more like aerobics which isn’t so good imo. Its better to go slow and relax into poses. I developed a weak lower back but I fixed it with yoga after seeing my mum do the same. Its relatively cheap and a good workout and keeps the whole body in good shape. I found once a week was enough and I also felt my stamina had increased.

I’d guess you have tight glutes, hams and hip flexors. If money is tight and you can do not better that STW diagnosis start by daily stretching of these. My physio actually told me to stretch every 3 hours or so…

Cold, bending over, straight legged, can you get finger tips to floor, knuckles, palms? I too have been told by both a sports masseuse and a personal trainer that it is most likely as you mentioned.

I can touch the floor with finger tips and nearly my palms, but I think I do that experiment wrong and you are supposed to do it with the top part of you back flat rather than curved?

can’t recommend yoga enough, everyone should do it, as a rule we don’t stretch enough, also acupuncture works miracles for me, and has weird effects afterwards, which i like! gonna get some in the top of my head next, its meant to be fun…

There’s a ton of stuff over here which may help: http://www.bikejames.com/

The ‘No Gym No Problem’ bodyweight programme is a good starting point but there’s lots of free content on there, just not assembled into full regimes.

I’ve learnt that not only am I even stiffer than I thought, I’m also less strong that I thought – quite disappointing but motivating and the myriad of stretches, dynamic mobility exercises, corrective exercises and strength training exercises do help massively. One of his shoulder mobility tests highlighted a problem area for me about six months ago (right shoulder horribly tight from years of bass playing) – I’ve been doing work to loosen it up and then strengthen it to restabilise it and it’s had quite a few positive benefits, not least dealing with a chronic neck problem that used to occur on tougher technical rides.

I can touch the floor with finger tips and nearly my palms, but I think I do that experiment wrong and you are supposed to do it with the top part of you back flat rather than curved?

Hard to say without seeing, but yes try to maintain flatter back, try to tilt pelvis forward rather than bend at back for at least the first half of the bend. If you’re bending over really by just flexing your lower back then really its not stretching your hams…

I developed lower back pain from cycling around xmas time , which led to 7 weeks off work as unable to sit at a desk . I tried a chiropractor but the progress was very slow and expensive .

My back only really started to recover once i had been to a sports physio , who gave me a couple of simple stretches (tight hamstrings again) and very basic deep tissue exercises .

One of the best things i changed is holding a stretch for 30 seconds rather than 15 as this seems to be a lot more effective.

Also ,i exacerbated my injury by trying pilates exercises too soon ,which my back wasn’t strong enough for , so take your time . My back seems to benefit from keeping moving and only still get problems if sit still for a long time , but everyone is different !

Easiest thing I found – ditch the Camelbak…

.. or reduce the cr@p that lives in it

The Mckenzie method is the only way to go. Has helped me no end and my back was so bad I couldn’t walk at one point. Now pretty much pain free. Self treatment so no need for expensive physio, osteo etc. You can buy Robert Mckenzie’s ‘Treat your own back’ book from Amazon for about £15, or just go and see one of their specialist practitioners if you prefer to get some professional advice first. Mckenzie Institute