jarring back wearing and injury risks of bikes

SniperGaulois

SniperGaulois

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Hello all,

I have found out that riding ATB's can be pretty dangerous for the bike, bringing on plate compression and sciatica.

After 6 months with lots of riding, i started getting sore back problems, mainly due to going on very bumpy roads and through fields.

one month later, i cannot ride a bike at all without bring on serious back pains. i can put all my weight on the handlebars forr trips through fields and amost balance on them , but i's not so stable and my back cant even take that so much...alternately the back is bent forwards so destroying the natural arch of the lower back, and the hips are at an angle which probably twists the spine. over 6 months my very strong back has turned to a pancake.

i'v checked out lots of information about lower back compression and rehydrating the discs, inverted yoga etc, and hopefully i'll find fsome intermediate level of bike usage, but there you go. BAD FOR BACK...LUMBAGO... BACK daMAGe...

any thoughts on this hasard?
 
Ebike speeds and even normal rodes can tear up your back. when i first started, i had to essentualy crawl home after a few rides, cruising at 3mph, nearly falling off the bike in pain. Broken backs suck. Its more than a year later and I have gotten stronger, exercised, and lost my beer gut. now my back is strong enough to handle riding hard.

Yesterday, I took my bike off several drops. the highest was 2 feet, just rode off the top of a low wall. Its No problem now, but a year ago, pre-exersize, dropping off a curb could hurt.
 
Proper form has a lot to do with it. I bulged/compressed a disc back in 2002 riding, and now I have to keep proper hip and back angle to ride for any period of time. A good cutout seat allows you to tilt the hips forwards without hurting the vitals down there.
 
Recumbents FTW.
 
zzoing said:
Hello all,

I have found out that riding ATB's can be pretty dangerous for the bike, bringing on plate compression and sciatica.

After 6 months with lots of riding, i started getting sore back problems, mainly due to going on very bumpy roads and through fields.

one month later, i cannot ride a bike at all without bring on serious back pains. i can put all my weight on the handlebars forr trips through fields and amost balance on them , but i's not so stable and my back cant even take that so much...alternately the back is bent forwards so destroying the natural arch of the lower back, and the hips are at an angle which probably twists the spine. over 6 months my very strong back has turned to a pancake.

i'v checked out lots of information about lower back compression and rehydrating the discs, inverted yoga etc, and hopefully i'll find fsome intermediate level of bike usage, but there you go. BAD FOR BACK...LUMBAGO... BACK daMAGe...

any thoughts on this hasard?
Click to expand...

Basically, it all boils down to a good bike fit. Riding a bike is unlike sitting on a chair, a car or standing up. You need to develop certain structural muscle fitness to be able to support your whole body weight on the bike and basically arch your back like a bridge and use your core muscles (on your belly) to resist your upper body column from collapsing downwards or relying a lot of your hands and wrists plus your shoulder blades to support your upper body. If you sit upright, which I suspect you do, riding in this position without any form of suspension will basically jam the vertebrae together and the pain you're experiencing is the pinching of the nerves around the Thorasic & Lumbaric Vertebraes. Again, it's a common thing among beginning cyclists, because they haven't developed the necessary supportive muscles. Ebikes simply exercebates the problem many folds because of the higher speeds it can attain and sustain for longer periods of time. Sitting upright on a bicycle is not meant to be for long distance riding, only around boardwalks or seawall at brisk walking speed. But ebikes can attain speeds up to 20mph, definitely not at brisk walking speeds and all that vibration and shocks to your back is not very good, especially if you insist on sitting upward and not pedalling. Oh yes, if you plan to be in the cycling position, pedalling is an important part of the equation for proper cycling posture and stability. No pedalling, then your butt and vertebraes takes the full body weight -- ouch!

To solve this, you really need a properly fitted bike. I see too many people here who goes out and buy a $30 or $100 bike, slapping on a motor and that's it. I have no problems with this method except that, not everybody is going to be as lucky as the few who actually managed to get a good fit from a cheap bike. Cheap bikes usually come in 3 sizes, but some only just in 1. A wrong sized bike can really really ruin your back.

First, go and see a Physio and fix your back. Then examine with the help of a bike fitter (professional bike shops can do that -- ebike shops I frequent here know squat) if you need to have to change the riding position a bit to improve your body posture. Remember that just because you have an Ebike doesn't mean that you can ride like you have a motorcycle either.. Failing that, you may consider adding a sprung saddle like the Brooks or a suspension seatpost with a dampener (not just a spring kind) and run something like a Schawlbe Big Apple to smooth out road imperfections..

Hope this helps.
 
Most off road racers that I have seen use their legs as shock absorbers and rarely sit on the bike or mototcycle seat! U probably wouldnt jump in the air and land on a chair on your butt, cause that would hurt. Landing on your legs that flex makes more cushion. Also stomach exercises really strengthen backs! Recumbents probably should stay on smooth roads. I hate bumps cause I cant post out of the seat like on an upright.
otherDoc
 
I agree that bike fit is crucial. By the time I got the fit of my mtb dialed in, it was no longer a MTB but a comfort bike, with a much more upright stance and some angle on the handlebar grips. The straight bar was hell on my wrists and hands. I'm very unimpressed with the geometry of MTB's that I have rode.

As for the back, mine is pretty much destroyed, but through years of strengthening of the mucscles I can do a lot of things that were forbidden 13 years ago. I suspect that your back muscles are nowhere near as strong as they could be, and speaking from experience, pretty much nobodies are. The muscles used to pick things up and those used for supporting the spine are different muscles and being able to lift hundreds of pounds does not mean the support muscles are strong. It took me about 10 years to get there on back strength, and I know nobody who can do what I can do now. Meanwhile a reputable chiropractor may be able to give you some help getting stronger. Good luck, I hope you are not done with biking.
 
docnjoj said:
Most off road racers that I have seen use their legs as shock absorbers and rarely sit on the bike or mototcycle seat! U probably wouldnt jump in the air and land on a chair on your butt, cause that would hurt. Landing on your legs that flex makes more cushion. Also stomach exercises really strengthen backs! Recumbents probably should stay on smooth roads. I hate bumps cause I cant post out of the seat like on an upright.
otherDoc
Click to expand...

Big jumps, yes but using your knees as shock absorbers with a little help of your legs' ligaments and tendons. But we are talking about pot holes and road imperfections for this OP on daily commute which can compress your discs or verterbraes, putting a lot of pressure.

Realistically, you would want to do core group exercises rather than isolation exercises like you mentioned. Nothing wrong with doing ab crunches, but that's one muscle group. There are several, one that's usually dormant is the Transverse Abdominus (aka TA), which keeps your pelvis stable and level and your hips rotate in alignment as you pedal. What causes back problems as well too is that the pelvis can be tilting to one side or too forward or backward as you sit on the saddle or pedal. That's never good for your back either. I suggest that the original poster see a Sports specific physiotherapist (especially one who has knowledge about cycling) for treatment and prescribe specific exercises to improve structural fitness rather than a general Chiropractor.

In my opinion, most people who have received proper treatment as well as a proper bike fit can indeed recover from back problems and continue on cycling. But the problem is, most people won't continue on those core exercises as soon as their backs are healed.

By the way, I used to have bad backs myself. Now after a good fitted bike, I run marathons, 1/2 and 10k race and cycle tour long distances no problem..

Hope his helps..
 
Tell ya! The more I see of the problems with backs and knees, the more suspension bikes and trikes rule. You really got to be healthy or young to run a recumbent without a suspension! Mine has a rear one that i have tuned over the years. No back problems from the bike. Now lifting things, thats different! Both my Physician and Chiropractor (yeah, I actually went to one last back problem) gave me exercises, and I did them dilligently...............for about a week! Once the back was better, I stopped! I know I will do the exercises again..................when my back goes out again! Even doctors dont always follow orders! :oops:
otherDoc
 
I've had some back problems. Things that helped for me: bigger tires, suspension seatpost, front suspension fork, bigger pedals. I've also found that pedalling to get your heart rate up every once in awhile helps loosen up the back and takes the pressure off the hands. If I see uneven ground, I pedal and lower head to arch back more so its not as jarring. I think my frame is a bit small but when I added the 100mm fork plus bigger taller tires, it really raised it up in front and I wouldn't want a taller frame now.
 
I agree with DahonElectric and it will depend on if you stand up and freeride alot or stay seated, I try to balance it out. I too had some issues with back pain and had a bad back to begin with but first off get a good seat! I mean take your time and pick the right seat for you and second make sure the handlebars are at the right height for you to feel comfortable and the brakes are at easy reach and tight! The handlebar stem can be raised or lowered to make you fell at home and last I have noticed that cheap pedals (plastic) are springy and make me feel uneasy. I plan on getting some wide steel pedals to give me more confidence. I don't really have the right sized bike for me and I can't touch the ground when stopped but I have everything adjusted the way I want and my back problems are a thing of the past. When I coast to try to regen, I always stand up and this helps you don't want to be in the same position too long. I know what it is like to be in pain for hours at the end of a hard day but if you adjust everything you can on your bike to make things easier and stand up, move around, stop for a minute or two if you have to you will get strong enough to stand a longer ride and have less troubles. I find it benificial to find a low populated area and carve out the street getting used to cornering and being low in your turns this will help give you more confidence and ease your way into a experienced rider. If you think you cannot ride anymore after making all the adjustments you can than buy another bike that is what I did after blowing out dropouts on a 500 dollar bike don't give up.
 
wow THat is very very interestinng, i will consider every idea , and will get things together again...

on the last 5 rides i have been holding most of my weight on my hands although the back still got very sore... i have to decompress the discs and so will be able to take the further step of adjusting bike handles and so on...
i was standing on the pedals mstly with knwws bent, but i have done aboutt 1500 km of cross country in 8 months on top of 1500 of road, about 20 miles a day!
 
If I recall from weight training it might not only be your back that is weak but problems might stem from weak abdominal muscles being over powered by the back. They forces us to do sit ups each session b/c no one really works there abs otherwise.
 
turns out that one of my vertebra has dettached abit and can slip horizontally forwards, it's call a spondolylosis. never again unless i get some metal drilled into it, which means i have seriously limited my back's strength. it used to be very strrong.

I do inversion yoga now every few daysm hanging upsidown by the hips o a yoga sling, to pull it as straight and fully apart as possible, whereby it stays comfortable for day to day activities.

so that's the end... Sniffle!
 
zzoing said:
turns out that one of my vertebra has dettached abit and can slip horizontally forwards, it's call a spondolylosis. never again unless i get some metal drilled into it, which means i have seriously limited my back's strength. it used to be very strrong.

I do inversion yoga now every few daysm hanging upsidown by the hips o a yoga sling, to pull it as straight and fully apart as possible, whereby it stays comfortable for day to day activities.

so that's the end... Sniffle!
Click to expand...

That sucks. I had eight years of back trouble. Docs wanted to cut on me but only gave me a 50/50 chance of getting better. I told them all off and spent the better part of eight years doing little to nothing. Back fused up nicely I lost some mobility but no more pain. I have had some trouble with the biking thing aggravating things a bit so I raised my handlebars about six inches. Now sit up fairly straight with little pressure on my arms as one is in bad shape. Building a full suspension bike now and it rides like a marshmallow car so should take care of the sore back syndrome with any luck. ;^)

I wish you luck and hope that time heals as it did me.
 
Wow, I don't even want to bike anymore due to this health hazard. I think a more proper posture might benefit(I.e., the "sit up" straight with banana bars kind) with normal riding and a recumbent, but it sounds like you really need suspension at higher speeds for more than just handling.

Anyways, having already experienced some long-term inflicted trauma with my body, I definitely know now to foreheed the health warnings! I will definitely investigate this more and try to get a gauge on the causes and health risks before proceeding with anything.

(It also doesn't help that my back isn't entirely comfortable 100% of the time, so I would hate to make it worse.)
 
Drunkskunk said:
Ebike speeds and even normal rodes can tear up your back. when i first started, i had to essentualy crawl home after a few rides, cruising at 3mph, nearly falling off the bike in pain. Broken backs suck.
Click to expand...

You had a broken back prior to starting ebiking? You had a broken back due to ebiking which caused you to need to essentially crawl?
 
I know how you feel :cry: I've been dealing with back pain my whole life! It's a birth defect, where the fingers that lock the vertebra together are not fully formed or missing. I have 4 like that in my lower back, and sometimes all I have to do is sneeze to put my back out :shock: Doc's said that about 10% of the population has this back problem and they usually let it fuse on it's own if your not showing any signs of nerve damage :| Now there's a happy thought :?

For me, a full suspension MTB is the only real option. I tried a hardtail and decided very quickly that it wasn't the type bike for me!! Most days I wear a back support while riding and it work like a charm on my full suspension MTB, and I just have to keep out of the rough as much as possible to have a pain free ride :wink:

Blessings, Snow Crow
 
michaelplogue said:
One of the reasons why I use a stand up scooter. I can stand up in a straight posture, and what the shocks don't absorb, my knees take the rest.
Click to expand...
I have RSI in my wrists. Fortunately my wrists and forearms only ache when I am awake <hehe>. But the standup foot bike/kick scooter config means I can adjust handle height so no weight rests on my wrists... works for me.

There is a study somewhere "out there" on the web quoted as saying that something like 95% of bike riders use bikes that are not properly fitted to their personal body dimensions, and that yes, health problems can result (in addition to it simply being less safe and less energy efficient.) Again, going seat-less and pedal-less etc as kick scooter removes almost all "sizing problems".

tks
Lock
 
sharoniex said:
Is is possible for arthritis to be caused by a injury that caused a bacterial infection?
My husband had a knife barely nip his knee while at work and within hours it caused a really bad bacterial infection and was treated with anitibiotics. He was very healthy until the injury and week after the accident he started to have pain in the are where he was injured and it is slowly spreading throughout his body. He has been consulting with a Specialist however I want to make sure this is not work related.
Click to expand...

Bacterial infections can cause all sorts of bad things. The guy here at Microsoft who worked as head of security at my facility was in great shape, stepped on something that cut his foot at the beach, washed it up, it was a small cut, and he thought he was fine.

So, a week goes by, and it started to become more painful. He goes to see a doctor, they tell him he has a mild infection, and give him anti-biotics. He takes the full set of them for 2 weeks, and goes back to the doctor because it feels like it's getting worse rather than better. The doctor is concerned, and gives him some super powerful antibiotic, and tells him to stay off the foot until the infection heals. He finishes up the second set of anti-biotics, and returns to the doctor, because at this point he can barely limp on crutches.

They do a bunch of tests, and it turns out he has some crazy anti-biotic resistant MRSA infection, and it's deep into the foot, and spreading rapidly. For some reason it didn't test as a MRSA infection when the doctor tested it before.

So, now because of a little cut from walking on the beach, this guy had to have his foot amputated above the ankle.
 
As far as back injury goes, I think 95% of the time, it's lack of back conditioning.

A very similar effect happens to seasonal sportbike riders like myself. By the end of riding season, you can ride for 8hrs and feel no back pain. Then the bike goes into storage for the winter. Then that beautiful spring day rolls around that makes you pull the bike out of storage, and you go take a wonderful 3-4hr ride. When you get home, you just feel a little stiff. When you wake the next day, you can barely stand up, and you swear somebody must have smashed your spine with a sledge hammer all night. This continues for the first 3/4 of riding season, and finally when your back gets tough enough to endure a full day of riding with no pain, then the season is over.

You bike guys might be expereincing something similar to this.
 
Same thing in seasonal sailing (hauling sheets to set sails in/out.) Every year by end-of-season all my long-sleeved shirts have one arm tight and one arm loose because the muscles "come up" in my right arm. Saw the same thing happen once on a 1,000mile bike road trip. Thought I was ready to go after weeks of 100+ mile training days, but on the trip by day 3 my legs were going numb. Turned out that the leg muscles had grown so fast my shorts were now tight and cutting off the circulation. Amazing how fast the body can adapt/change...
tks
loC
 
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