# Back Spasms...



## WakaWaka2012 (Jun 12, 2013)

Im a beginner at road cycling... I do about 10 miles every other day or so. Lately I have been having upper back spasms between my shoulder blades when I am finished riding. They aren't terribly painful, but they are not comfortable at all. Any suggestions on what to do while riding to eliminate this or some sort of a stretch afterwards? Is this normal? Maybe I should go see if my bike needs adjusted? I just dont know, any ideas/advice would be helpful. 

Thanks!


----------



## paredown (Oct 18, 2006)

WakaWaka2012 said:


> Im a beginner at road cycling... I do about 10 miles every other day or so. Lately I have been having upper back spasms between my shoulder blades when I am finished riding. They aren't terribly painful, but they are not comfortable at all. Any suggestions on what to do while riding to eliminate this or some sort of a stretch afterwards? Is this normal? Maybe I should go see if my bike needs adjusted? I just dont know, any ideas/advice would be helpful.
> 
> Thanks!


One thing to do while riding is to change your hand positions--top of bar, on the hoods, in the drops...

Second, are you relaxed while on the bike?--or are you tensing up because you are concentrating on staying upright since you are new to the game? I find I still have to consciously relax my shoulders sometimes--even after a lot of years of riding-especially if I'm dodging serious traffic.

It could be setup too--it is probably worth getting your position checked--or post a picture of you on your bike in the 'General' forum and people will look at your position and offer advice.


----------



## tturner (Mar 18, 2012)

We agree with the previous post. If you are having repeat muscle tension and spasms, there is something structural that is the root cause of the issue. You will not be free from this condition unless you address that problem first. We recommend seeing a Physical Therapist as they tend to have the best training to teach postural corrections, targeted stretching and strengthening exercises. We prefer PTs who refer to themselves "Manual Therapists" or "Hands On" Physical Therapists as they are more likely to perform active release techniques, myofascial release, neuromuscular massage etc during therapy sessions. In many states you do not need a physicians referral, you can schedule with the PT Clinic directly.

The challenge with recurrent spasms and muscle tension in general is that as the muscle fibers stay in contraction it leads to a breakdown and weakening of the tissue itself. Blood flow is reduced and metabolic waist remains. This weakens the muscle and makes it more susceptible to future spasms.

Neuromuscular Massage Therapy

Instead of paying for a masseuse to meet you in the parking lot after a ride, we recommend MassageBlocks.com Knot Finder tools for tension of the upper back and between the shoulder blades. Throw them in your car and use them in the grass after your ride. 

Here is a link to our video:
Neck and Shoulder Muscle Tension - Video Demonstration

For low back pain and the inability to stand up after a long ride we recommend the low back kit and cobra stretches post ride.

best of luck - you can reach me at the 800 number on our website.


----------



## looigi (Nov 24, 2010)

Could be lots of things, and there are lots of things to try. One thing it might be is you're trying to sit upright and arch rather than hunch your upper back a bit. My wife had this issue which was resolved by lowering her bars


----------



## woodys737 (Dec 31, 2005)

There are some really good threads about this if you search. With that said, I'm a long time back pain sufferer and I've concluded that there are two ways to go about your quest for answers:

1. The spasm is the result of position and/or position change on the bike.
2. The spasm is the result of a functional problem physiologically.

It is almost impossible to determine (from my experience with D.C.'s, M.D's and PT's) whether or not 1 begets 2 or 2 begets 1. Given that, I have learned that the principle of Ockham's razor should be applied to back pain as a result of riding a bike. For me, it is clear that my problems stem from changing to or adapting to a position that is just too radical for my body. Why my body can't handle the position is not so easy to understand, but learning about how to strengthen muscles that stabilize the spine has become the central focus of riding pain free (for me). 

Just a WAG but if you are new to cycling and the back spasms are coincidental to when you started riding I'd guess your position on the bike is just a touch off. Consider:

1. Saddle tilt. Often times having your saddle tilted to much nose down can put pressure on your hands and shoulders which could be part of the problem. Put a book on your saddle and set a level on top and make sure the saddle is level and make small changes from level if it doesn't feel right. 

2. Reach. Having your saddle too close to your bars can cause some interesting problems in that you can get sort of bunched up which may cause excessive curvature of your back/spine. Visualize hump back. The problem with this position is that it puts an incredible amount of stress on the disc material. Think of someone slouching when they are working at a computer while sitting in a chair. Conversely, if your bars are too far away from your saddle your erector spinae muscles will be forced into a position beyond normal causing spasms. The correct distance is really determined by comfort and balance. There are threads devoted to this as well so I'll leave it at that about reach. Your posture on the bike is as important as posture while standing or sitting. 

3. Saddle height. Too high a saddle just causes many problems that can be mistaken for nearly everything I've said above. It's way beyond me to advise what is the right height mainly because it's an art and is not a static number. But, if you suspect it's too high it's easy to lower your saddle 5mm-10mm and see if that helps.


----------

