Spinning Toward Back Pain

Content provided by:

Q. I thought that cycling was safe since it’s a low-impact activity. But after every spinning class I take, my lower back hurts. What am I doing wrong?

A. Many people assume that since you’re not jumping and doing high-impact exercise when you ride, bicycling is safe. This is a misconception (as is the idea that jumping is unsafe—it’s not). A 1995 survey in the International Journal of Sport Medicine of more than 500 men and women who cycled recreationally found that 85 percent had at least one overuse injury, and more than one-third of those injuries were severe enough to require medical attention.

The truth is, any type of exercise from gentle stretching to long-distance running can result in overuse injuries if excess stress is placed on joints for too long or too quickly, or if joints are misaligned while performing a move. As with other activities, injury risks from cycling increase the more you do it. And certain body positions are usually to blame.

The most common injuries are to the neck, knee, groin, hands/wrist and lower back. Surveys show that up to 70 percent of cyclists suffer from injuries to the spine. But you can often prevent, improve or eliminate back problems with proper bike setup. By sitting on the bike in the most back-friendly position possible, you can reduce much of the aggravating stress to the neck and the rest of your spine.

Serious cyclists and indoor-cycling spinners, who mimic many of the behaviors of bike racers during their bike-class workout, may be at the highest risk because they hyper-flex the spine by assuming an extreme bent-over, flat-back seated position. Dropping the handle bars low and leaning all the way over is a no-no for almost everybody, and especially if you have a back problem.

Cyclists who race can justify this alignment because it can help them win—bending over reduces the body surface area that encounters wind resistance and can improve speed. Indoor spinners are happy to hunch over to practically kiss their handlebars, too, but this is a bad move for them: The potential risk to the spine is not justifiable. Indoors, there is no wind and you aren’t moving, so there is no point to slumping over the handlebars, other than trying to look cool. And bike cred can come at a cost because this extreme forward flexion of the lower back can compresses the spinal discs, and strain the facet joint capsules, ligaments and muscles of the back.

Some cyclists who train indoors for outdoor rides believe they should practice being in this position. In fact, there is no evidence that doing so will make an outdoor ride any easier or less stressful to the back. It’s better to save that bent pose for when you need it outside—if you ever need it, and unless you are entering bike races, you don’t.

Bending over deeply also strains the neck because when you’re crouched down low, you must hyper-extend in order to look straight ahead. Again, save this position for a race.

So what’s an ache-prone cyclist to do?

SIT TALL

First, raise your handlebars. The higher they are, and the closer the bars are to your body, the less you have to reach and bend to support yourself. Different brands of spinning bikes have different heights. The newest models are designed to be more ergonomically correct with adjustable bars that go higher than the original models.

Aim for a hip-to-shoulders lean that forms a diagonal-to-vertical line, not a flat, horizontal line that’s parallel to the floor.

KEEP YOUR LOW BACK ARCHED, NOT ROUNDED

Be aware of how you hold your spine. Even when your bars are raised, you can still slump and put pressure on your lumbar discs. The key is to maintain a neutral curve in your lower back—this is the natural arch where you spine dips inwards a little bit. Spines are strongest when this curve is preserved. Try raising your rib cage high and away from your pelvis while seated. This will lengthen your spine and preserve that neutral, slightly arched position. Lean from this lengthened position.

DON’T SUCK IN YOUR GUT

Avoid the big ab-tightening mistake that many cyclists make. Cycle instructors may encourage you to work your core or contract your abs. But many people pull their gut in so tight that they collapse their lower back and push their spine out so that the lower spine rounds, erasing that natural, strong arch. Stop this slumping pose by lengthening your spine as you lean forward and engaging the abs only slightly. Think of creating a wall of muscle, not a sucked-in six-pack.

TILT THE FRONT OF YOUR SADDLE DOWN

A 1999 study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that seat alignment can help a cyclist maintain the proper spinal curve. Angling the front of the saddle slightly down causes a weight shift that keeps the spine in its strongest position, with a natural curve at the lower back. Alternatively, avoid the opposite position: tilting the nose up higher than the back part of the seat. This drops your butt and can create the same low-back collapse as bending over too low or sucking in the abs too much.

LEAN FROM YOUR HIP, NOT WAIST

As you lean and form a diagonal line, keep your torso somewhat rigid and lean from the bend where your hips and upper thighs meet, rather than bending over at your waist and lower back.

Some core-strengthening exercises such as the plank or a superman can also help. But your first step should be eliminating the main source of spinal stress by correcting your alignment.

More Expert Fitness Advice From Martica:

Find all articles by Martica.

Do you have a fitness or weight-loss question for Martica? Send e-mail to experts@microsoft.com. Please include Ask Martica in the subject line. Each of our experts responds to one question each week and the responses are posted on Mondays on MSN Health. We regret that we cannot provide a personalized response to every submission.

Martica is a Manhattan-based exercise physiologist and nutritionist and an award-winning fitness instructor. She has written for a variety of publications including Self , Health , Prevention , The New York Times and others. Martica is the author of seven books, including her latest, - Cross-Training for Dummies . (Read her full bio.)