Over 40 victim of fate, cycling too late!

[imm]

I'm looking to connect with people that are tolerating their back issues while staying on the bike and sharing remedies, potions and cures.

Fit wise, I have a custom bike and I am generally comfortable on it but will adjust as necessary. I've recently added a stem with a higher rise which helped just a little bit. Most of the pain is in the QL and erectors with no radiating pain. I suspect the QL is taking much of the pelvic load and is stressed.

So, lets talk backs!

[Louis]

This may be a no-no on this forum, and maybe you are not yet this desperate, but as an absolute last resort you could try a recumbent...

[rspecker]

You will need to obsess on core strength--pilates, gyrotonic, weight-training, stretching, etc. Maybe that even makes riding a second priority. Very hard to do. I know, because I don't do it and I should.

[malcolm]

One thing to really consider is the more upright position. Is it really the fix? It may seem counterintuitive but sometimes longer and/or a bit lower is actually the answer, especially for people that ride long distance. The thinking is this as you assume a more upright (shorter and higher) position you actually axially load your back more and cause pain. Same reason people with back pain get worse when they sit for long periods. I'm not saying the more upright position doesn't help lots of people, but it isn't a panacea for back discomfort sometimes the other direction is the answer. It was for me. I can't tolerate the drop I could in my twenties but the position I use now is almost as long but not quite as low.

[Samster]

My rheumatologist says I will be due for a laminectomy one of these days due to osteo arthritis in my lower back, mostly on the right side with ever enlarging bone spurs coming off the lower lumbar vertebrae. The pain can be considerable.

That said, I'm cycling a good amount and feel relatively strong for my age (45 now). I also fence. Believe it or not, my back feels much better since I got back on the fencing strip. I'm stiff, but the pain is much reduced. My doc says it might be because of the muscles of the lower back getting stronger and taking stress off the bones. But she doesn't really know for sure. Just stay active, and do those physical therapy exercises and hope for the best. I'm in my 7th year since diagnosis and don't feel much worse. The x-rays indicate that the situation stabilized sometime between now and 4 years ago.

I'm not suggesting you fence, but I think it helps to stay active (as mentioned above.)

Good luck and lay off the Advil (gotta feel the pain to know where it's going).

[regularguy412]

I'm sorta with Malcolm on this one. I've had some back problems for years, due to a work-related injury in 1985. This problem compouded itself for me earlier this spring. I had been off the bike completely from mid-1999 through December 2005. I decided that I wanted to lose the extra pounds I had gained during the off-years. All through 2006, I rode lots,, on the order of 4,200 miles. This year, I decided to up my mileage. Around late April 2007, I encountered some kind of 'event' that left me getting tingling and numbness in my lower extremeties ( tho the symptoms moved around from location to location). After 6 weeks of no improvement, I went back to my chiro. The x-rays showed my old injury at L3-L4 and some new issues with T1, T2 and T3. I also purchased an inversion table and a new, very firm, mattress. All these remedies helped and the symptoms have mitigated somewhat. However the thing that seems to have helped the most is just plain rest. I've cut back to only 5 days on the bike, instead of 7. Soon, I'll get back on my off-season training plan of 4 days on the bike and 3 days using light weights and core work. I hope the crunches do what they are supposed to do.

I'll keep you posted if I discover any magical therapies. I can certainly sympathize with your problems.

Mike in AR

[don compton]

i too suffer from severe back problems, to the point that i cannot walk for very long without numbness in my right foot. i suffer from symptoms resulting from "rotated scoleriosis". i have degeneritive discs in my neck and my lower back and have sever arthritis. i can really appreciate your pain. i have visited dr. max testa and a very good orthopedist in stockton, ca.i was tested at dr. testa's former office at uc med center in sacrament, ca. and he told to adjust my position on my bike( bars same height as my saddle) and to work really hard on core strength in order to compensate for my back weakness. i have done that and believe me, the above recomendations can really make a difference. in may of 2006, i rode my first 100mi. ride since the 1980's in sonoma co. and really enjoyed the ride. all this talk about the appearance of your bike related to how many spacers you have on your steerer tube is very short sighted. very few of the bike-riding public ever race a bike and the vast majority could probably improve with a little help from truly professional fitters.
very sincerely, don compton

[swoop]

my short list that got me to flying again, in order of effectivenss .. least to best:

steroid epidurals
pain killers
chriopractor
accupuncture
core work
not being married to one fit/working on muscle imbalances
massage
time.

i think its about searching out your own solutions.. try everything. i'm faster than beofre i got hurt.. it took a long time.

[Cary Ford]

1. Pilates 2 times a week - individual instruction. (I don't do this anymore, but I did it for a year and it FIXED my back and gave me muscle memory for certain stretches and yoga poses and a great sense of intention as to how to stretch, what to be aware of with regards to core strength and developing it)
2. Daily stretching, 15 minutes routine 2 times a day.
3. Lifting two young girls (my daughters... not the other kind) daily.
4. Weight training (I wish).

Bar is still 9 cm below top of saddle and 60 cm away from tip of saddle.

But not 12-13 below and 61 away like it was 8 years ago when I was... ****, when I was 34!

[soulspinner]

One thing to really consider is the more upright position. Is it really the fix? It may seem counterintuitive but sometimes longer and/or a bit lower is actually the answer, especially for people that ride long distance. The thinking is this as you assume a more upright (shorter and higher) position you actually axially load your back more and cause pain. Same reason people with back pain get worse when they sit for long periods. I'm not saying the more upright position doesn't help lots of people, but it isn't a panacea for back discomfort sometimes the other direction is the answer. It was for me. I can't tolerate the drop I could in my twenties but the position I use now is almost as long but not quite as low.

I agree. At least the longer part worked for me, not the increased drop. Im currently riding 1 centimeter longer than my fit called for. Its helped. Also, remembering when I ride"longer", more forward consciously it does seem to have the effect of unloading and I can ride farther without discomfort. The injury to my back happened 5 years ago, and stretching and hot salt baths every day has gotten flexibility back. This year I can actually touch my toes...

[sspielman]

my short list that got me to flying again, in order of effectivenss .. least to best:

steroid epidurals
pain killers
chriopractor
accupuncture
core work
not being married to one fit/working on muscle imbalances
massage
time.

i think its about searching out your own solutions.. try everything. i'm faster than beofre i got hurt.. it took a long time.

Swoop knows his onions....
Steroid epidurals can do a great job at reducing inflammation an speed you toward healing..Find the right doctor, though...

[Ti Designs]

One thing to really consider is the more upright position. Is it really the fix? It may seem counterintuitive but sometimes longer and/or a bit lower is actually the answer, especially for people that ride long distance. The thinking is this as you assume a more upright (shorter and higher) position you actually axially load your back more and cause pain. Same reason people with back pain get worse when they sit for long periods. I'm not saying the more upright position doesn't help lots of people, but it isn't a panacea for back discomfort sometimes the other direction is the answer. It was for me. I can't tolerate the drop I could in my twenties but the position I use now is almost as long but not quite as low.

Malcolm gets it.

Many people look at my position on the bike and assume I'm the most fleaxable person in the world. Nope! In fact I spent a few months in the 80's not being able to walk due to a back injury. There's a shelf in my house filled with books on the back. I know I'm riding injured, but I've also learned ways around the problems.

Position is the first thing. I would agree that the upright position is the wrong thing to go to if you're sensitive to axial loading. The longer, lower position can be a form of decompression, but there are limits. You only have so much range of motion at the hip, and the body doesn't like to go beyond that point, so it moves other things instead. Watch a rider with the front end of their bike too low and you'll notice their hips rocking as they pedal. as the pedal gets to the top of the pedal stroke their hip is at the end of it's range of motion, yet the pedal has to go all the way over. This forced action of one foot pushing the other foot over the top causes the hips to rock as it tilts the SI joint with every pedal stroke.

I've worked with a number of riders on just such a problem, there are two parts to it. First, the rider must be within their own range of motion. I use a simple test for this, if they can pedal with one foot and their hip doesn't need to lift going over the top, they can. Second - and this is the hard part, the rider must learn to pedal without their hips rocking or their spine moving. There are fit systems which film riders with markers on key body points to make a 3-D line representation of what's going on. This can show the rider what they are doing, but it's of no help in correcting the problem. I'm starting to use visual markers to let my riders know just what they are doing. With pedal stroke I'm starting to put together laser lines and cameras which sit behind the rider on a trainer. The laser lines show the level of the rider's hips and the line of their spine, the camera allows the rider to look forward and see what they are doing on a screen in front of them. It's shockingly clear when you're doing things wrong vs. when you're doing things right.

Eliminate irritation, build lower back strength, decompress the spine - riding a bike well is the best thing for back problems I've ever found. For waht it's worth, I don't get much time off the bike. At Interbike I took the week off (first time in 16 months) and I was in pain every minute I was walking around. I honestly don't know how people put up with that.

[CaptStash]

Every single one of the replies so far have made great sense. I too, like many my age (mid 40's) have been through a herniated disk injury. Additionally, I was recently diagnosed with a degenerative spine, which simply means that my disks don't look so hot. The best therapy for me has been to work on the core exercises described above.

What I have to add to the conversation though, is that it is well worth your while to explore what your health plan will cover. My plan covered the original MRI as well as a ton of physical therapy. Think of P.T. as health plan subsidized massage and personal training. It was great and has helped me tremendously. (After my first bout with the herniated disk my P.T. got me through the injury and "cured" such that I was able to win my first Nat'l Championship in rowing.)

CaptStash....

[Flat Out]

I highly recommend yoga and echo the other comments about working the core. Don't just do crunches. Mix it up as much as you can.

[jimp1234]

I'm 56, and have had ongoing back pain and sciatica (left side) for the past few years, and originally assumed it was combination of bike fit and "old age". Managed it through core regimen, chiropractor, and cutting back on workouts. Finally got serious the last six months, got a bike fit & new frame, custom shoes w/ orthotics, as well as finally seeing an orthopoedist. Turns out its likely to be Paget's disease at L5. Still got a few more tests to run, and going to see a doc about a spinal injection this Friday (how long do those things last btw). For more variety of core exercises, I kinda like the Abs Diet books, and I recently got a DVD put out by Dr. Jim Garrick on back health that's pretty good.

[imm]

How delightful to come back a day later and see my post has generated such great responses. I'm really glad to see all this great information - my back feels better already!

Someone was very kind enough to send me a book called Core Performance which lays out a plan for strengthening. I'll start reading it - I certainly know I should have read it before. Generally speaking, I was active until 30 and then got a sudden herniated l4/l5. Surgery was emergent due to possible loss of nerve function and it went well. But since then I put on weight. Circa 2000 I decided to try to get into cycling with hopes of "getting fit" again. I figured the low impact nature of it would help not aggrevate my back. I was right for the most part, but was only riding 10 miles, sometimes 15 every other day or so. I was hooked, I loved it and still do. Then, in 2003, I found myself registered for the Pan-Mass Challenge, after having sponsored riders at my company I found myself compelled to "do it" myself.

So, I've been riding since then, now doing 30 mile rides sometimes every day, but usually at least 15. I've actually had other problems than my back - patella tendonitis, neck issues (I have a bulge at c6/c7 as well), IT band - I guess just the usual "bike pain/numbness" stuff ;). Oh, and I am NOT getting a recumbent, but thanks for the suggestion.

Last year this pain in the right QL surfaced and it concerned me a bit. It is ALWAYS alleviated by sitting up with no hands on the bar. So I'm pretty sure it's muscular - at least that pain is. This is why I mentioned sitting up - it does seem to help. Massage therapist says I need to work the pelvic muscles (adductors, glutes, etc.) since they are weak and causing the QL to work overtime (i.e., it's not tight, it's sore, so stretching won't help it as much as correcting the problem, which is an imbalance). I thought I'd look into bike fit as well, or just reach out to see what others have done. Looks like that was a good choice.

Every year I'd be OK training for the PMC, up until I did the Climb To The Clouds up Wachusett Mountain. Then for week after I'd experience knee/ligament/back pain and on the PMC would suffer most of the way. So, this year I layed back and didn't do that ride and pretty much no other really long ones. I actually still had this QL pain, but it was the ONLY pain and I had and I was relieved, believe it or not. In fact, I crushed it this year, my best "time" yet (though that's not what this particular ride is about - but who's kidding who, everyone wants to do better than their previous best ;).

Then.... IT happened.

PMC complete I decided that this year I'm going to stay on the bike and keep up the 30 mile training rides, though perhaps every other day instead. I was loving it - great weather and great rides.

Until...

I tried something very dangerous. It was the morning after a great ride where I pushed it a little harder than usual, a little faster. Fresh out of the shower, I went to sit down on the edge of the bed and in a fit of presumed fitness I went to put my socks on and lifted my left foot to do so and BAM!!!!! Back seizure like you see in the movies. Bent over in pain - my whole lower back cramped - it was impressive. I haven't had that much pain since my surgery and I really started to panic.

Advil, rest, go to doc the next day since it's not getting much better and I'm getting tingling and numbness in part of my leg. He said it was the SI on both sides and I am off the bike for 4 weeks. He was right, it has literally taken that long for the pain to subside, even with Advil.

I'm just starting to see a chiropractor and just had an MRI as well which shows the l1/l2 stenosis and that i now have a bit of a bulge on the right side of l4/l5 which is more concerning since that's the one that had the laminectomy.

I've found your responses to be VERY informative and I wanted you to know that I'm taking this all in and also to my fitter.

Thanks!

[imm]

Investigating this a bit further and all hope is not lost. Apparently most of the issues are muscular and I'm told my abs a glutes aren't strong enough to support my pelvis, causing the QL to take much of the load.

So it's time for the 'ol core workout and we'll see how it goes. All you old farts suffering with me - keep a + attitude, means everything.

[Walter]

I am 60. I had polio twice badly as a child and have scoliosis of the spine and a leg length discrepancy of about 1/2". I raced off road motorcycles and cars in events like the Baja 500 for 20 years which did not help the above. I have narrowing at L3-L4, L4-L5, and severe narrowing at L5-S1...all with arthritic changes.

I started have acute pain in the back with shooting pain in the left leg while riding. I went to a local high end shop (Fair Wheel Bicycles) and they did several things. I was on a brand of bike that has a longer top tube than the norm as part of the design. I went to a Colnago which has a top tube that is shorter than the "norm" one sees on most bikes. This rounded my back a bit and opened the spaces. I went to a stem I had Salsa make that gave me a bit of elevation (this was several years ago, these are OEM now on many brands). Great relief and now able to ride longer and faster w/o trouble.

I work on stretching, take a generic of Voltaren (an anti-infl), and work on core strength.

The last doctor I went to for a full workup cautioned against surgery to open up the area through which the nerve runs unless I get the dreaded foot drop. The surgery takes a considerable time to recover from, has the normal risks, and after several years the scar tissue causes impingement on the nerve so you are back to where you were before.

[imm]

Walter, thanks for sharing that, very encouraging and exemplary of determination to do the things you like to do. We seem to have similar back issues, though I suspect those particular levels are commonly damaged as you age.

Just curious, did the stem move you up and out or just more rise (which I guess would move you up and back a bit)?

Do you compensate for the leg length desc somehow?

[Walter]

On the stem, I made one that had about 16 degrees rise. Now one can purchase these through a variety of makers. I use the Ritchey 84 degree. I also gave it a bit more height much like the newer Trek Pilot and Madone, Cannondale Synapse, etc. do. On my Colnago C-50, I just stacked a couple of spacers in under the stem. I am far from "upright" and just lifted my upper body a slight bit.

Rounding my back a bit with the shorter top tube was a big help. Flattening the back out with the longer TT narrowed the spaces in the spine and caused me a lot of numbness in my leg as well as low back soreness.

For the leg length I was told to take up 1/2 of the difference and that the body would handle the rest. I found some 1/4" thick conveyor belt material and cut a pad in the shape of the cleat to put under it. This material is very strong, will not compress under the pedalling loads, yet retains enough flex to conform to the curvature of the sole of the shoe. Put in the appropriately 1/4' longer bolts/machine screws to hold the cleat to the show and away you go.

I size off of the shorter leg. Having one leg at less thatn full extension is no biggie, overextending will cause you to rock badly.

Good luck!

[Ginger]

I haven't totally solved it, but I'm working on it...bulging discs at L5/S1 and L2/L3 from a mortocycle accident.

Got away from the upright position, made it worse for me rather than better. Did keep the back in a neutral position.

Planks on a twice daily basis, core work.

Self traction on the side of the road every 10-15 miles or whenever my foot starts to tingle before it goes numb.

good luck!

[eddief]

i tried a radical recumbent a while back; Bacchetta Corsa. Too radical for me. Now am considering something like an Easy Racer Gold Rush. Say what you will about the relative nerdness of bents, this one is comfy as soon as you get on it, and I've heard it is stable at 50 on downhills. Or this new, more upright offering from Bacchetta.

[Ginger]

OoPS

I didn't catch the line about CORE Performance.

I was into that before I went to Physical Therapy. I think the CP may have made my situation worse.
Until you get everything built up and strengthened, all those strength twisting moves in there are bad juju for your back.

Pilates yes. Core Performance NO.

At least, that's the word from my PT...

Good luck!
Ginger

[regularguy412]

Just this weekend and after six months of suffering both on and off the bike, I _FINALLY_ got some relief from my back issues. I did a 60 mile ride yesterday, Saturday, and had _NO_ referred pain -- well, at least none for the first hour. This was a vast improvement. Even after the first hour, the pain in my glutes and hams was not sharp, only dull,, and I could manage it pretty well, even though we were going fast. I felt so good after, that I drove home and rode another 37 miles with my old racing buddy -- so I got 97 miles in yesterday. The _REALLY_ good news is: I had NO PAIN at all this morning. I mean, I wasn't even sore from the miles!, not to mention I've had no referred pain at all today. Went out and did an easy 40-miler. I'm still sorta in shock.

Maybe all the remedies that I've been using are finally paying off. They include: once weekly chiro adjustment, self heat therapy at nite, new mattress and box spring, use of an inversion table one or two times daily for two to three minutes per session. However, I really think the thing that has helped the most is just plain REST. I've cut back on riding to only five days per week. During the last three weeks, I've only ridden four days. I can feel the musculature that stabilizes my spine getting stronger.

Just wanted to share what seems to be working for me. I'll keep you posted.

Mike in AR

[don compton]

bottom line, we suffer from back problems that are not the same and the "ph" for the cure or , at least of reasonable relief of our symtoms is probably different from one individual to the next.
don c.

[Ginger]

bottom line, we suffer from back problems that are not the same and the "ph" for the cure or , at least of reasonable relief of our symtoms is probably different from one individual to the next.
don c.
Yep. Best talk to a doc/PT about what would be the best approach for your back's situation. The Core Performance routine really does work well...especially if you follow it to the letter...it just wasn't what MY back needed.

[Larry]

If you need to.......
lose 20 pounds of unnecessary weight.

At home.....use the stretches and core exercises on a Fitness Ball. It comes with a DVD.
Do light weight training.
Slow progress here at age 54, but the loss of 16 pounds has made a huge difference.

[barry1021]

Just this weekend and after six months of suffering both on and off the bike, I _FINALLY_ got some relief from my back issues. I did a 60 mile ride yesterday, Saturday, and had _NO_ referred pain -- well, at least none for the first hour. This was a vast improvement. Even after the first hour, the pain in my glutes and hams was not sharp, only dull,, and I could manage it pretty well, even though we were going fast. I felt so good after, that I drove home and rode another 37 miles with my old racing buddy -- so I got 97 miles in yesterday. The _REALLY_ good news is: I had NO PAIN at all this morning. I mean, I wasn't even sore from the miles!, not to mention I've had no referred pain at all today. Went out and did an easy 40-miler. I'm still sorta in shock.

Maybe all the remedies that I've been using are finally paying off. They include: once weekly chiro adjustment, self heat therapy at nite, new mattress and box spring, use of an inversion table one or two times daily for two to three minutes per session. However, I really think the thing that has helped the most is just plain REST. I've cut back on riding to only five days per week. During the last three weeks, I've only ridden four days. I can feel the musculature that stabilizes my spine getting stronger.

Just wanted to share what seems to be working for me. I'll keep you posted.

Mike in AR

Duh, if you didn't you probably wouldn't be using it, but I have been looking at them for 20 years thinking it would help and never bit.....

b21

[grosmerou]

have you tried swimming crawl or on your back but it needs more skill to keeps your back flat.
Swimming is very good, that will strenghten your abdoms and you will feel better on the bike after that.

[regularguy412]

Duh, if you didn't you probably wouldn't be using it, but I have been looking at them for 20 years thinking it would help and never bit.....

b21

Yes. Every time I get on mine, I can feel something move. I certainly feel it was worth the money. I purchased the least expensive model I could find -- a Stamina Table from Sam's Club -- approx. $150.00 including shipping to my home.

I originally tried using the table first thing outta bed in the morning and last thing at night before bed. However, I've amended this schedule. First thing in the morning, my body still felt a bit stiff from sleep, so now I try to use it immediately after taking a warm shower or right after I come in from riding. This is so the muscles and joints are warmed up. They seem to relax better that way.

Mike in AR

[Ginger]

Inversion table...there's research out there that says that they're good up to 30% of body weight, beyond 30% they're too much.
(Once again word from my PT, basically if they're used correctly, they do the same thing as you can do with self traction...helps some people to have equipment to use, others do fine without.)

[MilanoTom]

For a while, I was pretty much tormented by muscular low back pain when I rode more than 35 miles or so. Besides moving my bars to be either level with or only slightly below the height of the saddle, Two things helped me. The first, as noted by many, was working on my core muscles, especially the abs. For the second, I recalled something I read on Rivendell's web site (or was it in a Bridgestone catalog?) that said the further back you moved your seat, the less strain there was on the back. The way it was stated, if you took your hands off the bars and felt as though you were falling forward, your seat was too far forward. As the seat is moved back, that sensation lessened, which they claimed meant that the back was strained less. I'm a little hazy on why it works, but moving my saddle further back worked well for me. I compensate for the saddle position with either a shorter stem or a shorter reach bar. I measure from the saddle to the hoods, where I spend most of my time. That means that depending on whether the compensation is in the bars or stem, there will be some variation from the saddle to the tops of the bars, but my hands don't spend much time there.

I'm far from expert in areas of physiology, so only take what I've written as one person's experience. There are a lot of variables that end up affected by changing a saddle's fore/aft adjustment (e.g. the plumb line from knee to pedal spindle will change to some degree), so there's a lot to consider before just sliding a saddle back a few millimeters.

Since there are many who are well versed in these things, I expect that much of what I've written can be refuted. I've usually got a thick enough skin, so have at it. It's better than having someone diddle with adjustments and end up making things worse.

Regards.
Tom

[imm]

Wow, great info, feedback and encouraging experiences!

Thanks for all the great PM's as well.

I've just ordered an inversion table and will be looking into some bike adjustment and YES I want to do these adjustments with an experienced fitter, esp. one experienced with post-surgical back issues.

Some more info: a majority of the problems I'm having are related to SI joint dysfunction, both sides. That dull strong ache down and in both hips is very hard to relieve but the longer term issue is that I don't want it to come back. So I'm going to hire a personal trainer as well and would appreciate if anyone in the Boston area can send me a PM of anyone they have had personal experience with. As Ginger pointed out I want to do the right exercises the RIGHT way, not make the joint issues worse with over torsion of the ligaments and vertebrae.

Thanks again for the great advice and sharing of experiences here and in PM's. I check this group every few days and was blown away by the activity and also feel less alone in the desire to have a painless riding experience - at least as much as possible.

[imm]

So far so good! The inversion table is working out great and has helped stretch areas I typically can't/don't get to. So thanks for that! I'm going to work with a Serotta Fit specialist in my area as well, even though I don't have a Serotta ;-) Hopefully, we can cure these issues and I can continue to ride.

[BumbleBeeDave]

This may be a no-no on this forum, and maybe you are not yet this desperate, but as an absolute last resort you could try a recumbent...


Must. Resist. . . . Must. NOT. Delete. THREAD! AAAAGH! . . . :eek: ;)

BBD

[imm]

Why would you delete this thread?

[slowgoing]

Call Dave Kirk and tell him you want a frame with a 10/10 comfort rating. He made one for me, and when paired with 25mm pro race 2s, it is one smooth puppy. My old favorites hardly get ridden anymore.

[Viper]

I wish you the best.

1). Lose ten pounds or more. I don't know your weight, but can't anyone (except E-Richie) stand to lose some weight? Your back will thank you.

2). Deep tissue massage, professional massages once a month FTW.

3). Your glutes help keep your hips in 'neutral'. Build up your arse as it FLATTENS with age and certainly with low back issues.

4). Arnica Montana Gel is great stuff, I enoy it on my knees after a ride.

5). Outside the box...Natural supplements...Hyaluronic Acid, Chondroitin, MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane) and Glucosomine Sulfate

6). Join a yoga or a class you wouldn't normall join and try it out.

7). Eat bacon!


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methylsulfonylmethane

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyaluronan

http://www.msmguide.com/

[BumbleBeeDave]

Why would you delete this thread?

Not serious!

BBD

[C5 Snowboarder]

Investigating this a bit further and all hope is not lost. Apparently most of the issues are muscular and I'm told my abs a glutes aren't strong enough to support my pelvis, causing the QL to take much of the load.

So it's time for the 'ol core workout and we'll see how it goes. All you old farts suffering with me - keep a + attitude, means everything.

Keep it up IMM -- ten years ago at the ripe old age of 50 I tried snowboarding and got hooked after a much painful start the first year. Black and blue butt but I kept the attitude and now I board with the best of them and my kids can no longer keep up or catch me. That summer I picked up golf and now play as often I as I can. I also ride my Legend as often as I can - so keep up getting in shape -- cus I tell you what every year gets tougher to stay ahead of the "youngins" :banana:

[romdobe]

I am 70 years old and I have had severe scoliosis of the spine most of my life. My pain is in the right SacroIliac (SI) joint. About the only relief I have is when I am riding a bike. Over the years I have found that the more I stretch out my position the better it is for the SI joint pain. There is a limit to how far I can stretch out before causing normal lower back pain. I ride 20-25 miles a day, usually pain-free.

The idea of the inversion table intrigues me. Sam's Club here I come! Most of the other remedies suggested in this thread, I have tried with no success. Yoga and deep tissue massage were the best of the lot.

[imm]

More great info, thanks! Bacon?!?! Is it as magical as I thought? Could it be?

Yes, I need to drop weight, I'm working on it. One thing I've started is Tae Kwon Do, which is doing SOMETHING, it's making me really sore ;) The Yoga and massage are great suggestions, been meaning to try yoga, if not something like tai chi. Recent neurosurgeon visit shows that I'm not totally limited by the surgery but post-surgical changes has caused some areas where adhesions touch nerve root, I can live with it.
When i got my 7, I spec'd out a stiff bottom and more comfortable top end which is a nice combo for me. Not totally ready for another bike just yet, but will consider if i think I need to change fit greatly.

[imm]

So far, as I get back into riding after all this SI joint and l4/l5 scar tissue issues from surgery, the things that seem to help most are the table, stretching and hot baths!

[soulspinner]

I do hot baths with Epsom salts 4 my chronic bad back, and I think it helps some...

[Steve D]

Try www.cyclo-core.com

I bought this series and there is a section entitled, "Fix the back". It is a combination of yoga, stretching and core work. I've found it very helpful.

[imm]

Thanks Steve, greatly appreciate the read advice!
Soulspinner, I'll add the salts. Thanks guys!