I can’t help but I’ve never felt back pain from riding. I do sit at a desk all day though and could be better at stretching – but if you have a similar workday then it could be from that? Cycling is the only exercise that doesn’t exasperate my lower back pain.
videlam on
Do you stretch your body before and after?
fasteasyfree on
You look like your back is arching outward. You ideally want it straight. Wondering if you have an issue with your saddle: wrong shape for you, or angled a bit too far up at the nose. You might be rolling back on your hips to take the pressure off the soft bits.
Or you might just need to work on your core muscles!
Zoratt on
So you want to do some action stretches before the ride. Swing legs straight ahead and back 10x then to the side 10x. I also do toe touches 3×30 seconds with a straight back, and 3×30 second calf stretches against the wall.
And then I also stretch the posterior chain after the ride (calf, hamstring, glutes) for after I do calf wall stretches 3×30 seconds. For glutes laying on back with band 3×30 and also 3×30 seated figure 4s 3×30
bigl3g on
I get this sometimes here is what I have found to give relief:
Move around on the saddle and change hand positions more.
Keep hands and arms relaxed.
Stand and pedal every so often, again breaking up how long I am in any given position.
Swim or core strength exercises mixed in with cycling.
Ensure I’m hydrated/not crampy. This one is hardest, I think my back muscles get tight or cramp. If I’m riding hard I forget to drink, and it takes a while to get back on top of it.
I’ve had rides where my back is in a state at the end of a ride where I can’t get off my bike with out a helper or a stout post to lean against. It sucks.
Good luck, from your photo things look ok, but it is hard to tell if you are holding tension where you shouldn’t be.
K21markel on
When my back hurts from riding I use a foam roller.
toaster404 on
Might be something subtle to do with position. Any old injuries? How’s your neck? Comfortable neck position is required. You might be a little long, seeing minimal elbow bend.
Foot issues can hurt everything through holding tension. I’m using G8 insoles and my back is benefiting.
Foot position/setup, then saddle height, then setback, then reach, then drop to bars.
My back benefitted from a move away from my 1970s “French”/Euro racing fit with a good deal of setback and reach to a notably more compact modern position.
BWanon97 on
So I have had backpain when I was a teenager due to heavy backs. The lower back muscles were too weak. So i had to lay on my back with my knees bent and feet flat. Then slowly alternating let one knee go to the side and slowly bring back up again. While tensioning the muscle you feel when your bottom is about to enter the cold water when going for a swim.
Also try lowering your seat 5 mm at a time. Try it out for 20 minutes each time.
Fun_Apartment631 on
Try raising your handlebars. It’s free and pretty easy.
Try a shorter stem. IMO inexpensive stems are the way to go since you might have to try a couple. Don’t change by more than 20 mm at a time.
My basic rubric is if my lower back hurts I need a more upright position and if I get pain between my shoulder blades I need a more aggressive position.
There can be some handling impacts. That’s why bikes come in so many sizes.
lazerdab on
Lower back pain is almost always caused by the saddle being too high. It may be the right height when pedaling easy but when you are forcing a gear on a climb you will drop your heels more than normal effectively raising the seat and causing your hips to dip.
10 Comments
I can’t help but I’ve never felt back pain from riding. I do sit at a desk all day though and could be better at stretching – but if you have a similar workday then it could be from that? Cycling is the only exercise that doesn’t exasperate my lower back pain.
Do you stretch your body before and after?
You look like your back is arching outward. You ideally want it straight. Wondering if you have an issue with your saddle: wrong shape for you, or angled a bit too far up at the nose. You might be rolling back on your hips to take the pressure off the soft bits.
Or you might just need to work on your core muscles!
So you want to do some action stretches before the ride. Swing legs straight ahead and back 10x then to the side 10x. I also do toe touches 3×30 seconds with a straight back, and 3×30 second calf stretches against the wall.
And then I also stretch the posterior chain after the ride (calf, hamstring, glutes) for after I do calf wall stretches 3×30 seconds. For glutes laying on back with band 3×30 and also 3×30 seated figure 4s 3×30
I get this sometimes here is what I have found to give relief:
Move around on the saddle and change hand positions more.
Keep hands and arms relaxed.
Stand and pedal every so often, again breaking up how long I am in any given position.
Swim or core strength exercises mixed in with cycling.
Ensure I’m hydrated/not crampy. This one is hardest, I think my back muscles get tight or cramp. If I’m riding hard I forget to drink, and it takes a while to get back on top of it.
I’ve had rides where my back is in a state at the end of a ride where I can’t get off my bike with out a helper or a stout post to lean against. It sucks.
Good luck, from your photo things look ok, but it is hard to tell if you are holding tension where you shouldn’t be.
When my back hurts from riding I use a foam roller.
Might be something subtle to do with position. Any old injuries? How’s your neck? Comfortable neck position is required. You might be a little long, seeing minimal elbow bend.
Foot issues can hurt everything through holding tension. I’m using G8 insoles and my back is benefiting.
Foot position/setup, then saddle height, then setback, then reach, then drop to bars.
My back benefitted from a move away from my 1970s “French”/Euro racing fit with a good deal of setback and reach to a notably more compact modern position.
So I have had backpain when I was a teenager due to heavy backs. The lower back muscles were too weak. So i had to lay on my back with my knees bent and feet flat. Then slowly alternating let one knee go to the side and slowly bring back up again. While tensioning the muscle you feel when your bottom is about to enter the cold water when going for a swim.
Also try lowering your seat 5 mm at a time. Try it out for 20 minutes each time.
Try raising your handlebars. It’s free and pretty easy.
Try a shorter stem. IMO inexpensive stems are the way to go since you might have to try a couple. Don’t change by more than 20 mm at a time.
My basic rubric is if my lower back hurts I need a more upright position and if I get pain between my shoulder blades I need a more aggressive position.
There can be some handling impacts. That’s why bikes come in so many sizes.
Lower back pain is almost always caused by the saddle being too high. It may be the right height when pedaling easy but when you are forcing a gear on a climb you will drop your heels more than normal effectively raising the seat and causing your hips to dip.