Given the fact that in the recentperiod there has been an increase in complaints of low back pain by the cycliststhat has initiated a number of researches and studies determined to get to thebottom of this. One such research revealed that, astonishingly, as many as 85%of cyclists suffered from excessive overuse injuries. Considering that number,as many as 30% of them reported acute back pain. But, what about the studies that also tell us that cycling is not all to blame, because according to the estimates, around80% of people are bound to experience pain in the lower region of the back inthe course of their lives.
Coming back to bicycles, the painin the lower region of the back is caused by prolonged bending of the lumbarspine. The direct consequence of this is muscle fatigue, ligament tension anddisc compression. What shouldbe taken extremely seriously and always present in your mind, is that if thepain occurs all of a sudden, and it is rather severe and shooting, followed bypins and numbness, it is crucial to consult a professional without anyhesitation. This way you will be able to discover in time if some other moresevere underlying condition is present.
There are also certain steps thatyou alone can take in order to make your bike ride a pleasant one, and not backthreatening. First step could be by paying better attention to the position youtake when riding a bike, since the way you sit is of utmost importance. Thiscan be achieved by having your spine in a neutral/flat position, while cyclingand by constantly making circular movements with your pelvis. Another vitalstep is maintaining good core stability, which will enable you to have bettercontrol over your movements and decrease the load on your trunk, assimilating moreforce from the legs and as a direct consequence go even faster.
Yet another muscle that plays anextremely vital role in giving support to the lumbar spine is transverses abdomens,the deepest abdominal muscle acting as an outer trunk shield. Numerousresearches came to a conclusion that those people who have problems with backpain, actually lack of proper transverses abdomens activation. Some of the bestand most effective core stability exercises include adequate positioning oftransverses abdomens, when, lying on your back in neutral stance, knees and hipsbent, you pull the belly button towards the spine without changing theposition; and pelvic tilts, when in the same position as the previous, youmove backwards the lower abdominals and rotate the pelvis backwards in a slowmanner. Alternate arm/leg extensions are done in the same position, by pullingback the abdominals and extend one leg slowly, making sure no change in theposition of the lumbar spine and pelvis occurs. Seated hip flexion/bending require bending your hips withoutbending the lumbar spine.
A fact that you must always bearin mind is that all this back pain can’t be caused by cycling alone. It mayoccur also as a consequence of various other activities you do in the course ofthe day. Therefore, by paying more attention to the way your position and your bodyduring these activities, you can significantly diminish the possibility of backpain occurrences.
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