Back pain and biking?

Anyone else on this list suffer from low back pain (and I don't mean FROM biking)?  I haven't had bad spasms in almost a year now - the kind that lead to several days off from work.  But I stopped biking for a long time (a year), fearful that either a) getting on the bike or b) biking would reactivate the spasms.  After several months now of returning to biking to work and back (what a GREAT feeling to be back) I have not found that biking re-injures me.  If anything, I feel really good after I bike.  Of course I do all the exercises and stretches at home that physical therapists will teach you after you get a low back spasm incident to reduce the chances of a recurrence.  I still (but don't know if this is a superstitious behavior) get on and off my bike from the edge of the right sidewalk so that I don't have to lift my leg so high over my horizontal top tube and I remain mindful of sitting up to a large extent on my hybrid - I am of course bent forward slightly, but chronic low back pain can be triggered by unintended bending forward (especially down - like reaching down from standing position toward one's toes without bending one's legs).  Anyway, I have found that so far no return of a crisis, and if anything maybe even an improvement, if that is possible? - not sure if this is because of a muscle group I am activating (for sure, my stomach muscles are tightening more in biking which I understand are important to build up to compensate for the weak back) or it is simply the value of exercise itself (more blood flow to the spine area) or the psychological benefit of biking (as we know stress can activate low back pain in people).  SO, any others with low back pain who bike?

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Permalink Reply by John C. Wilson on June 8, 2013 at 6:54am

Leaning forward stretches the spine, opens up space between the vertebra. Good for you.

Permalink Reply by Gene Tenner on June 8, 2013 at 11:58am

Three years ago I felt great on a bike, but once my muscles cooled down my back would tighten up. I have a slight spine curve. My doc wrote a prescription that was covered by insurance to Athletico. After 3 sessions they had analyzed my problem, gave me a set of daily stretches and my doc added crunches. The chronic pain disappeared in 3 months and I gradually improved to rare pain. I faithfully do the stretches while watching the news in the morning. 'Twas a lifesaver. The docs only know so much; get some additional input from a professional at a sports medicine firm.

Permalink Reply by Mike Schwab on June 8, 2013 at 8:23pm

Balancing on a bike strengthens the "core" muscles around the abdomen.  Yoga, Pilates, weightlifting, etc, can also help strengthen the muscles in the torso.  There was even a Yoga for bicyclists class offered last year on the CCM mailing list.

Permalink Reply by SlowCoachOnTheRoad on June 9, 2013 at 2:59am

h' 1.0, according to the physical therapists, stretches that slightly widen the spaces between vertebra are good for sufferers of low back pain, as John C. Wilson stated.  If you look up exercises for low back pain on the internet you'll see them - a classic one is the "cat-camel" stretch.  I believe that despite being one physical therapy empirically supported stretch, it actually borrows from a Yoga stretch, as Mike Schwab recommended.  Low back pain is not much fun - my 87 year old mother suffered from it too and she found almost daily swimming to have helped her the most.  Thus, those of us with chronic back pain can considerably reduce our incidents of a spasm by stretches, exercising numerous muscle groups in the area, reducing stress, not bending forward, bending legs if picking up something, going down on one's knees to work at something on the ground rather than bending down, sleeping on our sides, and being mindful of not sitting too long at a time and of sudden, jerky, movements.  Thanks all for your input!  But I was amazed to find out that biking, one of my loves (and I mean just daily easy biking to work and back), can be continued and may even help!  I'm BACK!

"Not particularly good for you if you already spend too much time in flexion postures, e.g. sitting for long periods."

Permalink Reply by Mike Schwab on June 9, 2013 at 8:31am

Three more options.  MTB  2+ in tires, possibly with suspension for less impact.

Fat tire 3.7+ inch bike.  Bikes shop version would run $2K or more. 

Or a disposable new single speed coaster brake FAT bike http://www.walmart.com/ip/26-Mongoose-Beast-Men-s-Oversized-All-Ter... for $200.

 

Or a recumbent.  Impact from potholes are then across the spine instead of up the spine.  Also expensive, but you could do a home-made version with a ladies bike.

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