larry h

i have just found out i have degenerative disk disorder the md says riding will make it worse altho it doesnt hurt riding if i get off the bike often anyone else have this problem and would a recumbent help i love riding and do not want to quit

stapfam

Although recumbents are not for me- They do enable those of us with back problems to keep riding- Just don't try them offroad.

BlazingPedals

Back problems are funny things in that sometimes a bent will be the only thing that lets you ride, and sometimes a bent hurts your back even more. The only way to find out how your back can handle a 'bent is to try one.

BluesDawg

Get a second opinion. Maybe a few. Many people with degenerated discs can ride without problems. I made some minor adjustments to my riding position and pay close attention to posture while riding (and when not riding). I find that the more I ride, the less problems my back gives me. To my surprise, even long rides and fairly agressive mountain bike riding have not been a problem.
But by all means, get good medical advice. Your case may be very different than mine. Good luck.

sch

I doubt that the average MD is going to have a clue about this. Your
best and really only bet is to try one and see. The main problem is
that there are a number of different approaches to seating and to the
relation between the seat and pedal height and I can garantee some
of these will be very uncomfortable for you. My Rotator Pursuit is great
for my minimal back problems and mild neck problems, but a trial ride on
a Bacchetta Aero showed significant discomfort in the low back and
neck after 20mi. So a spin aroung the parking lot will not be enough
to sort this out. Very reclined seating means the rider has to flex the
neck enough to be able see forward, sans a head rest this can be
obnoxious after awhile.

DnvrFox

To some extent or another, we all have DDD - our bones and joints start degenerating after about age 21. I don't know if you have seen a sports doc bone specialist or not, but I would sure consider it. He might have a different perspective. If you have, just ignore this post!

Have a great day!

Bud Bent

Larry,

I have degenerative discs and ride my recumbents 5,000 miles a year. I can't sit on a barstool for an hour, so when I started riding, I never considered an upright bike.

Everyone is not the same, but if you are like most of us who have lower back problems (the part of the spine with the most weight on it, so the usual area where degenerative discs happen), when it comes to recumbent seats, more recline works better.

Because my wife is short, I have to keep the my seat on my EZ Tandem fairly upright to keep my wife from hitting her knees on the back of my seat. I can do a 25 mile ride fine on this bike, but rides longer than that tend to bother my back. I have the same EZ mesh seat on my Rans Nimbus, but keep it reclined much more, and I can ride a lot further on this bike without it bothering me. But the extreme recline of the Euromesh seat on my Bacchetta Corsa works the best for me. There seems to be no limit to how far I can ride this bike; it actually feels like therapy on my back.

My experience is typical of people with lower back problems, but you need to do some long test rides of your own. Your back will let you know what it thinks of each bike. I have also had riders tell me they handle upright bikes fine in spite of their back problems, but that you need to lock your back in a position that keeps the offending part of your spine straight as you ride. If the bike you are already riding really doesn't cause you back pain, then I'm not so sure your doctor is giving you good advice. When I researched online to find out what kinds of exercise were recommended for people with disc problems, the only recommendations I found were swimming and riding a stationary recumbent bike. It was only later that I discovered that a lot of people with bad backs enjoyed real recumbent bicycles.

The bottom line is that the best thing you can do for degenerative discs is to keep your weight down, and keep yourself very aerobically fit. Any bicycle is a great tool for that, as long as your back tolerates it.