Mountain Biking - Lower Back Pain... What do you do?

I am cursed with lower back problems since a car accident several years ago. Since then I have just been dealing with it and keep a large qty of ibuprofen and excedrin on hand. I just recently have gotten to the position to move up to a FS bike, which I will be doing tomorrow, but I was wondering who else has a good deal of lower back pain and what do you do to relieve it or any exercises to help prevent it before rides.

i have some lower back problems too, i try to be very mindful of my posture when i sleep, never sleep on your stomache. also i use a tempur-pedic pillow, once you get used to it its really great and helps your neck.

but the thing that will make the biggest difference is see a chiropractor. when the pain gets really bad ill just go to my chiro twice a week for a couple weeks, then i go back and see him randomly as needed.

my back used to hurt all the time but now its pretty managable.

If youre popping ibuprofen every day, you are going to get an ulcer.

So, is this on the bike or in general? I'm not quite sure what you're asking about. My lower back is frequently sore but does not bother me much when I'm on my bike. It did earlier this season when I made some changes to my set up. I've since raised my saddle height and therefore rock less under effort and now it does not bother me on the trail. Gravity seems to bother me more now-a-days.

Another thing in general to do is core strength excercises. Things like sit-ups/crunches and all the various other mid-section movements should help. Of course, I don't know the extent of your injuries and whether is will help or not.

I'm talking about generally on the bike or any other strenuous activity. I have a desk job so on a day to day basis it's not bad, except when I go on a hard or long ride. I guess I worded it wrong, I'm not popping IBU every day.

Another thing in general to do is core strength excercises. Things like sit-ups/crunches and all the various other mid-section movements should help. Of course, I don't know the extent of your injuries and whether is will help or not.

I second the strength exercises (do a web search on 'core strength'). Also, the thing that helped me the most was lots of hip flexor stretching (from my understanding, tight hip flexors are a result of bad posture, weak core strength, sitting at a desk all day, etc.).

Keep in mind that if there is something else going on (due to injury or whatever), jumping into these things can make it worse. Best to see a doctor for a complete diagnosis if you haven't already.

It really depends on the problem to understand the cure (or fix).
I have a bad sacro-iliac and it can get very bad if I do a lot of bending or moving heavy objects around. It lasts for days or weeks depending on the level of stres I exert on this joint. Medially, they know little about sacro-iliac issues.
They do make a special belt that holds your hip bones together. I have found that by wearing this belt, the pain subsides much quicker. I can ride with the belt and it doesn't get any worse. I have since switched to a recumbent trike, and the ride couldn't get much more comfortable as long as the path is reasonable.
If the problem is purely related to the spine, this won't do anything for you. Doctors were looking at my spine as the cause of the pain. It would be 2-1/2 years before the doc's started looking elsewhere and found the sacro-iliac to be the real problem just before I was about to be commited to a wheelchair. Many of the symptoms are similar to lower back pain, but in the end, this very 'fixed' joint can cause serious pain if it has to much mobility.

I think seat height is key. The higher your seat, the less strain on your lower back. It puts more stress on your hands, but sore hands goes away alot quicker than a sore back.

Drugcoder, I too have suffered from lower back pain for a number of years. Too many horsey back rides when my daughters were too big..ouch. Anyway, the BEST "cure" is to strengthen your back with strength/weight training. I have always been pretty fit, but this tweaking my lower back every 2 months was painful and frustrating. About 5 years ago, I got into the gym and worked with a trainer to concentrate on building muscle in lower back. If you don't get this taken care of soon, you will end up with further damage and it could require surgery...and then you are really screwed. Start slow, build with lots of reps and not adding lots of weights. Alternate days off with stretching. My dancer daughter forced me to stretch (pilates and some yoga) and my back has never felt so good...and at 55 and after having my share of sports/stupid injuries, I am happy as heck. Good luck..it's totally fixable with a little work (and without masking the pain with meds).

get some advice from professionals =)

I have several herniated discs in my lower back and now I ride with little, to no pain. The 1st thing you should do is seek the help of a Professional, by this I mean a Doctor . Find out why you are getting the pain.Then you will be able to decide how to treat it. If nothing helps, get an MRI , it will show any damage to the soft tissues in you back . Whatever you do, Do Not got to a chiropractor .Chiropractors are Witch Doctors, and they should be used only as a last resort.

get some advice from professionals =)
Whadda mean? A group of random people loosely tied together around mountain biking isn't a good place for medical advice?? :eek:

Seriously, use one of the fit calculators to get an idea of your bike set-up to see where the seat is to see if that could help. That's the easiest potential short term "fix". All the others, including seeking advice from a medical professional will take much more time and are long term solutions. The long term solutions will be well worth it though and better in the long run.

sit on a cushioned chair, my solution cause my butt still hurts if I sit on normal chair but its getting better

I was told at 35 that Id not make it to 40 without back surgery. Im 42 now and still going without ever having it done.I discovered that loose hamstrings, calves and hips make up for a LOT of spine imperfections and lack of core strength.
I still walk on concrete for long hours each day , lift heavy objects all day and do a lot of stooping,bending and kneeling and weigh too much. I do more calf stretches than anything as they seem to do the most good, followed by hamstretches.
when pressed for time I will do a toe touch stretch to loosen the whole group at once. at first I couldnt touch my toes, but now have worked my way to be able to place all but the palm of my hand on the floor and hold it for as long as needed. I am going to work up to my palm touching too but am not there yet.
as much as I hate to "waste time" stretching, it is a daily need that I can tell if I skip, especially the calf stretches and bike riding takes care of keeping my hips loose too

Yoga - the positions are mostly strength and stretching exercises. Don't try to bust through your pain threshold, particularly if you have injuries.

Chiropractic - Treatment is covered by many insurance plans.

Massage - Treatment is covered by some insurance plans.

Topicals - such as Bio Freeze, Ben Gay, or one of the oils you can find at health food stores that contain some of the same ingredients: menthol, camphor, eucalyptus, lavender, mint. These give some relief without having to pass through the digestive tract.

Liquid pain reliever - Seagrams, Tanqueray, Wild Turkey, Jose Cuervo, etc. Use judiciously.

I have a friend who swears by acupuncture but I've never tried it. He went from using a wheelchair or a cane all the time to walking with a cane only occasionally. He also quit the narcotics he was using.