Back Pain for cyclist


Lot of people have taken cycling just not as hobby or way of keeping active but it has sport which people are taking it to professional level. Although cycling is a sport which has relatively low injury rate compare to other sports. It's easy to understand why: crashes and collisions apart, cycling is almost impact free and the pedalling action of spinning the cranks takes place in a very controlled environment, requiring minimal coordination and reducing the risk of injury due to poor technique.



Although with so much support but still cyclists spending long hours in the saddle can and regularly do suffer cycling overuse injuries. Now, you might think that it's your knees that would be most vulnerable to high volumes of cycling. However, research on the incidence and type of overuse injuries sustained by pro cyclists found that lower back injuries were most prevalent (45% of recorded injuries) - almost twice as likely to occur than knee injuries.


Why is low back pain so prevalent among cyclists?


One possible explanation concerns bike set up. Getting the correct rider/geometry on the bike is crucial to minimise unwanted loading on the lumber region (as well as the knees, shoulders, neck etc...). However, in the study above, the cyclists were supervised by national coaches with access to advanced facilities, so incorrect bike geometry would almost certainly not have been a plausible explanation.

Another possible explanation is that research shows a direct link between the degree of muscle fatigue and subsequent changes in a cyclist's movement patterns during cycling - specifically changes in the degree of "trunk lean" and hip angles². These altered muscle movement patterns could lead to lower back pain in cyclists undertaking hard training or competition. Also, constant static lumbar flexion (i.e. leaning forward in a fixed position) has a negative effect on core stabiliser muscles and other spinal tissue during prolonged pedalling. Just five minutes of static lumbar flexion weakens the power of important stabiliser muscles of the lower back (multifidus) and induces "tissue creep" (unwanted stretching of tissues) - all of which makes it harder to generate the forces needed to maintain spinal stability and correct posture³. This in turn greatly increases the risk of low back pain. We also know that prolonged and excessive forward flexion of the spine on the bike is quite literally a pain in the back; cyclists who suffer back pain are much more likely to have excessive lower spine flexion with less active lower lumbar stabilising muscles (multifidus)⁴.

Recommendations

The bottom line then is that while correct bike geometry and set up is vital for triathletes seeking to reduce the risk of low back pain, it may still not be enough. In particular, prolonged periods of low lumbar flexion, fatigue of the back extensor muscles (especially multifidus) and impaired motor activation patterns all seem to increase the risk and severity of low-back pain. So at the time of year when many are beginning to build up their cycling mileage, how can cyclists with a history of back injury stay pain free? Here are some tips:

• Firstly, ensure your bike is correctly set up. In particular, it's important to ensure that you're not "overreaching" (i.e. the top tube and stem length is not excessive) and that your handlebar position is not too low - both of these will increase the degree of static lumbar flexion and fatigue in your back extensor muscles.
• When you increase your training load (volume or intensity), or if back pain becomes a problem, consider using stem spacers to raise handlebar height, which will help alleviate static flexion and loading of the low lumbar extensors.
• If you get back pain and your bike set up is 100% correct, you may want to consult a physiotherapist. He/she can examine your functional core stability, paying particular attention to your muscle activation patterns, multifidus function, gluteal (buttock) strength and hamstring strength/flexibility, and prescribe some appropriate remedial exercises if necessary.

 

 

References
1. Am J Sports Med. 2010 Dec;38(12):2494-501
2. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng. 2008 November; 55(11): 2666-2674
3. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2009 Aug 1;34(17):1873-8
4. Man Ther. 2004 Nov;9(4):211-9

 

  

5mistake during weight loss

1. Skipping meal

In the spree of losing weight usually people start skipping meal, and it gives an feel of  weight loss. Instead of skipping the meal cut the calories.However, this backfires. Research shows that people who skip meals, particularly breakfast, are more likely to be overweight. In fact, they typically end up so overly hungry at their next meal that they can’t make a rationale decision to choose a healthy option—and what’s more, they give themselves the license to eat more than they should, justifying the extra because they ate less earlier in the day.

Its alwys okay if a high fiber food with protein rich food could be a great meal.

2. Drinking your calories

You love your  smoothie for a snack, Gatorade® while you work out, an afternoon latte/ tea, a few cocktails. Your brain doesn’t compensate for liquid calories by making you feel any less hungry, so you wind up overconsuming calories.

-Add calorie-free pizzazz to your water or seltzer by tossing in slices of limes, lemons, oranges, cucumbers and/or strawberries; the great flavor of these foods will seep into the water and add a refreshing twist.
-Stick to water during exercise if you aren’t working out intensely for more than 90 minutes.
-Tally up your liquid calories and swap them for food instead and drink water. Goodbye large glass of orange juice (and the 240 calories in it); hello glass of water and an orange (60 calories).

3. You eat too much sodium and think it doesn’t matter

You don’t have high blood pressure and you sweat out salt when you exercise. But most of us consume two to three times more salt than we should. Salt increases hunger, thirst and cravings—and it makes your fat cells denser. Plus it makes you retain water and bloat—which means that, despite working hard to lose weight, you may weigh more after a salty meal due to water retention. This can make you feel discouraged and throw in the towel on your weight loss efforts. Instead, try this:
-Prepare foods yourself so that you can control the salt.
-Eat more fresh foods like fruits and vegetables, which are naturally low in sodium. Cut back on packaged foods, such as canned soup, lunch meat, frozen meals, flavored rice, dressings, sauces and snacks. The majority of the sodium we consume comes from processed and prepared foods
-Check labels for sodium content. Often simply switching between brands can save you hundreds of milligrams sodium.
-When dining out, ask that your food be prepared without salt and order sauces on the side. Chefs are experts with herbs and spices so your food will still taste great.

For more tips and easy tricks to reduce salt in your diet, check out our book The Secret to Skinny: How Salt Makes You Fat.(from ACE guide)

4. You skimp on veggies.

Roughly 60-70 percent of people do this. If you don’t get your servings of veggies (about 2.5 to 3.5 cups for most people), you’re likely falling short on fiber. Fiber slows the digestion of food and helps to keep you feeling full. Fiber prevents blood sugar spikes and crashes and the subsequent overeating by providing a gradual release of energy from food.
-Mix veggies into whatever you’re already eating. Toss them in pasta and soups, add them to pizza and omelets.
-Stack sandwiches with lettuce, tomato, peppers, mushrooms and sprouts.
-Wrap sandwich fillings with lettuce rather than bread. Or slice cucumbers and zucchinis length-wise and use in place of crackers and breads.
-Dip veggies in hummus for a snack.

For more suggestions and more than 100 recipes that include vegetables, please check out The Nutrition Twins Veggie Cure.

5. You don’t sweat the small stuff.

Why I am not losing weight even following a strict diet plan. The reason might be eating extra bites of your kids food, tasting food/ desertes, extra pats of button your bread etc it gets accumulate. It would surprise you that research shows that these extra calories often fall around severl hundred calories and can prevent a healthy weight loss of a 1 pound per week.


-Record what you eat and use an online program like  to see how quickly those little bites are accumulating.
-Try taking several fewer bites than usual at each meal. This will save roughly 200 to 300 calories a day, helping you to lose half a pound a week—that same half pound that can easily creep on with those same bites!

note :info from ACE BLOG OF Nutrition Twins