Is Biking Good for Lower Back Pain?

Many people who suffer from lower back pain may find certain exercises only exacerbate the pain. Such situation prevents them from trying out several types of exercise, and it can be challenging to find one that works to relieve lower back pain. Luckily, they can still try biking.

Biking is good for lower back pain because it improves blood circulation and promotes stability in the spine and back muscles. However, depending on the underlying cause of the back pain, you may need to consult your physician if biking can improve or exacerbate your condition.

This article will explain why biking is good for lower back pain. It will also discuss how biking itself can cause or exacerbate lower back pain and how to correct it if it happens. Finally, it will also discuss other low-impact exercises that may also be suitable for lower back pain sufferers.

Why Biking is Good for Lower Back Pain             

Biking is primarily considered an aerobic activity, which means it improves your cardiovascular fitness. Bicycling engages your heart, lungs, and blood vessels, making it a good choice for the overall improvement of health. 

Most importantly, biking is considered a low impact exercise, which is gentle on the joints. Thus, people suffering from lower back pain could reap the health benefits associated with consistent bicycling. 

Lower back pain is, unfortunately, too common. The CDC estimates that as many as 25% of adults in the US have reported lower back pain. Most of them are caused by degeneration or a normal wear and tear that occurs over time.

Although your lower back pain can prevent you from doing other more intense exercises, you can still go biking and stay physically fit. With the right amount of exercise and guidance from your doctor or physical therapist, you may even be able to relieve your lower back pain through biking.

However, not all back pain is the same. Certain types of back pain may only worsen with bicycling, while others can be relieved by the exercise. 

Here are two types of lower back pain and how they’re affected by biking:

Lower Back Pain Caused by Spinal Compression

A narrowing or compression of the spine can cause lower back pain. In this case of lower back pain, leaning forward, as is necessary for bike riding, can relieve back pain. 

However, you may need to consult your doctor about the best angle, body position, or bike design that will help relieve your back pain. The duration also matters because too much exercise can be counterproductive.

Lower Back Pain Caused by Spinal Instability and Slippage

Another cause of lower back pain is spinal instability and slippage of the vertebrae. These conditions are usually the product of trauma. If this is the cause of your lower back pain, leaning forward to ride a bike can worsen the pain. 

Beginning Biking With Lower Back Pain

As is the case with most ailments, it may not be best to just begin a new workout regimen without consulting with your doctor first. Your doctor can advise on whether or not you are healthy to engage in exercise and, if so, which kinds of exercises. 

Getting clearance from your doctor should be your first step before you take up biking. Your doctor will likely perform a complete physical exam. If the doctor deems it necessary, they may want to gather more information first from imaging such as an x-ray, CT scan, or MRI. 

Preventing Worsening Back Pain When Biking

If your doctor has given you clearance to begin bike riding, you need to take the proper steps to ensure that you are able to continue your new workout regimen.

Warm Up Before Biking

Before you mount your bike, you should warm your body up. Although you may be tempted to skip the warm up and get right to your bike ride, you should always warm up before any physical activity. Doing so prepares the body for the work to come and helps to protect your body from potential injury. 

Ideally, your warm up should mirror your upcoming activity. A suitable warm up for biking is a light ride on the stationary bike before biking outdoors. You can also perform appropriate stretches to prevent muscle cramps or strain.

Once you create a warm up and perform it a handful of times, you will likely memorize it. Then, you can complete your warm up without any forethought after some time. 

Proper Training

Like warming up, proper training should be performed when participating in any activity. Following a training plan will minimize the likelihood of injury. It is important not to do too much too soon. 

When you begin bike riding, the best course of action is to start with low mileage. Once you build a solid base of riding, you can slowly start to add on mileage, intensity, and duration.

Following With a Cool Down

A cool down is also essential, especially considering that biking is a cardio workout. Your body needs the opportunity to gradually and safely return to its resting state. 

There are a few benefits to a cool down:

• It gives your body a chance to relieve any lactic acid that builds up during your bike ride. 
• It reduces the likelihood of you experiencing dizziness or faintness. 
• It reduces the chances of DOMS or delayed onset muscle soreness. This is especially beneficial to people with lower back pain.

Fortunately, as with the warm up, a cool down for bike riders is not extensive. Your cool down could be as little as five minutes. During this time, you will simply reduce the intensity of your bike ride.

Practice Safety Outside

If your bike is outside, safety will be imperative. You will be sharing the road with motorists or sharing trails with other cyclists and pedestrians. Thus, you must have the right equipment on each and every ride. 

Below is a list of items you should have with you on your outdoor bike rides:

• Helmet
• Visible and/or reflective clothing
• Reflectors on your bike
• Water (for longer rides)

Further, you should protect yourself beyond your bike. Always be aware of your surroundings. If you are sharing the road with motorists, ride with traffic. Avoid routes that are heavily trafficked by motorists. You may also want to avoid unfamiliar routes as well.

Types of Bikes and Their Impact on Lower Back Pain

Fortunately, biking has several options. Therefore, you can select the bike that best meets your needs, as some options are more gentle than others. Below, you will find brief descriptions of each type of bike.

Upright Bike 

An upright bike is relatively self-explanatory. The bike puts the rider in an upright position and mimics traditional bike riding. These bikes are gentle on the joints while still working a large range of muscles, including the quadriceps, hamstrings, tibialis anterior, calf muscles, glutes, abdominals, and arm muscles.  

Recumbent Bike 

A recumbent bike may be a good start for beginners. The large seat is the most comfortable, and overall the recumbent bike is the most gentle, low-stress of the bikes available. The reclined seat is also a plus for low back pain sufferers as your back is supported throughout your workout. 

However, recumbent bikes are not without their drawbacks. It should be noted that the trade off is fewer muscles engaged and worked and fewer calories burned. Moreover, if you are purchasing a recumbent bike for home use, it will take up considerable space. 

Spin Bike 

Spin bikes are a staple in gyms and fitness clubs as spinning has gathered and continued to grow participants. Spinning, as it is often referred to, has also been adopted by avid outdoor cyclists to maintain cycling fitness year round. 

Spinning is generally an intense workout. It involves rapid pedaling as well as “jumping” in and out of the saddle or seat. With changes between seated riding and standing on the spin bike, it may aggravate back pain in some. Finally, the seat of a spin bike is generally less forgiving than recumbent and upright bikes.

Cruiser Bike 

Cruiser bikes are similar to upright bikes but for outdoor use. The seats of the cruiser bike are wide and padded. You can adjust them further to improve comfort and reduce impact on your lower back. The tires are also wide and thick for a smoother ride over terrain. 

The caveat with cruiser bikes is that they are not suitable for fast speeds.

Road Bike

Road bikes are built for aerodynamics. They are known for speed, agility, and efficient riding. The road bike tires and rims are extremely narrow. Road bikes are often equipped with drop handles which allows riders to bike in the most aerodynamic position, down and low, which may aggravate low back pain for some. 

Hybrid Bike

A hybrid bike is a cross between a road bike and a mountain bike. The tires are medium thickness, making them acceptable for occasional or minimal unpaved riding. 

Since the tires are not as narrow as the road bike tires, the hybrid bike is suitable for road riding but will not be as fast. The seat of a hybrid is not as padded as a cruiser bike but more so than most road bikes. 

The rider’s back is more vertical when riding a hybrid bike, improving the posture. However, depending on the cause of the lower back pain, long-term rides on a hybrid bike can cause discomfort and aggravate the pain.

Mountain Bike

There are subcategories of mountain bikes, including trail bikes, cross-country bikes, and fat-tire bikes. Mountain bikes are generally reserved for rugged terrain alone. The tires are designed for traction, as they are wide and knobby. 

These bikes also have substantial suspension. Since mountain bikes are designed for rugged terrain, lower back pain sufferers may want to avoid this type of riding. 

If Your Bike Causes Back Pain

Sometimes, your bike may actually be the source of your pain. This is usually due to an ill-fitting bike or your posture. Fortunately, once corrected, the pain caused by your bike should go away.

Bike Fitting

Your bike should fit your height, your current riding abilities, and your riding style. Fitness instructors that teach spin cycle classes typically assist participants with finding the proper alignment before each class begins.

Most bike shops include a professional bike that can fit you if you opt to ride outdoors. Most outdoor bikes are sized. Some bike manufacturers size by seat tube length while others size by small, medium, large, etc. 

A proper bike fit will include seat height, handlebar position, and pedal alignment. Riding a bike that appropriately matches your size will not only prevent possible back pain but also other cycling injuries. 

Bike Posture

Improper bike posture can also wreak havoc on your lower back. A good neutral riding position is essential to avoiding cycling issues. Below, you will find tips on the best posture for comfortable, pain-free riding.

• Shoulders. As you ride, your shoulders may stiffen and begin to rise. Ideally, your shoulders should be down, away from your ears. Your shoulders should be relaxed.
• Chest. Your chest should be up.
• Spine. While riding, you will need to keep your spine in a neutral position. A neutral spine is one that is in a relatively straight line. You should not slouch while riding.
• Core. Your core should be engaged throughout the entire ride. If your spine is in a neutral position, your core should follow suit and remain engaged. 
• Elbows. Your elbows should be naturally bent, relaxed, and close to your sides. Bending your elbows is beneficial because it helps your arms absorb any impacts, reduces shoulder strain, and alleviates pressure in your hands. 
• Wrists. While you should bend your elbows, you should not bend your wrists. Your wrists should be in a straight line with your elbow and fingers.
• Knees. Your knees should remain tucked in and track over the pedals. 

Bike Overuse 

Overuse injuries are seen in every sport. It is often called “too much too soon”, but it is really that the participant exceeded their load capacity for their fitness level. It is estimated that at least 50% of cycling injuries are due to overuse. 

Tissue capacity is an ever-changing maximum that tissue can withstand before it breaks down. Volume, intensity, frequency, and type of training can impact tissue capacity along with daily life and stressors. Tissue load is a healthy part of physical fitness, but too much load will cause issues. 

Following a training plan can help you avoid bike overuse injuries. Still, training plans may not be unique enough for every individual. You should pay attention to your body and any persistent discomfort in any one area. If this happens, you should modify your activities immediately and follow a rehabilitation program if needed.

Bike Seats

Beginner cyclists may find one major pain with biking: the seat. If you are new to biking and already suffer from lower back pain, the comfort of the bike seat can make a difference. Fortunately, bike seat covers and padded bike shorts are available for purchase at many retailers. 

Other Low Impact Exercises

Low impact exercises may imply that the workout is less vigorous and, therefore, less effective, but this is not necessarily the case. You can burn a significant amount of calories and get a good workout with low impact exercises. Fortunately, biking is just one form of low impact exercise. 

Perhaps biking is not as fun or exciting as you had hoped. Or, maybe biking worsens your back pain. For some, they enjoy biking so much and choose to cross train using other modes of exercise to prevent biking overuse. 

Below are other low impact exercises that you may want to incorporate into your workout regimen next to biking:

Swimming

Swimming is a great choice if you suffer from lower back pain. The buoyancy in the water dramatically relieves the stress on your joints. The water supports your weight.

Swimming burns a lot of calories as it is a full body workout. It is a cardio workout that also builds strength. A 155-pound (70 kg) person can expect to burn an average of 216 calories during a 30-minute swim.

Walking

If your back allows it, walking is the simplest exercise available. Walking can be effective, as well. Unlike running, which is jarring to the joints and may aggravate your lower back, a fast-paced walk can burn a decent amount of calories.

As you increase your speed, you also increase your calorie expenditure. Be sure to use your legs and hips to power your stride. Your abdominals should be engaged, and your arms should be bent close to your torso at 90-degree angles. 

You can further boost your calorie burn by incorporating HIIT or high-intensity interval training into your walks. A HIIT walk is adding in bursts of faster walking with shorter lapses at slower speeds to recover.

While walking is low impact, different surfaces are better than others for your joints and back. Tracks are designed for running and walking and therefore put less stress on your body. Trails are another gentler option. Concrete, on the other hand, is a less forgiving surface. 

Rowing

If biking is not good for your back, there is a chance that rowing will not be either. However, if your lower back can tolerate rowing, it is a full body workout that improves both cardiovascular endurance and strength. 

Rowing machines can be found at most gyms. If you have the space, they are also available for purchase for residential use. A 155-pound (70 kg) person will burn about 252 calories doing 30 minutes of rowing.

Elliptical Machine

The elliptical machine is another gym staple. This machine mimics the movement of running while removing the stress on your joints. The elliptical machine is not jarring as your feet remain stationary on the footrests. 

Further, elliptical machines allow you to challenge yourself. You can adjust the resistance or try a hill workout. Additionally, you can burn more calories and turn it into a full body workout by using the moving arm handles. 

Conclusion

Lower back pain is unfortunately common and stems from various issues. It can be difficult to perform daily living activities, let alone exercise. However, biking is an excellent mode of exercise that allows lower back pain sufferers to remain active and fit. 

When done correctly and with the approval of your doctor or physical therapist, biking can even help relieve your lower back pain.