Hi everyone,

To cut a long story short, I had been into biking (mainly trail/XC) for many years since teenage, had a very labour intensive job putting marquees and other temporary structures up until about 3 years ago when I’d had enough. I was lucky enough to secure a new job, which also happened to be a dream of mine as a train driver. The combination of suddenly stopping lifting and lugging crap about all day and to then sitting on my arse all day resulted in my Back literally falling apart! I fact worse than that it pretty much set like concrete. I couldn’t move through sheer pain one day and misses had to put my pants on for me! After lots of excercises and trips to chiropractor etc etc, I’m now in a position where I can sit without sciatica pain shooting down my feet and can now lift my 5 year old daughter up as long as I’m careful how I do it!

Another result of my three years literally doing nothing but moving a lever and pressing buttons has meant I have put on about 2st which I’m sure has not also helped. My back is better, but no where near 100% and I’m fully aware it probably won’t be. I would like to get back into biking but am not sure how to get back and starting to get fit again without injuring myself or not enjoying it.

I still have my 2013 lapierre zesty which at the minute I think is pretty good to stick with for what I need? I now have a fair bit of free time in my new job so was thinking starting slow, maybe a ride around the paths locally and into Bedford maybe see how I feel after.

Obviously I have a series of stretches and stuff I need to do that I have been given, but advice kind of stops there other than ‘take it easy or don’t do it’

Any advice at all from anyone who maybe has been through similar? I appreciate I may have just answered my own questions above but I really have gone back to square one and beyond and think it’s gonna be hard getting back particularly fitness wise without hurting Myself again.

Thankyou in advance

Take it steady and build fitness and make sure you work your core separately.

Dropper seatpost to take some of the compression movement out.

Saddle – I went through about 10 before I found one I could ride more than an hour on. (Fabric – dense foam which helps).

Ah yes saddle, never thought of that, the one on there at the minute is pretty brutal. Dropped post did also cross my mind.
Thanks for the advice, been stretching and doing core excercises for months now and like I said it all seems to be getting stronger. Just don’t want to go backwards again!

Get out and ride, it’s the best thing for it.

https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2019/12/31/bjsports-2019-101611

Is it more your lower back then Normy? I think cycling is pretty good here IF you can get your comfort and position dialled in from day one. I mean in the sense that mountain biking won’t really be putting it under big load – it takes a full on race effort for me to feel things in my lower back.
Seems like upper back / neck problems can be more obstructive for riding, as it can create issues through the shoulders which are very engaged in riding a bike.

Ironic that the back stands up to years of hard graft, but the moment you sit your arse down the problems start – chairs can indeed kill (he says typing from a very well used office chair). Hope you can get a comfy position sorted out and get back on the bike.

Moving your saddle down a little, and also forward a little, opens up the pelvis and reduces strain on lower back muscles.
Raising the bars/shortening the stem will help too.
I wouldn’t worry too much about training plans, just get out a couple of times a week for an hour or so.
Make a record of changes made, only change one thing at a time, makes it easier to identify what is working for you.
Saddles are very personal, what works for me could be awful for you.
However, I’ll recommend what i have, which is a brooks B17, instantly comfy for me. YMMV.

I’d echo the starting to pedal if you can, I slipped a disc last Jan and had crippling sciatica in both legs. I avoided everything for a while but started using the turbo again gently and quickly realised that it was helping ease the pain massively. 12 months on and I’m as pain free as I ever was before the injury.

Thanks everyone. Brilliant advice.

I just got in from an 8 mile Pootle alone the river and home again. Felt pretty good while I was out there. Can certainly feel some immediate stiffness in lower back but the more I move about the more it seems to ease. Hopefully I’ll wake up alright tomorrow.

Yes it’s all my lower back. For those familiar I hat what they could see as multiple injuries probably over the years but mainly a bulging disc at L4 and then damage to L5-S1 where it joins the sacrum and that’s why I couldn’t twist or hardly walk.

I must say, I took chiropractic advice of doing NO lifting, but his stretches he told me to do and to continue chucking money at him every week. And it never seemed to get better.

Then as soon as I did a bit of research and tried other stretches and core exercises it seemed to get better. Then a month or so ago I helped my dad move house. More lifting in that day than I have done since the injury 3 years ago and the days that followed were the best my back has felt since! That’s what makes me also think I should get out and move! Even going for walks at work on lunch breaks instead of sitting in a mess room. All seems to help!

Hopefully I’m a few months I’ll be back out on the trails! That’s the plan anyway 👍🏻

I find more interesting trails that you have to throw your weight about a bit on are far better for my back. And actually, having vastly increased the amount I cycle over the past few years (along with some exercises) my back is as good as it’s ever been since 15, having fewer flare ups than I had about 5-10 years ago by a fair margin.

I’m in a similar position but probably had it less bad. Several months of pretty debilitating sciatica last year and surgery on L5/S1 early December.

It’s been a very inactive few months, but since I started getting up and moving around I’ve had good days and bad days.

Good days seem to relate to standing and moving around.

Bad days seem to relate to standing (but hunched, e.g. cooking for friends one afternoon).

Can’t decide about my makeshift working from home arrangement which is lying on my front working on the laptop. The idea was that this would take strain off my lower back muscles, but I don’t really feel much better for it, in fact it’s just occurred to me that the pain in my upper back is probably from lifting my head to look at screen!

Just today and yesterday been experimenting with lunges to work my glutes a bit. Too early to be sure but feel better for it.

Can’t decide about my makeshift working from home arrangement which is lying on my front working on the laptop. The idea was that this would take strain off my lower back muscles, but I don’t really feel much better for it, in fact it’s just occurred to me that the pain in my upper back is probably from lifting my head to look at screen!

My partner has just got a stand up desk that’s helping her

Same injuries here. No more disc(s) in l4-l5 and l5-s1. Been 4 months since my last procedure and am doing well on rehab. Gym every day for core/Pilates and gentle weight lifting (Squats and Bulgarian split squats). Am now able to cycle again, albeit for less than 90 mins and nothing too extreme. Seated techy climbs where you are required to put the power down is a definite no-no for me. Tried that and set me back a couple of weeks. As others have said, build slowly and get your bike fit right. Join a local Pilates class too. I go to a male only session and I’m youngest there by about 20 years. Don’t care, it’s brilliant!

Worst thing for me is lifestyle changes, I’ve been told that stress can be a big contributor to low back pain and tightness, but dealing with a stressful job and a constipated toddler at home makes stress unavoidable!

Still dreaming of CX racing next winter, but Paris-Roubaix Sportive this year is looking like a distant dream!

I’m in a similar boat, was starting to feel good and strong (relatively speaking) and used the foam roller which set me back about 6 weeks when I woke up the next day. The physio said I had probably caused some over flexion.

In addition to pilates, yoga and bodyweight exercises like dips and pull ups, I’ve found swimming really helps too as you’re engaging the core without any strain.

Just be sensible by easing into it slowly.