# back / neck arthritis and mtb



## atarione (Aug 24, 2018)

full disclosure I am not yet 50.. I am 49yrs old 6'3" 265 and returning to mtb after 13~yrs or so..

I was in a car wreck last week and the xrays show I have arthritis in my back and neck.... lame?

anyways.. I figured this might be a good forum for some thoughts / feedback on what this means for my mtb revival / how to manage the condition with mtb riding..

cheers.. hopefully noboy minds me invading y'alls 50+ club a ~year (10mos) early if so my apologies in advance..


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## Cuyuna (May 14, 2017)

Do you have back and/or neck pain when you ride a mountain bike? My guess that you don't, or won't. The more upright riding posture of a mountain bike will address that. And if it doesn't, there are ways that you can address that so that it will.


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## Battery (May 7, 2016)

I’m 38, retired military, 260 lbs rider (losing weight fast), and my arthritis has arthritis. I have arthritis in most of my joints and I have back problems. I also have a host of other issues that should stop me from mountain biking but I’m stubborn. It doesn’t stop me from riding one bit. I made concessions to keep me riding and so far it’s working out. My concessions doesn’t involve me buying an e-bike. 

The biggest thing is losing weight. It helps my joints out a ton. I road bike to lose weight and I lost 25 lbs during the summer. Next, I make sure my contact points provide some comfort. I use ODI Rogue grips because they are meaty and can take some sting out of the trail chatter. Not a lot, but some is better than none. I also bought a saddle that’s wide enough for my fat ass to sit on when needed. I also installed Cushcore on my rims and wow, that helped a lot (this is on a hardtail). 

I just bought a Transition Sentinel (full suspension) and I plan to use this bike for the harder trails that I plan to ride. Not to mention that my hardtail is starting to cause new aches because I’m actively jumping it and riding more aggressively than I ever had before. I love going airborne on a hardtail but damn, my knees and ankles hate me for it. 

Other than that, don’t let arthritis stop you from trying out some good old fashion mountain biking fun. Take it slow and have fun while doing it.


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## cyclelicious (Oct 7, 2008)

Interesting article reviewing arthritis and the benefits of exercise



> *Why Should Arthritis Patients Exercise And Not Just Stay At Home?*
> 
> *What is Arthritis?*
> 
> ...


sauce Why Should Arthritis Patients Exercise And Not Just Stay At Home? | Exercise & Fitness


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## Oh My Sack! (Aug 21, 2006)

I have hardware in my neck along with the 2 level fusion as well as the dreaded DDD, degenerative disc disorder. I was welcomed into my 50's like everyone else. The neck injury is what put me on an mtb 5.5 years ago. Until recently, I had no issue but now am starting to suffer a little bit of pain emanating from the C7-T1, the level below my fusion. To be expected.

I just had surgery at L4/L5 (Laminectomy)a year ago last Friday and still suffer from facet arthropathy quite a lot. Riding actually helps and has helped my pain management for the low back for the last 5 years. In fact it was about all I could do. 

So, get out and ride. Make certain you are fit as best as you can on your bike so you're not stretched out or contorted in some fashion. This is hyper critical on a road bike which I have experience but fortunately, the dynamics of mtb don't require us to be so precise in fitting but you need to be in the right place when climbing and doing the hard work. Get some assistance from a fitter or someone that knows their sh*t. The pimply-faced 15 y/o kid named "Chip" down at the LBS is not the guy to see. 

Movement is life for those of us that suffer these ailments. I've since taken up rowing in a big way. Really helps in cross training and keeping good freedom of movement not to mention it smokes the cardio on a bike and works virtually every muscle in the body. You might give that a try at your local gym if you can. I bought a Concept 2 rower like virtually every gym and crew team run across the world. I'm loving it as much as my riding. Check it out and learn to do it correctly. It's not as easy as it looks. 

Motivation is key. Riding and fitness are a bigger psych-out for me than the act itself. I can talk myself out of doing a ride or row so frikkin easy but I pay the price EVERY SINGLE TIME I DO! I cannot tell you the number of times I have felt so shitty in pain but dragged my ass to the trail or threw a leg over my road bike cursing every step of the way to be at about mile 5 and thinking "what an absolute pu$$y I was" for thinking of NOT doing this. Then I go and have a great ride...most of the time. I'm pretty golden for the rest of the day. Then I wake up the next morning and it starts again. :lol: 

Consider Strava or some other fitness tracker. Not from the competitive standpoint but for real-life tracking. Get a HR moniter and use it. Those rides that can be so hard and brutal and sometimes less fun because you feel like **** and you want to quit and go home because you hurt and waaah waah waah, then you look at your Strava stats and find you PR'd all your nemesis climbs. Without that feedback, for me at least, it makes it hard to get on the bike tomorrow. With it, I'm immediately charged and can't wait for the next ride. Then the morning comes again.

Good luck!


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## Crankout (Jun 16, 2010)

I saw a PT years ago for my back and he shared with me that arthritis is common as we age and really not a huge deal. 

Just keep on moving, riding and working out. Be cognizant of it and watch your posture.


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## Battery (May 7, 2016)

Oh My Sack! said:


> I have hardware in my neck along with the 2 level fusion as well as the dreaded DDD, degenerative disc disorder. I was welcomed into my 50's like everyone else.


Funny that you mentioned this! I was diagnosed with DDD and DJD at 34 years old. Even though I am not 50 (yet), I sure as hell feel like I am.


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## atarione (Aug 24, 2018)

ok.. good stuff. thanx..

my dr. wasn't super helpful.. I asked them about mtb.. and they said.. well be careful don't crash.. I don't think they know how mtb works?

in fairness I certainly do my best to avoid crashes because they suck.. and all.. but sooner or later they seem to be likely?


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## Cuyuna (May 14, 2017)

atarione said:


> ok.. good stuff. thanx..
> 
> my dr. wasn't super helpful.. I asked them about mtb.. and they said.. well be careful don't crash.. I don't think they know how mtb works?
> 
> in fairness I certainly do my best to avoid crashes because they suck.. and all.. but sooner or later they seem to be likely?


 _Riding_ the bike isn't going to hurt a thing. _Crashing_ the bike is potentially dangerous. What your doctor is telling you...if you can't ride without crashing then you shouldn't do it because for you, crashing is a potentially bigger problem than for other people.


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## atarione (Aug 24, 2018)

Cuyuna said:


> _Riding_ the bike isn't going to hurt a thing. _Crashing_ the bike is potentially dangerous. What your doctor is telling you...if you can't ride without crashing then you shouldn't do it because for you, crashing is a potentially bigger problem than for other people.


I mean fair enough .. in general I don't crash.. but I mean come on it is always a possibility or they wouldn't rather people wear helmets riding in a car park..

I guess my dreams of downhill racing have been smashed... (joke)

anyone wanna reckon on if back protector elbow ..etc pads will help / be good idea.. my riding isn't extreme at all mostly XC style I guess.. but I get bored without a bit of technical stuff and I do like a nice downhill section..


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## Cuyuna (May 14, 2017)

atarione said:


> I mean fair enough .. in general I don't crash.. but I mean come on it is always a possibility or they wouldn't rather people wear helmets riding in a car park..
> 
> I guess my dreams of downhill racing have been smashed... (joke)
> 
> anyone wanna reckon on if back protector elbow ..etc pads will help / be good idea.. my riding isn't extreme at all mostly XC style I guess.. but I get bored without a bit of technical stuff and I do like a nice downhill section..


The part I didn't get from any of your posts....do you actually have symptoms, or some kind of disability or pain, from your neck or back arthritis, or was this something they just incidentally discovered on the xrays they took after your car crash?


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## atarione (Aug 24, 2018)

Cuyuna said:


> The part I didn't get from any of your posts....do you actually have symptoms, or some kind of disability or pain, from your neck or back arthritis, or was this something they just incidentally discovered on the xrays they took after your car crash?


I have symptoms.. some neck/back pops / soreness.. I had hoped /hope as weight comes down and fitness improves, it would get better I guess.. I didn't know it was arthritis but i was aware something was going on with my back / neck before certainly.


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## Cuyuna (May 14, 2017)

Just ride. Ride until you can’t. Then adjust your style, your equipment, and your expectations and ride some more. Don’t worry about your diagnosis or what your xrays look like. Worry about how you actually feel.


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## ddoh (Jan 11, 2017)

Yeah, just ride. I've got Arthritis everywhere (knees, fingers, shoulders, neck, lower back). My shoulders are bone on bone, so one is replaced and holding out on the other. My neck and back arthritis was first discovered at about your age and I've never slowed down on my riding. Also, I crash a little too much. However, the neck and back seem to be able to take the abuse better than the joints. I do take Glocasomine/Condroitin (sp) for my knees and shoulders. Maybe its helping my back too. Also regular Chiropractic. I'm 68.


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## Spec44 (Aug 17, 2013)

Me, too. My feet are the worst, and the bottom line is that I stay motivated to ride on bad days because it minimizes the pain in my feet. I definitely feel it if I don't pedal every 3 days.

For neck, back, & shoulders, you should figure out a rotation of stretches and light range of motion exercises and cycle through them. Keep blood flowing to those joints and keep the surrounding muscles in shape so they can provide stability.


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