Vancouver Cycling & Preventing Back Injuries
Yesterday, our very own Vancouver hosted the 2008 Elite World Triathlon Championships. I cheered with pride and I watched in awe as our Canadians represented our country brilliantly. Not only did I watch yesterday as a proud Canadian, but also as a chiropractor. I watched the cyclists zoom by with their rounded lower backs and their hips driving powerfully into hip flexion. I was therefore not surprised during the run, to see that the majority of the athletes were significantly limited in hip extension, at least partially due to tight hip flexor muscles.
Hip extension is the component of our gait when our leg comes back behind us. Hip flexion is the opposite of hip extension and it is the action of our leg coming out in front of us. While on a bike, it is impossible to be in any other position at the hip other than flexion.
There is a big muscle known as the psoas which attaches in the lumbar spine (low back) and runs through the pelvis to attach to the top part of the femur (thigh bone). The primary function of this muscle is to flex the hip. Therefore, the psoas muscles of cyclists are often terribly tight since not only are they in a shortened position for long durations, they are also working hard to drive the upward movement of their pedal stroke.
Why is this relevant to us this month more than any other? It is “Vancouver Bike Month” which means that even more Vancouverites are cycling to work and sitting in hip flexion for an entire day, only to then bike home. When the psoas is too tight, it can produce significant pain in the low back, the front of the hip, the abdomen, or all of the above. If you ride a road bike, rather than a cruiser or a mountain bike, you may be at an increased risk of disc injuries in the low back due to the amount of flexion the lumbar spine is in.
What can we do to help prevent injuries to our psoas muscles? We can stretch the psoas muscle with what is essentially known as a lunge. However, to intensify this stretch and obtain more lengthening through the low back attachment, take the arm on the same side of the leg that is back and reach it up over your head and tilt gently to the opposite side at the waist. You should feel this stretch through the front side of the hip that is back and possibly through the abdomen as well. Be gentle while stretching; hold this stretch for thirty seconds and repeat it at least three times a day on both sides of the body.
In attempting to mitigate some of the compressive load that is placed on the discs of the low back while cycling, every time you get off of your bike, reach your hands as far up to the sky as possible. This exercise tractions the spine to allow for decompression of the lumbar spine. I know this may not feel like it is doing much, but in fact it is and besides, it should feel good!
Whether you are a cyclist or someone who sits at their desk for eight hours a day, both the psoas stretch and lumbar traction exercise are perfect for you. There is nothing wrong with cycling, as long as you know how to guard against the negative effects it can have on your body! Here is to learning!
Leave a Comment