(Credit: Adobe Stock)

The prevalence of chronic low back pain in the general population, after making considerations for different age groups, genders, and geographic regions, is approximately 10-15%. That number jumps to 55%-60% in competitive cyclists. Why the disparity? Let’s explore why cycling lower back pain is so common and what you can do to prevent it.

Lower Back Pain & Cycling

Already one of the most common muscle/bone problems worldwide, it becomes even more pronounced in the sport of cycling. This is not a coincidence. The truth is that there are many causative factors that contribute to the pervasive nature and widespread incidence of cycling-related lower back pain, and lower back issues in general. Here are just a few!

Bike Fit

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A preliminary and obligatory note on bike fit. If you are feeling any kind of chronic pain while riding, the first place you should be looking is whether the bike is properly fitted to your body. Cycling lower back pain is often traced right back to and fixed by adjusting the different bike components to allow for more optimal posture while riding.  

Book yourself a professional fitting and consider the following when doing so. Be sure to mention to your fitter if you’re currently getting lower back pain from cycling or any other ailment.

• Low saddle position can cramp the hips and put excessive pressure on the lower back
• High saddle position forces you to overextend the legs, resulting in faulty pelvic positioning and awkward loading on the lower back
• A saddle that is tilted too far forward or backward can alter pelvic alignment, leading to discomfort and instability in the lower back
• Handlebars too low/far away can force you to lean too far forward, overstretching the lower back muscles

Evolution & Anatomy

Notice the quadrupedal (4-legged) gait of the chimpanzee and the bipedal (2-legged) gait of the human. Who has more load on their lower back? (Credit: Adobe Stock)

Bet that wasn’t where you thought this was going, right? It’s important to keep in mind, though. Our lower backs are under a lot more load than our ancient relative, the chimpanzee. As we evolved from quadrupedalism to bipedalism and assumed a more upright posture, our lower backs got the short end of the stick.

The lumbar vertebrae in humans are much thicker than those in chimpanzees. This is because of the extra load they have been subject to for eons as a result of gravity pushing down onto our stacked vertebral columns. The ‘S’ curve of a human spine (when viewed from the side) evolved, in part, to deal with these kinds of forces. A chimpanzee’s spine is much more gently curved.

Evolution has placed our backs under a lot of strain, and while we have adaptations to help assist with this, it’s clearly still a problem area. Whenever we bend forward to pick something up, for example, the L4/L5 and L5/S1 junctions are particularly vulnerable to compressive and shearing forces. It’s almost as if the area has a built-in set of prerequisites for low back pain.

Relation to Cycling

The lower back is a point of vulnerability. Sitting on a bicycle puts our bodies into an even more unnatural position. The hips are largely fixed, we’re bent over, and there’s pressure through the low back from sitting on the saddle. Low back pain from cycling shouldn’t come as a surprise, because we’re making a weak point in our anatomy that much more susceptible to load.

Sedentary Behavior

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As the Western world has become richer, it has also become more sedentary. Our lifestyles are constantly being geared towards convenience, and the need for physical labor (especially in modern workplaces) is becoming less and less. Many people are sitting at desks in cubicles and offices. Some are even at home on the couch with their laptop!

We make a trade off for this kind of (physically, not necessarily mentally) inactivity. Increased risks of obesity and diabetes mixed with a never-ending stream of shooting neck, shoulder and lower back pain—yes, we most certainly will pay a price. With many of us depending on this type of lifestyle for income, it’s a difficult thing to balance.

Our hips and lower back are particularly vulnerable. The psoas muscle has attachments to all 5 of the lumbar vertebrae, and sitting makes it very tight. Chronically shortened muscles become subject to something called adaptive muscle shortening, where the muscle ends up staying in that shortened position. Resultantly, the psoas pulls on the lower back, causing all sorts of trouble.

Relation to Cycling

Cycling is an escape from the sedentary lifestyles that so many of us live, but it’s only a partial escape when it comes to lower back pain. That’s because cycling still involves sitting on the bike seat. We then couple that with repetitive hip flexion and minimal extension, further exacerbating the effects of sitting on our bodies. Cycling lower back pain is often the condition that follows.

Core Weakness & Dysfunction

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If a person exercises the core at all, they are often doing it sub-optimally. Exercise culture has heavily reinforced the idea and sex appeal of the six pack above all else when it comes to core function, aesthetics and performance. This has left a population of exercise enthusiasts with nice looking bodies that don’t have a hope in hell of performing well athletically. 

Deep core muscles like the transversus abdominis and multifidus (even the pelvic floor muscles and diaphragm deserve a place in this conversation) are often forgotten in the training plan of cyclists and other athletes alike. We need exercises that challenge these structures effectively, because God knows we don’t get enough stimulation for them while on the bike. 

We neglect this to our peril, because the lower back is literally supported, protected by and should function in concert with the muscles of the core. No amount of sit ups is going to fix cycling lower back pain (in fact, it’ll probably make it worse). We need a more intelligent approach.

Relation to Cycling

Ultrasound assessments show that cyclists with lower back pain have less thickness in the transversus abdominis and multifidus muscles. Noticeably less. This is a clear indicator that we need to pay attention to the deeper core muscles if we are to effectively mitigate the likelihood of developing lower back pain from cycling.

How to Fix Cycling Lower Back Pain

Now that we understand some of the whys behind the connection between lower back pain and cycling, let’s shift our focus onto what we can do about this debilitating and all-too-common condition.

Stretching & Mobility for Cycling Low Back Pain

Stretching and mobility work is largely ignored in the training plans of most cyclists, but in few sports is this more detrimental. The reason is because cycling is an endurance sport that involves repetitive movements (pedaling). The same muscles get worked over and over to the exclusion of others. Muscle imbalances and tightness are almost a guarantee without corrective measures.

Stretch for the Hip Flexors - Lifted Hip Flexor Stretch

Instructions:

• Stand with one leg elevated behind you on a chair or couch (pictured above)
• Bring the front foot forward until you feel a gentle opening in your back up
• Keep your bum squeezed tight and be sure not to arch your lower back while doing this stretch
• If this is intense enough, you can hold here for 30-60 seconds
• If you need a deeper stretch, you can lunge down by bending the front knee, which will elevate your back leg even further behind you

This stretch can easily be modified to be more or less intense, but it does a great job at targeting all of the heavy hitters in the hip flexor muscle group; psoas and rectus femoris, in particular. Doing this stretch can help keep the hip flexors at an optimal length if done regularly post-ride.

Core Strength & Coordination for Cycling Low Back Pain

One responsibility of our core muscles is to resist the pull of our hip flexors to maintain pelvic stability. The hip flexors try to tilt the pelvis forward (via the lower back) and the core tries to tilt it backwards. A balance needs to be struck between the two, especially while cycling. Failing to do so results in increased strain on the lower back with each pedal stroke.

Core Strength & Coordination Exercise - Pelvic Tilts

Instructions:

• Start in a supine position on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor
• Feel the space beneath your lower back, exaggerate this space by arching your low back to make it bigger
• Now, reverse the movement, all the way until your lower back is flat on the ground
• Hold the lower back flat against the ground for a few seconds; feel your abdominal muscles contracting and familiarize yourself with the sensation
• Release the position, and start the sequence over
• Do this at least 10 times, and repeat for 3 sets

This exercise helps you learn how to control your core muscles to a greater degree. It makes you more aware of the relationship between the abdominals and lower back area so you can recognize when things are getting fatigued or out of alignment. 

Long-Term Lower Back Health for Cyclists

By following this advice, you’ll be on a good path towards healing from cycling low back pain and preventing it from cropping up in the future. It is a problem we all deal with and are fighting against in the cycling world; it’s in some ways just a part of the sport. If you want to take things to the next level in terms of health and performance, you should join Dynamic Cyclist!

Along with our extensive daily and weekly programming for stretching/mobility and strength training, Dynamic Cyclist also offers a host of Injury Prevention Programs. Our 6-week Low Back Injury Prevention Series has helped thousands of cyclists worldwide train and compete pain free. Sign up for a 7-day free trial to get a taste of everything we have to offer!

Written by Eric Lister – Certified Personal Trainer & Corrective Exercise Specialist