Lazy Cycling Form and Poor Strength is Causing a Mid-Back "Paindemic."
Tis' the season for the triathlete upper back "Paindemic." It's going around again. Issues come in predictable waves in the CoachAmyPT clinic. Right now, upper back pain is going around. When it gets bad enough, the pain will radiate into the shoulder blade and down the back of the shoulder. There is no vaccine for it, but there is a way to prevent it!
There are many contributing factors to upper back pain in cyclists, including helmet and bike fit, tire pressure, vision, etc. But let us assume you are indoors on the trainer this winter and have a good bike fit. That leaves us with two main culprits: inadequate strength and poor form.
Check Form.
Check your head and your chin. Even if you are binging a show or have your eyes glued to your power meter and stats, make sure your neck is not overly flexed or extended. It should be neutral and in line with the rest of your spine; this requires you to engage your deep cervical spine flexors.
Check your midback. Do you look like the Hunchback of Notre Dame? You should be able to line up a broomstick from the back of your head to your pelvis. It's hard to hold this position for long or while moving your legs if you don't have chest and upper back strength.
Check your shoulders. Are they engaged, or are you resting into ligaments or the posterior capsule to help prevent you from collapsing? Your humerus bone (that's the upper arm bone) should be sitting right in the middle of the socket, not resting on the back of the capsule or pushing up into the upper shelf of your shoulder blade.
Strengthen Up.
If you've let the chest, shoulder, and upper back muscles turn into jello over the recovery season, it is not too late to strengthen these up. Focus on isometrics and eccentric strengthening of the following.
serratus anterior
pectorals
triceps
deep cervical spine flexors
Prevent it in the first place.
If you need help with your form or would like to explore a home program to prevent upper back injury with biking, schedule an appointment with Coach Amy! Choose Wellness Evaluation. Be sure to come early to set up your bike on the trainer. Bring your phone to video record home exercises.
Treat symptoms early.
If you are currently in pain, do not schedule a wellness appointment just yet. Instead, schedule a physical therapy evaluation to determine the cause and rule out other contributing factors. Not all upper back pain is from cycling. Choose New Patient Evaluation and Treatment.
As you bring back bike volume on the trainer this winter, there is a tendency to be lazy and sag into the bars while the legs do all the work, but as you can see, that can cause trouble. Avoid the pitfalls now so you can "kill it" later!