Lower Back Pain

[Abui]

Basic principle is reduce the stretch on the bike:

Sit more upright.
Raise or shorten the stem.
Use narrower handlebars. (Thanks to Bicycling Medicine)

Posture Hints: (Bicycling Medicine)
Sit or stand using a footrest to bend the knee and hip of one leg.
Do not lie on your belly.
Wear low heels.

[sdyeti]

Noooo...I can't not sleep on my tummy!!

Originally Posted by Caveman

Do not lie on your belly.

[6packguywith5spot]

Thanks to you and all the rest for all your great tips and comments.

[xhuskr]

Originally Posted by OMR

I plan to ride well into my 90's... how about you?

i started biking in THE 90's....does that count? prob not as I have the same back probs

[allison]

Originally Posted by Padre

Don't do any core exercises if the exercises hurt!!! (bad hurt, not good hurt...you'll know the difference)

Allison, I'm curious, where are your bars in relation to your saddle?

I'm sore from the core exercises and back at the gym. I didn't do anything else last night (bit of stretching).

I have no idea! I'll try to get a shot. I always look hunched over in pics.

[bighit8]

I could be wrong, but I was always told by( chiropractor) to use a heat pad for awhile, and rest. Then switch to ice for like 15 min for swelling. The heat relaxes the muscles.

[Padre]

Originally Posted by allison

I have no idea! I'll try to get a shot. I always look hunched over in pics.

FWIW
I run my bars almost even with my saddle on my geared bikes.

On my SS I run 'em almost an inch above. Any lower and two things happen: 1) low back pain 2) I end up using more forearm and less bicep/tricep.

[reflux]

As others have stated and alluded to in this thread, DO NOT start a program of stretching and strength until you determine your weaknesses. If you focus on the wrong muscle groups, you can turn a small problem into a big one. For example, strengthening your abs when they're already tight and overtax your erector spinae(sp?).

I originally hurt my back doing one leg squats last June. Rather than visit my DR or PT friend, I assumed that rest and biking would solve the problem. It didn't. Fast forward to last week, I hurt my back again. After a quick talk with my physician and some e-research, I discovered that I have some mad imbalances in my body. I'm now on the correct path to fixing my lower back problem. w00t.

Please visit this link. Thems some good info.

http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do?id=1508256

Andrew