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Pain in the middle of my back/central spine area - could it be my bike?

by Nick0
Mon, Nov 17, 2014 17:00
8

Hello Guys and Gals,

Wondering if there is sage advice out there: In the last couple of weeks I've been developing a nasty back pain which has been coming from the very centre of my back.
It's worth mentioning that the mattress I sleep on is getting past it's sell by, so I've ordered a new one, so that could be the culprit, but it does seem to be that every time I get off the bike I feel it at it's worst. My bikes (95% of the time is on my Genesis steel commuter which does 140 miles a week) has been in it's current set up for the last fourteen months, and has been, very comfortable.
Two things changed recently; I have been trying to use my core more and dropping my elbows a bit more (particularly with stretches of my route which usually get a strong headwind), and I dropped the saddle height by 3mm because I realised that it was too high, particularly when I compared it to my Trek Domane.

So, there is the background. Could this back pain (it feels like a few vertebrae are sticking out of my spine) be caused by the bike?
If so, what is the culprit?

Thanks in advance,
Nick0

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8 comments

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Nick0 | 10 years ago
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Thanks for the replies chaps.
Judging by your experiences it seems very possible that the minute adjustment has caused the pain, maybe coupled with the bed, and possibly coupled with the weather change (although I did post a quick time on one of my courses tonight!). I shall tinker and see what turns up.

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Blue_Brevatto | 10 years ago
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Dunno if it is relevant but two weeks ago would coincide with when the weather turned - at least round here. My averages have dropped at least 2mph over the last fortnight. And it feels a much harder slog into the bargain. More tensing against the wind and rain, more drag from the extra layers and still colder muscles.

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mrmo | 10 years ago
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on the tiny things, bought a new set of sidis, replacing a set of genius 5's for a set of Fives, sole is a fraction different.

Got knee pain, tweaked a few things nothing seemed to help, then went and looked at the soles a couple of mm different. made the change and no pain.

It is surprising just how locked your position can get and how intolerant of change it becomes.

One other detail, went out to Switzerland in mid august to do a mtb race, only 125km. after about 8 hours started to get some pain in the upper mid back, just from the stress of climbing i guess. I assume you might have realised it if you had overdone it but thought it worth a mention.

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sergius | 10 years ago
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I moved my saddle back by 5mm in order to fit a shiny new saddle bag. That lead me to 3 months of anterior knee pain, bike fits, cleat adjustments etc to get back to a position where I could finally ride pain free.

I was amazed how a tiny adjustment to the saddle position had such a big impact.

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Nick0 | 10 years ago
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Thanks for the reply CXR, you're right, of course, but I just can't believe that moving the saddle by such a small margin could be the culprit. I was hoping someone else might have experienced the same issue and had a red hot tip. I do think the bed may be to blame. Either way it gives me a good excuse to spend hours in the garage tinkering while I wait for the new mattress to arrive 3

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CXR94Di2 | 10 years ago
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First ride in your normal position and see if pain subsides over the course of a few rides. If your bed was causing you an issue then I would of thought that your back pain would be more noticeable in the morning. Riding for 14 months if more than enough to adjust to a position. You altered your riding style and an issue has now appeared. Go back to your comfy setup.

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Nick0 | 10 years ago
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Good shout Sergius, thanks for that. The bottom bracket on the Trek is lower, and the pedals are SPD SL. I use SPD on the Genesis, this will undoubtedly be a bit different. The reason for dropping the saddle was that I felt that I was extending my legs more on the Genesis, than the Trek. I think this may have had the effect of moving me forward slightly, but only by miniscule amounts...?

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sergius | 10 years ago
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Every time I've adjusted anything on my bike, in terms of cleat or saddle position, I seem to end up with pain somewhere. 3mm isn't a great deal I have to say, but that would be my guess as the most likely culprit. If you stick with it you may find your body adjusts.

Do you use the same shoes/cleats on your commute as with on your Trek? It's worth noting that cleats will potentially raise your feet relative to flat pedals (as an example), so that 3mm too-high saddle on the commuter may not in fact exist.

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