# Is biking bad for your back?



## RBowles (Jun 1, 2010)

I'm not sure if biking is bad for your back or not, but having a ruptured disk between L4 and L5. I can honestly say that the only time my back doesn't hurt is when I'm on my bike.


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## Stumpy29er (Oct 12, 2009)

lidarman said:


> Sitting in a bad chair posting on mtbr is bad for your back. I can attest to that!


I just sat up straight, thanks.


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## Daemon[CRO] (Jul 14, 2010)

I am pretty confident that this topic was done about a thousand times, but just to be sure.

Is riding a bike bad for our backs?

The position we are in for freaking hours, does it stress the spine? Discs? It is impossible and even bad to ride with straight back, there needs to be some flex, a curve. If we would to sit in this position in a chair, i bet our backs would snap like twigs after a few hours.

There is something in the fact that some of the weight is on the hands, of course, but still. 

So, do pro bikers after some time have back problems?


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## tg (Feb 1, 2006)

My back feels the most jacked in the winter when I am skiing more and riding less. Riding = less back pain for me. ( I have a blown L5-S1 ) Had it fixed in Vail 5 years ago and am still able to race bikes and ride every day.


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## Mellow Yellow (Sep 5, 2003)

*Riding is bad for your back when...*

...your posture is wrong. Your back should be straight, not curved
...your bike doesn't fit you. If you're riding a bike that is too long or two short for you
...your handlebar width is too wide
...you fall off your bike and land on your back 

When you're in a proper riding position, your butt is carrying most of your body weight, the rest is in your hands, arms and shoulders; but tha tshould be minimal. If someone is having back pains outside of these issues, they should consult a physician. Most likely it's more of an issue of conditioning more than anything else.


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## AllisonWunderland (Jun 7, 2011)

It's not the position; it's the pounding coming up through the seatpost. 

I was riding a 1988 rigid frame mtb and couldn't figure out why I was getting so stiff. Then I realized it's from the hammering of the roadway. Went to a hard-tail w/ suspension fork and most of the stiffness stopped. But we're still getting hammered. 

The posture issue is not so bad. Most riders move around on the bike. Road bike has drop bars to allow for changing positions. Of course your bike needs to fit you. If it doesn't fit, you're going to experience problems. Riding position is critical. 

It pays to be in shape to ride, stretches and weight training to balance the muscles you don't use while riding are good preventative strategies.


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## Frozenspokes (May 26, 2004)

My back has been jacked up for months. Riding is one of the only times that it doesn't bother me. I have been doing exercises to strengthen the muscles back there. Hoping that's all I need to do.


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## DeepseaDebo (Oct 20, 2009)

not going to stress the spine, maybe cause some soreness in the spinal acsessories (sacro spinalis) and muscles in that area. but it takes some pretty serious trauma to actually affect the vertebrae. Most people develop compression of discs over time no matter what just wear and tear. to give you idea of the force needed for some serious issues. 3 wks saw a guy, 180+lbs static line parachute with a pretty small canopy, poor technique and landed on black top. resulted in 20% compression fracture of L5. No major symptoms just pain. I highly doubt biking even comes close to that.


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## lidarman (Jan 12, 2004)

Sitting in a bad chair posting on mtbr is bad for your back. I can attest to that!


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## Wherewolf (Jan 17, 2004)

*Good for it*

Unless you have poor biking posture or a badly fitting bike, mountain biking is good for the back. I've had a degenerated disc for many years and biking helps it. I don't road ride so I can not speak to that.


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## STT GUY (May 19, 2009)

To add to what others have said, my back feels great when I ride.


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## turnerth (Aug 4, 2010)

riding helps my degenerative disk. But I ride a carbon full squish - upgraded from an aluminum fully ridged that was hurting my back.


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## trmn8er (Jun 9, 2011)

RBowles said:


> I'm not sure if biking is bad for your back or not, but having a ruptured disk between L4 and L5. I can honestly say that the only time my back doesn't hurt is when I'm on my bike.


I can tell you I just started riding again, and feel it in my back a little. I also ride a Motorcycle, and have adopted a particular posture widely known with owners of my bike called the "Master Yoda" riding position. This is where you keep your back straight, and rock your hips forward. Yes, it uses back muscles, but once you learn to relax, it seems to reqally help fatigue. I will be trying it on my new Mt Bike!


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## BacDoc (May 31, 2011)

I usually prescribe time on the bike for most of my back pain patients. Benefits include:

Strengthening legs and glutes helps support the spine

Calorie burn can help with weight control - lighter body is always easier on the spine

Balance muscles exercised will always help most back problems

Cardio work with less impact than running

Stationary bike is better than nothing but riding with balance challenges is the best. Some back conditions can be aggravated by riding and that is a key to see a physician, especially if leg pain is involved.

A good pre (and post) ride warmup should include some stretching. I recommend 5 Tibetian rites - several good videos on youtube.

Ride on!


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## Crankout (Jun 16, 2010)

Daemon[CRO] said:


> The position we are in for freaking hours, does it stress the spine? Discs? It is impossible and even bad to ride with straight back, there needs to be some flex, a curve. If we would to sit in this position in a chair, i bet our backs would snap like twigs after a few hours.?


I would argue that the act of cycling, if done in the absence of other exercises, is not good for the spine. Repetitive movement of the hip flexors and lack of core use is inherent in cycling. These two things compromise the health of the back over time.

I regularly see a PT for my back, and he prescribes me specific exercises to stretch and strengthen my back and spine. He sees plenty of cyclists with back problems.

Core work and routine stretching can counteract the stress on the back from biking.


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## RubberSideDown34 (Apr 18, 2006)

Crankout said:


> Core work and routine stretching can counteract the stress on the back from biking.


That's what my chiro says. If you have good core muscles, your back should hold up.


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## J. Fragera (Apr 16, 2008)

Any micro-trauma over time, accrued to any joint, will eventually wear it out. The counteraction here would seem to be nutrition and good exercise to allow for strengthening of the appropriate musculature. This will help in keeping the motion within the range for which the joint is made.

Also, supplements are available to aid in reducing friction within the joint. Glucosamine and chondroitin to name a couple.


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## jeffscott (May 10, 2006)

In the end biking is bad for your back....

I am one who as little back pain while riding, I do however get lower back pain off the bike.

What happens with lots of riding is tight hamstrings, tight quads, and a tight IT band....

You also get some muscle imbalance happening.

So if you stretch and exercise those issues away than biking can become "good " for your back.

PS I read somewhere that Lance Armstrrong fights off back pain.


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## Jinxy (Aug 1, 2010)

After 25 years on road bikes (& mtb) I developed what my Doc & Phys Therapist termed "Classic Bicycle Back". This was about 10 years ago and they got me into abdominal & core strengthening. Within maybe 3 months I felt better and my back pain gradually disappeared. I still spend 15 minutes every other day on core/ab exercises and feel way better than I did at 40. Cross training helps too - running, swimming, etc. See a Doc, Phys Therapist or good trainer to get started.


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## Thor29 (May 12, 2005)

If you are one of those guys that just sits there all the time without standing up, then yeah, it might not be good for your back. But if you get up off the saddle a lot, I imagine that will effectively eliminate any back problems. Since proper downhill technique requires you to stand up, that should help. Better yet, get a single speed hardtail and you will be standing on uphills and downhills. You also use more of your core when climbing with a single speed.


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## jeffscott (May 10, 2006)

Thor29 said:


> If you are one of those guys that just sits there all the time without standing up, then yeah, it might not be good for your back. But if you get up off the saddle a lot, I imagine that will effectively eliminate any back problems. Since proper downhill technique requires you to stand up, that should help. Better yet, get a single speed hardtail and you will be standing on uphills and downhills. You also use more of your core when climbing with a single speed.


Standing and hammering can definately cause back problems.


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## speedmetal (Feb 28, 2007)

I went from a hardtail to a full suspension precisely because of my bad back. Found out that 4+ inches of travel front and rear do wonders for a bad back! Not going back to a hardtail!. Oh, and I tried a carbon full suspension, but the stiffness of the frame made it uncomfortable, so had to stick with aluminum. Oh well, as long as I'm not doing anything stupid, I'm still able to ride. Which is what really matters, right?


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## Pollution Warrior (Apr 3, 2010)

With a hard tail my back hurts. With a full suspension it doesn't.


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## Crankout (Jun 16, 2010)

speedmetal said:


> *I went from a hardtail to a full suspension precisely because of my bad back. F*ound out that 4+ inches of travel front and rear do wonders for a bad back! Not going back to a hardtail!. Oh, and I tried a carbon full suspension, but the stiffness of the frame made it uncomfortable, so had to stick with aluminum. Oh well, as long as I'm not doing anything stupid, I'm still able to ride. Which is what really matters, right?


Same here several years ago. I tried racing a HT at one particular race out of curiosity (post FS change up) and couldn't finish the race as my back was in serious pain, and not worth the potential damage to it. Am now adjusting to a Fox Brain this season from a RS Monarch.


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## canuck_tacoma (May 1, 2011)

I find riding helps my back. One thing I do is bend backwards over the back of a chair to re-align my discs. This works quite well. The more I ride the stronger my back gets.

P.S. - I do ride FS except my roadbike. Cross-Training as well so you don't overbuild bike specific muscles. Hit weights once a week, running, and swimming. A lot of cyclists don't do this because biking is the best! Who wants to hit a Gym when you can be bombing a trail?


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## wg (Dec 20, 2003)

RubberSideDown34 said:


> That's what my chiro says. If you have good core muscles, your back should hold up.


Ditto. I'm finally getting rid of some nasty back issues due to finally doing the core stretching / strengthening - and multiple chiro visits for the muscle spasms


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## boomhauer (May 29, 2011)

oh no, posting in an old thread!

but, ive noticed my posture is kinda bad with my riding- i tend to curve my back forward (hunch over) and then of course my neck turns up pretty sharply. i usually have a stiff neck after every ride. but my position seems to be driven by trying to stay low and forward on my bike to keep the front end planted in the twisty stuff I ride. my frame is a size large and im just over 6ft, so it should be a good match for size.


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## edubfromktown (Sep 7, 2010)

Biking is not bad for you back. Take it from someone who's had chronic back pain for 10+ years. If you purchased the correct size frame and your bike is setup properly then your back will not hurt. I should break 3,000 miles cycling this year and rarely notice my back being stiff/sore/etc. I feel back soreness occasionally when I ride advanced and very rocky trails on my hard tail for 10+ miles. Generally not a problem if I ride my dual suspension bike on the rough stuff...


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## AZ (Apr 14, 2009)

boomhauer said:


> oh no, posting in an old thread!
> 
> but, ive noticed my posture is kinda bad with my riding- i tend to curve my back forward (hunch over) and then of course my neck turns up pretty sharply. i usually have a stiff neck after every ride. but my position seems to be driven by trying to stay low and forward on my bike to keep the front end planted in the twisty stuff I ride. my frame is a size large and im just over 6ft, so it should be a good match for size.


Bend at the hips, the back should be straight. A lack of core strength could be contributing to this, saddle position and even the saddle itself can also contribute. Fine tuning the fit and position over the pedals might be productive. A pro fitting may be beneficial.


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## boomhauer (May 29, 2011)

whats strange is, ive noticed i curve my back forward as a way to keep it "sprung", if i sit with a straight back i feel like a pogo stick... yes my full susp will absorb impacts, but it just doesnt feel like I can move things around the way i need to. maybe it is a fitment issue though, i'll ask the shop guys next time im in.


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