Another vote for core work, but coupled with specific work on the lats. Maybe some pilates-type stuff might help, too.

That may be true, but it is best to go see a regular MD, with a specialization in back issues. If the X-rays show this, then the MD can possibly refer her to a good chiropractor. And the referral is liable to make the chiropractor more likely to be covered by insurance. Sometime finding a good chiropractor can be a challenge in itself.

GH

Most people know when to apply advice given to certain situations and when not to. If you can't figure out that HTFU shouldn't be applied to certain family situations then you need to seek professional help for your family's sake.

I tried a chiropractor once and it was a waste of time. After all the test, xray's and adjustments he basically said I have a weak core and gave me a few sheets of paper with various exercises on them. Ironically it was the same advice I gotten here BEFORE I spent all that time and effort. Bottom line is you need to HTFU!

"I'm wondering about ...

-- my position on the bicycle while I climb.
-- my core strength... which could use some work.
-- my flexibility ... or complete and utter lack of it.
-- or whether it is something else ... like the heavy backpack I carry around during the week or my office chair."

as said it's your core strength that is telling you that it's weak. the best thing i've found for core strength is
1. kiteboarding (this is partly in jest, not many people do this)
2. deadlifts

this is not just front abs. this is side abs, strengthening your back, your chest and your lats.
once your core strength improves, climbing hills shouldn't feel painful on your back.

your position on the bike as far as i know should always be shifting so as to prevent getting stiff, esp on a particularly on a long arduous climb. moving around in your seat and moving your hand positions around is good for you...

No, with persistent pain, she need to see a good MD. Let the MD decide whether the problem is muscular, in which case a PT will probably be referred, or whether it is structural, in which case, either a surgeon or chiropractor may be referred. Heck, even for structural, the MD may refer a PT to see if exercises can help in her situation.

Telling someone who has persistent pain to "HTFU" is very dangerous. She should go see an MD to determine the cause of the pain. And if the MD does refer her to a PT, the PT can give her exercises to relieve the pain, and the PT will probably make her HTFU, but in a controlled setting where she won't do more damage to her back.

And stop carrying the backpack on your back, while you have the pain. Get a pack that you can roll around. And if you use a camelbak, stop using that until your back issues are behind you. The first thing to do is to stop doing more damage to the area.

GH

So, I guess the sarcasm meter isn't calibrated correctly. Carry on.

That is probably part of the problem. And when I've got a minute between work and university, I will go back to my chiropractor (who I've been going to now and then for the past two years). It did seem to help a bit the last time I went.


+ core work, of course.


+ a bit more research on this ...

Do you wrap your fingers around the bars and pull to compensate for the rocking motion while climbing? The pull uses back-muscles. I've found smoothing my spin and resting my fingers on top of the bars so I can't pull removes any back strain.

Decades ago when I started racing, I really pulled my back severely and was bed-ridden for a month. The cause was poor newby pedaling form and lots of yanking on the bars to steady the bike. Exacerbated by my really strong legs from 15-years of soccer. My back-muscles didn't stand a chance.

A chiropractor helped me stretch out the muscles and repair the torn tissue. Then it was PT-physiotherapy for recovery. Then gym workouts to strengthen the back muscles. The one exercise that helped the most was roman-chair back-lifts. I went from barely being able to go up halfway, to going up fully straight to fully up with 30-lb weight behind my head. That took about 2-months of training and I ended up doing 10-years of road-racing and 6-years of track with no back problems at all.

Yes I do ... and you're right, that might be part of the problem.


[HR][/HR]
On Saturday, we decided to do a ride with a relatively steep hill (16%). Last time I tried that hill was about a year ago, and it just killed me. However, I've lost a lot of weight since then, and have gained some fitness, so I wanted to give the hill another go. But I also gained this back pain, so I was a bit apprehensive.

Prior to the ride, I stretched out my right hip. I have been stretching my back, but this time I decided to focus on the right hip.

On the ride, I made a point of sitting up straighter, dropping my shoulders, and resting my hands lightly on the tops rather than using a death grip on the handlebars.


And ... despite the fact that I had been experiencing back pain on walks during the week ... I was pretty much fine on the ride. A little bit of nagging pain, but not bad at all.

^There ya go! Good job. I have Old Man Back, but it hurts me less on the bike than just about anywhere, and I use as much saddle-bar drop as my frames allow.

Are you sure?

In my experience, a chiropractor is great for reducing pain and making you feel better but not for treating the underlying problems.

If you can, I suggest seeing a physical therapist who can help you diagnose the issue and provide you treatments to help remedy the problem. And you also can see the chiropractor while doing that.

I don't know what your situation is like, but my health insurance allows me to see a PT without a medical doctor's visit first.

I went to bed pretty sure that someone was going to do that. You're right. I only have a -17° stem. Quite ordinary. But I do think that a few inches drop is better for one's back than a more upright posture, though many preach the opposite. Folks I ride with agree with me. Pilates and plenty of drop seems to be the recipe that works for most. If one continues to ride and work out, age doesn't seem to matter as long as one avoids serious back injury.

One danger with too upright a position is that road-bumps and impacts will compress the back. With a more laid out position, it just pushes your butt upwards. The back kinda pivots around a point under your armpits.

Also try stretching first thing in the morning, or before your ride.

I was actually doing most of these stretches before reading this article.

GH

Update ... we lowered the handlebars on all my bicycles, and the back pain is not nearly so bad anymore.

It's annoying to go back and do all the other bikes after a fit change. Especially if one bike needs something like a new stem, etc.

Another annoying multi bike problem, is changing 6 or 7 bike computers that are all different, onto or off of daylight saving time. I still need to use the instructions for each one.

Somehow we'll survive.

I get this too. Our legs are stronger than our backs. Think a car with an engine that can put out more HP than the transmission can handle.

This winter I've been lazy and sick, but last winter I did see a PT and did a lot of back and core work. You can find a lot of exercises online, such as bird dogs, superman, plank, side plank.
Once the pain decreases deadlifts and squats with free weights are also a huge help for backs.

I find alternating seated and out of the saddle on climbs and sprints helps a lot, gives the back a break.