BlazingPedals

With age is supposed to come wisdom and the realization that it doesn't matter what others may think of you for riding something 'different.' I love my bents and can't imagine why anyone would deliberately put off getting one until they're too old or decrepit to enjoy it. Piloting either of my lowracers is like flying a fighter jet a foot off the ground. Not that I'd recommend a lowracer for someone with neck problems, but you definitely don't have to give up on speed or fun to ride a 'bent.

I think test rides are in order, for 2 reasons:
1. AeroJoe could ride the 'bent while his neck is healing. Eventually he might be able to go back to an upright.
2. Any excuse for n+1 is a good excuse.

Skipper

Oh, great. Now we're trashing hybrids and recumbents.

My guess is that people on recs are just about as uncomfortable as everyone else when they have big freaking knots in their panties.

Kurt Erlenbach

Man, it's a tough crowd today.

stepfam, as usual, is correct.

One thing I'd suggest. I've never had neck or back troubles, thank goodness, but I've known lots of folks who have. Surgery these days is very good. Try the more conservative solutions first, but don't be afraid of the knife. Too many people suffer unnecessarily because of neck or back surgery horror stories. An otherwise healthy person who is willing to exercise and willing to work at maintaining their health should get a good result.

Wes

I had (have?) bone spurs a couple of years ago. At first the doc thought it was a rotator cuff problem, but it was spurs. I started taking glucosamine with MSN for different reasons. Later I read a report that MSN could in time help with bone spurs. It took about a year, but I have no pain and I can move the arm normally.

Donegal

Before giving up, look for a solution. I befriended 3 acupuncturists, 2 chiropractors and one General MD trying to get rid of the pain in my neck/back. I once took a 900 lb. motorcycle end over end, landed on my head and my neck paid for it.

I am now 53 and found the fountain of youth. Number One, I avoid all artificial sweeteners, they can cause inflammation in the spinal area, ergo, back pain. Number Two, Superfeet. After having to shim one cleat on my shoes to relieve low back and knee pain, I figured I had an imbalance. I put superfeet in virtually all of my work boots, cycling shoes etc. and now I have almost no problems at all with back pain. And I work physically all day.

I was blaming my bed for my back pain, bought new mattresses, etc. Make sure you are in balance, avoid all outside chemicals that can cause infllammation and try to keep riding. If you remain in pain and can't enjoy your riding, it's time to get one of those lawn chairs with wheels.

P.S. I would seek surgery only if I was coming out of the ambulance and bleeding profusely. I have a paraplegic brother who has survived 21 major surgeries and twice that many minor ones. This trip to the hospital for a bed sore and some botched plastic surgery has cost him 8 months of his life. He has no use of his legs and everything else is starting to fail, all due to practicing medicing. We have frequented the University and teaching hospitals in 3 cities. The doctors have wanted to cut on my neck for 10 years, it won't happen as long as I can walk and talk.

DnvrFox

OP said: Riding Days Over?

I asked (not suggested, ASKED!):

and away we went.

Personally, if someone feels their riding days are over, I think ALL possibilities should be considered. Do I ride a 'bent? No. BUt if that happened to be the solution to a terrible problem (and I don't know if that is correct in the OP's situation or not), I wouldn't hesitate to consider a 'bent.

Jeez!!!

ThinLine

I just turned 50 also and love cycling, bikes and associated.
I have had two surgical procedures on my lower back due to sciatica, herniated disks, pinched nerves, etc.
Riding helps tremendously. Of course the Oxy-contin helps deal with the issues but does interfere with my riding.
I usually do approx. 300 miles a month, more now that summers here and stays lighter longer.

Try spine excercises which are located on-line for your problems.

scarabeoguy

I ride both recumbents and road bikes and they both have their advantages and disadvantages. It is strictly a matter of choice. I will share the following:

1. What ever you choose, make certain that it fits you properly and is suited to your medical and physical condition.

2. Recumbents are just as visible and safe as any other cycle.

3. As a recumbent rider, I grow wary of the propaganda from over zealous members of the bent community who constantly state that recumbents are the total answer to comfort and health issues. This totally "BUNK".

The most important thing is that you ride what is best for you

.............

Jet Travis

Five years ago, I would have said no way. Three years ago, in desperation, I tried one. Helped. A lot.

big john

I started having pretty bad pain in my neck and I bought a softer riding bike, (steel frame, relaxed geometry), and raised the bars a little. Also, I tried different bars until I found flexy bars that fit. I'm much more comfy now. I would consider a 'bent, if it came to that. Dana from Bent up Cycles rides with us and he sells a carbon fiber bent that is 4 pounds lighter than my road bike!

bobkat

More of the old anti recumbent rhetoric, probably from people who have never ridden one.
Recumbents are great for lower back stuff. I dunno how they'd be for cervical problems. No experiece with that problem and bents. Trial and error, I suppose.
I went to a LWB bent several years ago - it was either that or no biking - period! Now, even if I got a back transplant and could ride an upright as well as Lance I wouldn't go back to a regular upright bike, except for off road moutain biking. Far too many other advantages to them.
Someone philosophized on some bent web site tht if we call grew up riging nothing but recumbents, then rode a bit on upright bikes, we'd ask "Who in He!! ever invented such an instrument of torture??" Likely a lot of truth to that.
Iu can never understand the hatred and distain towards bents!!??!! Mind boggling......
Good luck with your old neck bone! The human spine has a lot of design errors! Hah!

PrairieDog

I wouldn't give up on cycling. I don't drive a recumbent, but they look like a whiz-bang lot of fun, to be honest. So if you can work out the safety concerns, I'd suggest trying one. And ignore people who are opposed to them because they think they are somehow inferior to road bikes. One of the advantages to getting older is that you don't have to care what others think of your "style."

I found that a good PT really help me with some recurring pain in my upper shoulder, even when the doctor didn't know what was causing it. When I walked into the PT's office, he took one look at me and said, "You need to work on your posture."

He showed me some exercises that I still do today, and I changed how I was sitting at the computer. Presto: pain gone.

Good luck, and don't give up.

Big Lew

[QUOTE=bobbycorno;8792594]Oh, give me a break! I've been riding a recumbent daily for commuting for the last year and a half, and if anything I'm MORE visible, because I don't look like every other bike on the road. For an awful lot of drivers, conventional bikes are invisible - they're just visual "noise". The "safety issue" is all in your head: if you think it'll be more dangerous, it will.

Sorry, but I have to disagree with you about incumbent visibility. I have been a commercial truck driver for over 43 years, most of it in and about large cities. Unless an incumbent rider has a tall rod with a very conspicous flag, it often is quite difficult to notice them between moving and parked cars.

Additionally, as a commercial truck driver (and an avid cyclist) I plead with all cyclists to remember that truck drivers have a "blind" spot on the right front corner. Please do not come up the right side of a truck and park in front of, or close beside the right front bumper while waiting for a light change unless you can get the attention of the driver. Most large trucks only have a couple of inches on either side to maneuver through traffic, so please don't try to squeeze by if it looks close, remember, if you can't see him looking at you in his mirror, he's not aware you are there!

Sailorman13

When dealing with disc/nerve problems, it's critical to distinguish between a "ruptured" or "herniated" disc and a "bulging" or "slipped" disc.

DO NOT use chiropractic manipulation for ruptured or herniated discs. This is where the gel from the interior of the disc is oozing out and pinching a nerve. There are really only two solutions it. One is to rely on the spontaneous (over a period of time) shrinkage and/or detachment of the offending gel. This gel will sometimes dry out and shrink on it's own to the point that it doesn't inflict pressure on the adjacent nerve. The other solution is surgical removal of the gel via a laminectomy. Certain exercises may help reduce the pressure to some degree but the long term efficacy depends a lot on the specific vertebrae involved and how much incorrect posture, etc. was contributing to the problem in the first place. Ultimately though, in the case of a rupture or herniation, the underlying issue is a physical obstruction and regardless of muscle tone or spinal alignment it will remain without being physically removed or shrunk. Years ago, some promising results were reported from the injection of certain enzymes to break down the protruding gelatinous material that fills the channels of the vertebrae and causes the pinching, (I forget the medical term for this gel.). I don't know if that's still considered a viable alternative but it may be worth looking into.

No amount of chiropractic manipulation will be able to force this gel back into place or out of the way. It's analogous to trying to stuff the jelly back into the donut hole. There have been many cases of paralysis and serious damage when chiropractors have attempted to do this. And it's a rare case where physical therapy is ultimately successful without surgical intervention. More often, PT results in tortuous pain that only subsides just in time for the next PT appointment. In some cases exercises and manipulations can actually make the problem worse by forcing more gel to ooze from the herniation. Been there, done that.

If you have only a bulging or slipped disc consider yourself lucky. Surgery, short of a full disc removal and spinal fusion, cannot do a thing for a bulging or slipped disc. This is where most of the anti-surgery sentiment comes from. Too many inappropriate back surgeries have been peformed, especially in years gone by. PT, chiro, anti-inflammatory drugs, etc. can often provide long term relief for problems caused by bulging discs. But it is critically important to confirm whether the problem is from a herniated disc or a bulging one before deciding on a treatment. Likely you'll need a myelogram or one of the more modern scans for a definite confirmation. The gel does not show up in x-rays and that can lead to misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatment choices.

If you have a confirmed herniation, don't be afraid of the "knife". Nowadays with arthroscopic surgical techniques, it's not nearly as traumatic as it was when I had my surgery 22 years ago. Back then, arthroscopic back surgery was considered fairly exotic and reserved mainly for pro-athletes and rich folks. But after enduring months of PT, drugs, steroids etc. all to no avail, I'd even let the butcher who left a 5" scar on my back have another whack at it if I really had to. After 8 months on not being able to stand upright at all, it was absolutely miraculous. Except for a short "relapse" a couple years after the surgery, (caused by a little more gel oozing out and subsequently shrinking up), I haven't had a bit of problem with my back. I had a 10 day recovery period and a 5" scar. The rich guy in the next room had his own bought and paid for arthroscopic surgeon flown in to do the exact same surgery. He was in and out with a 1/2" scar in three days.

But whatever you do, DO NOT get chiropractic treatment for a herniated or ruptured disc.

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor of any stripe and speak only from 2 years of pre-surgical pain, treatment and research and 22 years of post surgical experience.

But I *did* sleep at a Holiday Inn express one time.

Sailorman13

+1

wobblyoldgeezer

Hello Aerojoe

I'll add to the body of opinions here in wishing you relief from the pain of pinched nerves - like other respondents, I've had similar episodes, and as you know, they're painful and debilitating

In my own case, it kept me off a bike and away from running for a couple of years. Hurt like stink, and made me feel that a physical life was behind me. However -

It wasn't (in my case) the bike that caused it, and (in my case) I'm now riding with enjoyment the bike that I had before. Muscle relaxants, stretches, a bout of 'diclofenac' (combined analgesic and anti inflammatory) and a build-up from no more than 10 minutes at a time, eventually got me back to as good as ever.

Unless you're sure that the bike was the cause of the problem, I wouldn't rush to blame it or write it off. Staying fit and limber, trying a different kind of exercise for a while, and trying the occasional 10 minutes at perceived effort 1 on a scale of 10...

Good luck

Addison

I've a pretty fair history of degenerative disc disease in my neck/upper back. It really prevented me from cycling for a decade. I finally had the lbs add a riser to my handlebars (on an 86 Trek) and was able to begin again. Still, I can't tell you how often I almost ran down joggers or plowed into potholes because I wasn't looking up often enough. What happened to me is that the discs actually fused and resulted in much less mobility, but the pain decreased significantly. I could live with that. After a few years I purchased a new road bike last summer (Trek Madone) that was much more amenable. Got a much smaller size then I'd have ever dreamed. I am 6'1 with long legs and fit into a 56 cm bike. The shortened front tube allows me to be a lot more upright and ,with some handlebar adjustments ,I was feeling great. So, I think you may be able to find your way through this although we are each different so I can't say for sure.

Now........ for the followup. I've reently found that this spine/arthritis/disc issue has moved to my lower back. After doing everything right and losing 25 pounds, the spinal issues continue. I will work through this with core exercises and stretching(I hope). But you need to know that if you have degenerative issues in your neck, then the lower spine may follow. Cycling really can put you out of whack if you have spinal issues. You need to work on your core, your glutes, hamstrings, etc. I wish that I had, but I'm beginning now. Not a doctor, so take it for what it's worth.

Good luck.

waldowales

I had the same experience with a chiropractor. He helped my lower back tremendously. Not cured, but definitely helped.

AeroJoe

Wow! Thanks for all the advice and input. (I didn't really mean to start a recumb. vs. roadbike discussion, I'd love to try a recumbment some day, I just haven't gotten around to it- and if it means either no riding or an "bent", you can bet I'll jump right on one!). A little more info and an update: I ride the 7200 in a "semi"-upright position with trekker bars for maximum comfort. After seven years of riding it, I never had any back or neck problems, so I don't think it's the bike. I've been doing a lot of physical work (major home improvements) in the last 3 weeks and the pain went away(!). The Doc now says it's NOT a disk (physical work would make it much worse if it was), but bone spurs (confirmed by x-rays). I do 20 minutes of traction per day + anti-inflammatories, and everything is fine until I sit for over a 1/2 hour. Pain is manageable for now, Doc thinks it should eventually get better or go away with pills and traction (HE had the same thing, ended up in the hospital it was so bad, so he speaks from experience). If not, then PT's the next step, surgery as a last resort. But I'm riding again with tolerable pain/discomfort, and I guess that's the most important thing.

no motor?

This is total BS. Chiropractic care offers the safest and most effective treatments for these conditions.

Road Fan

Now the story is starting to make more sense based on my family experience with injuries, and it sounds like you really have a "do no harm" doctor.

Congratulations!

I nicknamed my head PT the "angel of pain," because everytime she would start me on a new type of exercise or treatment, it hurt like crazy. But it enabled me for each next step.

oldbobcat

I second that suggestion. I've been getting regular adjustments for almost a year and my spine is healthier than it's been since I was in junior high school, and I'm the fittest I've been in 15 years.

This week I make an appointment with an acupuncturist for treating tinnitus and nerve damage in my feet.

The important thing is to not give up on health and fitness. You may have to stay off the bike for a while, but you should find something, anything, to get some of it back.

Johnny Colnago

I guess even old farts like you still can't understand humour when you see it.
I'll be sure to send my water boys back to the end of the pace line to explain what a joke is.

RepWI

Maybe compensate with a variety of lights. See the electronics forum above.

oilman_15106

Don't give up. To paraphrase C. Heston ie Moses something about prying it from my cold dead hand. That is how I feel about cycling.