Cycling and Lower Back Pain

While cycling is a great way to maintain cardiovascular and muscular fitness, it can also be a cause of lower back pain. Three main factors of lower back pain in cycling are posture, bike fit and core weakness.

Posture

Proper cycling posture is the subject of controversy. While good posture usually entails a straight spine, this is undesirable on a bike. Rather, having your spine slightly arched like a bridge is more appropriate. Road irregularities can lead to significant jolts while cycling; if the spine is erect, its discs are less able to cushion the vertebrae. If you are bent forward with a slightly curved spine, a jolt simply causes your spine to arch more. This reduces the impact on vertebrae and discs, particularly in the lumbar spine.

Bike Fit

Appropriate bike fit is a somewhat complicated science. The angle and height of your seat, handlebars, and pedals need to be tailored to your body in order to avoid knee, ankle, wrist and back pain. If your seat is too high, your legs will be forced to overextend while pedaling, straining your hamstring, pelvic and lower back muscles, as well as several ligaments and tendons along the way.

If your seat angle is not right for your body, your pelvis will be tilted either too far backward or forward. This causes tension in the muscles of the hips and lower back, as well as limiting the efficiency of the transfer of power from your upper body to your legs.

The position of your handlebars should facilitate the proper arched back posture discussed above. If they are too high, your spine will be too erect; if too low, your spine may arch too much, straining the muscles throughout the back, shoulders and neck.

Detailed information on bike fit specifications and alterations can be found at http://www.caree.org/bike101bikefit.htm.

Weak Core Muscles

The core muscles are responsible for supporting the upper body and transferring forces through the trunk to the lower body. Every movement of the body and display of strength originates from the core. Without strong abdominal, lower back, hip and buttocks muscles, the body's movements will be inefficient. If you experience lower back pain only after riding for a while, it is likely that a weak core is your problem.

As quoted by bicycling.com, Graeme Street, founder of the DVD training program Cyclo-CORE, compares having strong legs and a weak core to "having the body of a Ferrari with a Fiat chassis underneath."

The lower back muscles have to take on the full burden of supporting the upper body's weight and transferring forces to the lower body when the rest of the core group does not work with it. This leads to significant strain and lower back pain. To avoid this, the core group as a whole must be conditioned.

See http://www.bicycling.com/training-nutrition/training-fitness/core?page=0,1 for a regimen designed to develop your core. The pages include detailed information on what muscle groups are being conditioned by each exercise and why it is necessary for cyclists. If your core is weak, be sure to start your conditioning slowly to avoid injury.

Proper cycling posture, bike fit and core strength can help you pursue cycling without lower back pain. Take the time to resolve your pain early on and avoid the risk of having your cycling routine interrupted permanently by lower back pain and injury.