Why does my back hurt when I ride my bike?
How do I adjust my bike to prevent my back from hurting?
Is biking bad for my back?
Summer is finally starting to come around, so you may be considering tuning up that bike and hitting the road. If you’re a seasoned rider, then the normal considerations are old hat for you: wear a helmet, wear reflective clothing if biking at night, ride with traffic and use hand signals etc. However, have you considered how to protect your back when spending many hours and miles hunched over your handlebars?
Many studies have demonstrated the detriments created by frequent or sustained low back flexion (or the forward bend at the waist). Each style of bike has a different degree of flexion. Cruisers are a bit easier on your back as they hold you more upright, whereas road bikes maintain considerably more flexion as you ride. Maintaining these flexed positions for long periods when you are conditioned is bad enough but if you’re one of the weekend warriors that tackle many miles without much training or conditioning it can create havoc for your back.
The following tips can help prevent any undue stress and pain for the biking season:
1. Perform standing back bends: Extension in the low back can be very effective in reducing low back pain as well as preventing any possible episode(s) of back pain. These can be done in sets of 10 prior to, during and after a bike ride.
2. Ease into your mileage: Again, while sustained flexion is never great for our backs, any significant increase in exercise or activity can be detrimental and cause injury or pain, which leads into the next tip.
3. Train/ride year round: If long bike rides are your preferred source of exercise in the warmer months then you may consider investing in a bike trainer that allows you to hook your bike up and turn it into a stationary bike at home allowing you to keep up your level of fitness year round.
K. Schultz
