Oh, My Aching Back! How to Prevent Low Back Pain from Cycling

Oh, My Aching Back! How to Prevent Low Back Pain from Cycling

By Ron Fritzke, D.C.

For many of us, low back pain after cycling is a chronic problem. You’ve enjoyed the ride and have thrilled at the challenge of climbing several hills. You feel invigorated, but you are dreading getting off your bike. You know that’s when the pain starts, but get off you must. You are stiff and can hardly stand up straight.

Most cyclists have dealt with the issue of low back pain at one time or the other, especially as we get older. Low back pain is an unmistakable feeling, but tracking down the true source of the pain is difficult, even for medical professionals.

Low back pain can stem from a number of sources. Generally, the interaction of the neuromusculoskeletal system is responsible for lower back pain. As you might guess from the name, the neuromusculoskeletal system consists of the nerves, the muscles, and the bones and joints. This means that many factors can contribute to lower back pain and to pain in other parts of the body. Labeling the problem as a 'sprained muscle' or 'slipped disc' does not give you a complete picture of the problem.

Understanding the Problem

When considering what is causing a cyclist’s back pain, the first thing to consider is the bicycle. We have wed ourselves to a demanding, precise machine. While cycling we assume a prolonged flexed position, and this position stresses the muscles and joints in the back.

As if this was not enough for the body to contend with, many of us lead otherwise sedentary lives. We spend our days in flexed positions. We sit at our desks, sit during our work breaks, and sit on our couch in the evening. Then we go to bed and tightly curl into another flexed position. This means that our hip flexors are seldom adequately stretched. The rectus femoris, psoas, sartorius, and iliacus muscles become shorter and shorter.

The other muscles in the hip flexor group become shorter as well. As you can see, the muscle system even all by itself is complex. Add the nerves and the bones, and you can begin to see all factors that can contribute to low back pain. This knowledge will help you understand what is needed to prevent some low back injuries caused by cycling.

While cycling, all of our hip flexor muscles are subject to stress. These muscles must begin work in a shortened stage and then become shorter. This is not a natural way for the muscles to work. In this cramped position, muscles easily become fatigued and they may spasm.

There is a simple way to prevent muscle spasms and fatigue. You have probably done it many times without thinking about it. If you’ve ridden up several hills, you may have noticed how helpful stretching can be. Your hip flexors are uncomfortable and so you rise up on the pedals to stretch them out. This simple move releases the tension in your hip muscles.

Professional cyclists are well aware of the value of stretching. Take a tip from the pros and begin a regular routine of stretching. Unlike weight training, you can stretch everyday without overtaxing the muscles. You should always stretch thoroughly before riding your bike. Deep tissue massage is another option you may want to try.

However, stretching alone is often not enough to keep back pain away. The fitter you are, the less your muscles have to strain as they perform your usual activities. The abdominal and back muscles (the core) play a special role in overall fitness. A strong core helps you pedal to the best of your ability and helps to prevent the fatigue which can lead to problems. Work on increasing your core strength, and you will see how your cycling power improves.

Stretching the Forgotten Muscles

Considering that a little stretching by briefly standing during your ride can provide relief for the hip flexors, it is easy to see how a regular stretching program can provide great benefits. These benefits include improving performance, as well as increasing your comfort while cycling.

The trouble with many standard stretching routines is that they overlook some obscure, but vital muscles. A typical stretching routine for cyclists will lengthen the calves, the hamstrings, and the quadriceps. Some programs provide a little work for the lower back, IT bands, and hip flexors. Stretching all of these muscles is great, but the muscles which are connected to the lumbar spine and sacroiliac joints are frequently neglected.

This short article must confine itself to making you aware of these neglected muscle groups, rather than giving you instructions on how to stretch them. Don’t worry, though; you can find many stretches specifically for these groups by searching the web. A quick search of the muscle names can lead you to great fitness sites with video demonstrations.

Stretches for the following muscles are extremely helpful to cyclists:

• The psoas muscle is used when the hip is flexed. During cycling, riders bend at the waist, forcing this muscle to work while already shortened. The psoas muscle extends from the lumbar spine to the femur. Because it crosses the sacroiliac joint, it is often part of the low back pain equation. This is a muscle that cyclists definitely need to stretch.
  
  
• The muscles of the buttocks can contribute to low back pain. These muscles are called the gluteus muscles or gluts. There are three gluteus muscles: the maximus, medius, and minimus muscles. Tight glut muscles can lead to pain along the iliac crest (top of the pelvic bone). Massage therapists can loosen these tight, often-neglected muscles.
  
  
• Another muscle which crosses the sacroiliac joint is the piriformis muscle. It runs from the femur to the sacrum’s side and it can significantly affect the sacroiliac joint. Tightness in the piriformis muscle can also cause sciatic nerve impairment, especially in the 15% of people whose sciatic nerve runs through this muscle instead of under it.
  Don’t Forget the Sacroiliac Joint

One way the muscles lead to back pain is by pulling on the sacroiliac joint. Many discussions of back pain ignore the sacroiliac joint, but the sacroiliac joint can cause an agonizing locking of the back, making it difficult for the cyclist to move or to stand up straight.

This sensitive joint is formed by the union of the sacrum and the pelvis. It was once believed that the sacroiliac joint did not move, but it is now recognized that this joint does move and can become 'stuck'. Fixation of the sacroiliac joint is a common, painful problem for cyclists.

A good chiropractor knows how to adjust the sacroiliac joint to relieve fixation. A few adjustments generally relieve this problem, but the point of this article is to prevent fixation and other back problems before they happen.

Points to Remember

The machine we love can cause us harm. Over-use injuries are common in cyclists because of the short-range, repetitive motions required for cycling.

Though the design of the bike cannot be substantially changed, we can prevent many problems with proper care of our bodies. Routinely stretching all of the muscle groups can prevent the pain caused by tight muscles and ward off serious injuries.

Like professional athletes, we amateur cyclists can prevent injury by using professional trainers and massage therapists to help us mobilize the joints and work on the muscles. This is akin to dental care. Good dental care at home is necessary, but regular trips to the dentist round out the program.

This multi-discipline approach is beneficial because the neuromusculoskeletal system works as a whole. When each part of the system is kept in good shape, the other parts benefit as well.

By better understanding the ways injuries can occur and the ways to prevent them we can be more motivated to follow preventative measures.

About the Author

Ron Fritzke, D.C. is an avid cyclist with a professional understanding of how to treat the neuromusculoskeletal system to prevent injuries. He is a chiropractor, currently serving on the sports medicine team of the College of the Siskiyous. Ron has been in private practice in Mount Shasta, California for 22 years.

A former runner, Ron attended college on a track and cross country scholarship and later ran in the Boston Marathon with a time of 2:17. An injury led Ron to try cycling instead of running and he was hooked. He rides with the Mount Shasta Pedali cycling group and writes about various cycling topics such as the indoor bicycle trainer, shimano cycling shoes, cycle jerseys, and cycle clothes on his website: Cycling-Review.com

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