How to Avoid Back Pain When Cycling

What Causes Back Pain When Cycling?

There are many reasons that can cause back pain in cyclists, especially lower back pain which is the most prevalent type.

However, the main culprit is the bike fit. You may think that buying the best triathlon bike is enough to prevent back pain problems, but the quality of the bike is not the issue here – it’s the fit. If you are riding a bike that’s too big for you or you have a setup that’s too long, it can put you in a position that can lead to back problems.

Another common reason for lower back pain is poor posture. Just like with any other activity, if you are hunched forward for a long time, it can affect your spine and lead to lower back pain. In addition to this, poor core strength can make your spine weaker and more susceptible to injuries and back pain.

How to Prevent Cycling Back Pain?

So, we’ve covered potential causes of lower back pain cycling can lead to. Now, let’s take a closer look at things you can do to prevent cycling back pain in the first place.

Find the Right Fit

As we already mentioned, the proper fit is the most important thing to consider to decrease the chance of getting cycling lower back pain. If you are not a professional cyclist, finding a professional to help you choose the right bike can make things easier for you. But you can also do this yourself by focusing on a couple of things:

• Saddle Height – If your saddle is too high, your hips will rock from side to side when you pedal, which can cause lower back pain. Luckily, this issue usually requires a simple fix, such as lowering your saddle, unless your saddle is already at the lowest possible setting, in which case a smaller bike might be necessary.
• Long Setup – Another problem with bike fit is the long setup in which your saddle is positioned too far away from the handlebar or your stem is too long. A shorter, high-rise stem could fix this issue. Also, you can move your saddle closer, but you shouldn’t move it too close since that can cause knee problems. The key is to reach your bars comfortably while sitting in an upright position and to have a slight bend in elbows when you are riding the bike.

In addition to these things, you should also make sure that you have the right gear that will match the terrain. Buying gear for a road bike is very different than buying gear for a mountain bike.

Work On Your Posture

Sometimes, the lower back pain cycling causes is actually due to poor posture away from the bike, especially if you are not a professional cyclist. For example, you may be slumping at your desk while you work and that can cause back issues on its own or lead to problems when you get on your bike.

If you spend a lot of your time sitting at a desk or in a car, it’s important to address your posture. Optimize your set-up to ensure sitting in a straight position and avoid slumping or rotation. Check this article for detailed guidelines on proper sitting posture.

Try a Higher Cadence

Constantly riding by using big gears can overwork your muscles, especially the muscles in the hips and the lower back. When these muscles get too tired, they can become stiff and cause pain while riding.

One possible solution for this issue is using higher cadence. For example, you can switch from riding at 65 to 80 revolutions per minute to riding at 90 rpm or higher. This does require a change in the riding style and it may put a strain on your cardiovascular system more than you are used to, but it will also allow you to have the same power output while reducing the stress you place on your muscles.

Check our article on cadence and learn a few drills that can help you adapt to a higher cadence.

Increase Your Mobility

Spending too much time in one position can make your muscles stiff and cause back pain. Cumulative, repetitive stress can lead to tissue damage. Even back of knee pain cycling causes due to stiffness of the muscles due to decreased mobility.

So, remember to change your position on the bike from sitting to standing every once in a while to prevent tightness and stiffness of the muscles. Use other positions as well, like scooting forward or back a little bit on your seat, or anything else that breaks the cycle of staying in one position for a long time.

Ramp Up Your Mileage Wisely

It doesn’t matter if you are a beginner or an experienced rider – ramping up your mileage rapidly can lead to all kinds of injuries and pains, such as lower back pain. Your muscles need to be ready to take on the extra stress, so increase your mileage slowly.

The best way to increase your mileage gradually is to do it by 20% per week, at most. Also, it’s best to take a rest for a week after every three weeks to prevent fatigue and injury. You can do some cross-training and ride a decreased mileage during your rest week, but make sure to also take rest days without any training.

Strengthen Your Core and Hips

If you want to prevent cycling back pain, the most important thing is to work on your core regularly since the core can stabilize the pelvis to provide a foundation for the legs to push against. However, a strong core is not the only important thing for back pain prevention, you should also focus on your hip and pelvis region.

One study from 2015 concluded that the main difference between cyclists with and without back pain was their core strength. So, we’ve prepared a few core strength exercises for you that could help you reduce the risk of back pain when cycling:

Reverse Crunch

Lie face-up, your arms at the side. Keep your feet on the floor and your knees bent so your shins are parallel to the floor. Draw your abs in and inhale while you lift your hips. Also, curl your pelvis to your ribcage and your needs towards the chest. Take a short pause, exhale, and go back to the starting position.

Bird Dog

Start the exercise by kneeling on your hands and knees. Remember to keep your back straight and to keep your neck and head in line with the back. Then, extend your left leg and right arm out to bring them in line with your back. You can also bring them a bit higher than your trunk, if you can.

Once you do this, pause and squeeze your back and glute muscles to keep the balance. Then bring your leg and arm back in, touching your knee with your elbow. Go back to the starting position and do the process again for the other side of your body.

Kettlebell Swing

The Kettlebell Swing is a great way to improve your core strength and it can also make your pedaling more powerful. To do this exercise, you will need to get a kettlebell, but you can also use a bag filled with sand if you can’t find a kettlebell.

Start by standing in a stance with your feet spread apart in the width of your shoulder, with your toes straight ahead, and with your knees slightly bent as you crouch. Place the kettlebell between your legs and hold it there with a two-handed grip.

The next step is to bend your hips back while keeping your lower back arched until the kettlebell is behind and between your legs. Then, squeeze your glutes before snapping your hips forward to extend them and swing the eight up. You shouldn’t raise it using your arms – keep the arms straight and let the hips do the work.

Lastly, try to control the swing back down by using your arms, but also remember to keep them straight while you do it. Let the weight swing back between your legs while you bend the hips and knees.

When it comes to the kettlebell weight, men should start with around 26 pounds (12kg), while a good starting point for women is around 18 pounds (8kg). You can increase the weight slightly and gradually when you feel comfortable.

The Founder

This exercise works the entire posterior chain and it’s best to do it before the ride to activate your muscles. Start with your feet apart at the hip’s length while standing upright. Unlock your knees by rocking back to put the weight on your heels. Then, bring your hips back and tilt your body slightly forwards, but keep your chest straight.

Put your hands in front of you with fingertips together, then reach forward and up while pushing your hips back. Hold for about ten seconds and repeat the process a few times.

The Woodpecker

Begin the exercise by putting your legs together and putting the right leg forwards, but make sure to keep your hips square. Place your arms forward and clap them together, then pivot at the hip while keeping your upper and lower body still.

Reach forward as much as you can by pushing your right heel into the floor and pulling your hips back. Hold for about ten seconds and repeat the process a few times for each side.

The Plank

This is one of the basic exercises for the core and abdominal muscles. While it comes in a few different forms, we’ll focus on the basic one.

Stand face-down on your toes and elbows, with feet at hip-width apart. Your head should remain upright so your eyes are pointing at the floor, about four inches (10cm) in front of you. Your hips should stay in a straight line, without rising up or sagging. Stay in this position for a minute and repeat a few times.

Fire Hydrant with Rotation

Start the exercise by kneeling on your hands and knees while keeping your back straight. Your neck and head should be in line with your back. The next step is to pull your left knee up towards your chest and flex your glute. Then, lift your leg out to the side of the hip, just like a dog that’s marking a fire hydrant.

Rotate the leg back and around in a circle five to six times in one direction before switching the directions. Once you are done, do the same process with your other leg.

Conclusion

The best way to deal with lower back pain from cycling is prevention since it can be hard to relieve the pain when it already happens.

There are a few things you can do to prevent back pain from occurring, like making sure that your bike fits you properly, working on your posture, increasing your mobility during rides, riding at a higher cadence, etc.

However, the best way to prevent lower back issues is by working your core to make sure that the muscles are strong enough to endure the stress from long bike rides.