My aching back - Chapter 9
I'm calling this one chapter nine because I've lost count of my "My aching back" posts. I think it has been about 9 or 10 months since it all started in earnest for me, therefore this one we're going to call Chapter 9.
The more I ride while thinking about what hurts and what doesn't, the more I unravel the mystery of what it was that's given me these aches and pains. Recently I started considering the possibility that my saddle might have a role in the problem. Until a couple of days ago I had been riding on my "gold standard" saddle. I've always loved the Selle Italia Flite. From the first time I tried it on, it worked for me. Anyone who rides knows how rare that is. Principally for that reason alone I wasn't willing to consider that my saddle could be a factor. But could it be?
Should I put that love at first sight history aside and question my saddle choice? I had to admit that at the very least there was a possibility it could be a factor. Then I thought back to the photo from my video, the one with the left side lower than the right, it occurred to me that my Flite has a somewhat rounded top which would allow me to situate myself at some position other than 12 o'clock. Possibly I was sitting on my saddle over towards 11 o'clock and I didn't even know it.
Time for an experiment.
For my next trainer workout I replaced the Flite with a San Marco Aspide I've had around here forever. It has a much flatter top towards the back; and the way it's cut it doesn't interfere with the backs of my legs when I sit back that far. Now I had my sit bones level. I did a few workouts from my new level perch and discovered something interesting. I have a tendency to let my lower back arch outward to the left. Constraining my sit bones to be level with each other highlighted the problem. I could feel the difference right away.
With the new saddle, when I look down at my top tube my bike looks symmetrical beneath me. The pedals are evenly spaced right and left of the top tube. What's more, my front wheel seems to have lost its tendency to point to the right at the end of a trainer workout.
I think I'm on to something with this. I also think it will probably be a tough one to correct. My strength work should help to compensate for the weakness; but it will take me significant conscious effort to hold straight while riding until it becomes second nature. At least I have an easy way to gage whether I'm holding my position correctly. When I'm riding my trainer and look down, if my nose is right over my top tube, all is well.
he he he
I told you that Aspide was a nice saddle when I gave it to you. It is ridiculously light too.
That would REALLY be cool if it turns out that simple little thing is your problem. It will be tough to retrain all the muscles, but not as tough as living with pain.
Treat your own back
I had a major back problem for over 3 years. I went to every kind of doctor, specialist, therapist, etc ... you can think of. Nothing helped me. I spent hundreds of hours doing exercises, waiting in doctor's offices, arguing with insurance agents, etc ... I shelled out a ton of money.
I bought this book below for $8. In two weeks I was 95% better. 9 months later I think I am close to 100%.
It might not work for you but it definitely worth the $8 and the time it takes to read the book and follow it's recommendations.
Treat your own back by Robin McKenzie
Thanks for the recommendation
Thanks for the recommendation, James. I will check it out. So far, with the one exception of the evaluation session with a PT, who came highly recommended and whom I'd highly recommend, I've been on the DIY plan here.
Only on a couple of occasions did I think things were bad enough that I'd need to see a doctor. Fortunately for me my back would improve, making me think I was on the mend.
This probably sounds familiar to anyone with back problems but to me it's new and very frustrating. Some days I'm fine and others I'm far from it. The pain moves around and changes in characteristics. Sometimes it's intense and concentrated and other times it's a dull ache and hard to locate.
If this book will help me get through this it's worth its weight in gold.
Mark Ewers
I may not be fast, but I'm 2 old 2 go slow
Another Resource
Interesting about the saddle change. I've seen posts from other riders in the "Fit Q&A" section of cyclingnews.com where their fitting woes have been alleviated by either twisting the nose of the saddle off center or (with the help of some non-standard set post) moving the whole saddle latterly off of center.
The gent who contributes to this section is Steve Hogg:
http://www.cyclefitcentre.com/index.htm
He has some interesting notions on fit that have helped me to some extent and appear attractive from a "holistic" perspective.