Please help. Tried everything

[arendoog]

Saddle shape and angle is determined by your flexibility .Make sure this is correct.A raised saddle will put your pelvis at a shallower angle and is better for poor flexibility.My daughter had a similar problem and was solved with a riser handelbar and neutral saddle angle

Edited November 4, 2012 by Blitzer

[Cassie]

Took up Pilates a few years back which did wonders for my posture and strength on the bike. No more numb hands, lower back pain.

 

I took up bodyweight training...best thing ever for my cycling.....improved my core muscles; strenghtened my legs....improved my supleness...

list goes on and on...AND no more sore back on long rides!!

[SwissVan]

 

I have been riding mtb for about a year now, and evertime i ride i get terrible neck and upper back pain after about 30km, i am 42 years old and i was on a hard tail, I changed to a dual sus specialized, i have had the bike set up (Ergo fit ) etc etc, i have had 8 spine alignments, 8 deap tissue massage treatments, 2 acupuncture sessions, 1 oxygen chamber session, nothing helps, when i sit down for long periods my neck goes into spasm, can any one help, any suggestions.

 

 

When did the neck / back pain start, before or after you changed bikes.

 

What is the current height difference between the top of your saddle and your handle bars (at the grips where you hold on).

 

In your normal riding position are your elbows locked out or slightly bent

 

Maybe its tension try relax and change riding position quite regular for short periods during your rides, sit up roll your head around and back and forth a bit

[McD23]

I have cycled on and off for 20 years, done the league's and so forth. I gave up cycling because of back pain, it got to the point where my only association with cycling was back pain! When i got back into it eventually, I built my training up slowly, I focused on core and it was like a whole new world opened up to me, 6/7 hours rides with no back pain what so ever.

My point, core,core ,core I'm convinced it makes a huge difference to your riding.

Edited November 4, 2012 by McD23

[RockCoach]

check the following:

 

if you cannot touch your toes then your handle bars ned to be higher than your saddle. THe greater the distance between your fingers and toes, the higher the handlebars. Also check your reach. A rule of thumb is that if you jam your elbow against the nose of your saddle, your middle finger should be in line with the middle of your stem.

 

Often handlebar higher and bike reach are the problem. Once you have stretched yourself out can you lengthen your reach and drop your handle bars. ps If you lif the handle bars you may also consider a shorter stem as well.

 

When I was racing seriously about 15 years ago I struggled with intense back pain. To some extent it was warranted as I had back surgery to remove a disc at 16. This led me to go for physio who sent me to a biokineticist.

 

During my first evaluation I could not get close to touching my toes. In fact I was 10cm short of getting there. Over the next month I worked with the bio a few times per week where she stretched me really, really well - not only my shortened hamstrings but my whole body. At my four week evaluation I was pushing 24cm past my toes.

 

From there she started working on my strength. Not only core and back but legs, glutes, arms, neck, shoulders, hip flexors etc. I was eventually able to stretch into the splits... The difference that made to my life and my comfort and speed on the bike was astounding. Even today I am very flexible because I know the correct stretches and do them after every ride.

 

Although bike set up is determined by the persons flexibility, it is possible (in many cases, not all) to work on it so that you fit closer to the normal ideal - rather than compromise the set up to something much less efficient.p

[hayleyearth]

Personally for me it has never been my bike-setup, but always my own body where certain areas tried to make up for the 'weaker' bits.

 

Luckily I've always had a strong core, but in the beginning I also got lower back pain or pain behind my shoulder blades. Stretching my hammies and barely gripping my handels now solved both.

My knee pain (left leg only) was soved by stretching my bum muscles.

 

I think in MTBing we ride such a wide veriety of terain that our position on the bike is constantly different, so you have to train your body to fit the bike as your bike won't be able to fit all those 'positions'.

[Creme' Boulle']

I was having spasms in my upper back (trapezius muscle) about a year ago. Narrowed my handlebars too about 550mm. Problem solved.

Thanks for the advise, I'm on a 29er, is it ok to narrow the bars.

[Creme' Boulle']

When did the neck / back pain start, before or after you changed bikes.

 

What is the current height difference between the top of your saddle and your handle bars (at the grips where you hold on).

 

In your normal riding position are your elbows locked out or slightly bent

 

Maybe its tension try relax and change riding position quite regular for short periods during your rides, sit up roll your head around and back and forth a bit

They started before I changed the bike, I would say the seat is about 2-4cm higher than the bars, I had a shorter stem on the bike, when I did the ergo fit he told me to go to a 100mm stem, had to then push the seat forward a bit, also had flat bars and changed to riser bars, but only slight rise, and yes, my natural riding style is slightly bent or quite bent arms, I do try and change positions, i move my shoulders around etc when I ride, I think my problem is core muscle as most people are saying, I cant touch my toes, my hamstrings are very tight, id i try touch my toes it pulss from my hams through my butt up my back. Edited November 5, 2012 by Creme' Boulle'

[Wyatt Earp]

They started before I changed the bike, I wouls say the seat is about 2-4cm higher than the seat, I had a shorter stem on the bike, when I did the ergo fit he told me to go to a 100mm stem, had to then push the seat forward a bit, also had flat bars and changed to riser bars, but only slight rise, and yes, my natural riding style is slightly bent or quite bent arms, I do try and change positions, i move my shoulders around etc when I ride, I think my problem is core muscle as most people are saying, I cant touch my toes, my hamstrings are very tight, id i try touch my toes it pulss from my hams through my butt up my back.

 

Get to the gym, or perhaps even at home do some push-ups and pull-ups.

Strengthen the muscles around the scapula.

Get someone to look at you on the saddle and rub their hands across the scapula, if the shoulders bulge or the two bones form a valley, you will have a problem.

My guess, and just an absolute wild flyer here.

Try a stem 1cm. longer that the one you have.

[JA-Q001]

A stupid question, do you use a camelbak? because a weak core combined with a ill fitting and overloaded bag can also cause pain?

[Creme' Boulle']

A stupid question, do you use a camelbak? because a weak core combined with a ill fitting and overloaded bag can also cause pain?

I do yes, A mate of mine has a simlar problem, but only gets the pain on one side, he rode the 60km race with me this weekend with out the camelbak and still had the issue, i will try the next one without the camelback, thanks for the advise. Edited November 5, 2012 by Creme' Boulle'

[DubbelBuys]

I don't know how good this advice wcould be to you, but here goes:

 

I'm having very tight joints, so when I sit cross legged (not even for long) then my legs become numb. My knees can't even come close to the ground.

 

Have you tried warming up before a ride?

 

Swing your arms, roll your neck, stretching etc.

 

 

At some stage I was also working behind a pc for extended periods & I felt the muscle between the shoulder & the neck (trapezius?) tense up a lot quicker on longer rides / when becoming tired. Was only the left arm I have to add. Haven't done anything to the muscles, but stopped working behind the pc that long & now everything is better.

 

It's not just a sport, it's a way of life!

 

I hope you can get it sorted!!! Good luck!

[SwissVan]

 

I think my problem is core muscle as most people are saying, I cant touch my toes, my hamstrings are very tight, id i try touch my toes it pulss from my hams through my butt up my back.

 

 

Yep you seem to have covered most of the bike fit possibilities. Its sad but as we get older we become less flexible, some muscles become weaker while others get stronger all this combined can create imbalances which result in pain somewhere. Also our modern lifestyles (sitting at a desk all day) do not help in these situations.

 

Think about getting into a "body maintenance" lifestyle by regularly doing other forms of exercise concentrating on the weaker or neglected areas, it does not mean that you have to spend hours in the gym but just doing simple exercises at home can be suffcient.

[Creme' Boulle']

I don't know how good this advice wcould be to you, but here goes:

 

I'm having very tight joints, so when I sit cross legged (not even for long) then my legs become numb. My knees can't even come close to the ground.

 

Have you tried warming up before a ride?

 

Swing your arms, roll your neck, stretching etc.

 

 

At some stage I was also working behind a pc for extended periods & I felt the muscle between the shoulder & the neck (trapezius?) tense up a lot quicker on longer rides / when becoming tired. Was only the left arm I have to add. Haven't done anything to the muscles, but stopped working behind the pc that long & now everything is better.

 

It's not just a sport, it's a way of life!

 

I hope you can get it sorted!!! Good luck!

Yip, I am behind my pc for about 6hrs a day, I sit on one of those ball chairs ( for about 3 weeks mow), trying everything because I love the sport, will keep pushing on, Thanks for the advise.

[Tomik]

Here's my 2c worth 'cause I feel your pain.

 

Upper back/neck pain is most often due to overextending so not sure a longer stem will help. A shorter one might be better but you may need to move your saddle back a bit to give you space to breathe.

 

Your saddle should be in a neutral position - i.e. the seat-post should grip it near the middle of the rails. And make sure your saddle is pointed slightly down (if it's flat, the pressure from sitting forces it down slightly at the back, which forces your hips back, putting pressure on your back.

 

And definitely strengthen your core but more importantly, loosen the hammies - they connect to your back and neck. And don't always rely on Ergofit etc.rather go with what your body says. I had a set-up done by a VERY reputable person here and was not at all happy on the bike.

 

Good luck!

[Mojoman]

Yip, I am behind my pc for about 6hrs a day, I sit on one of those ball chairs ( for about 3 weeks mow), trying everything because I love the sport, will keep pushing on, Thanks for the advise.

I had some muscle issues when I got my dual suspension. Started doing basic plank exercises and some other 'core' exercises, some basic stretches (like just bend over and let you hands hang down towards your feet/toes, sit on the floor and stretch hands and arms towards legs and feet) as well as a couple of neck exercises and haven't really had a problem since. I also find that I look around a lot when out cycling (especially as most of the time I am solo and enjoy the countryside I ride in) so by keeping my head and neck moving I dont have any pain there even on long rides of 6hrs or so.