Sciatica from riding

[torqueofthedevil]

Been cycling on and off for years and felt occasional strain in lower back but nothing 'went'.

Bought a new road bike and 3rd ride went on a 20 miler with a difficult 5 mile climb. Everything ok but 30 mins after getting home my back went and it's clearly sciatica (had it a couple of times before).

Just a bit gutted and want to ensure it goes because I hurt my knee badly last year and cycling is one of the best / only forms of exercise I can do! Also planning a few big cycling holidays.

I'm wondering if the ridiculously uncomfortable new saddle could have caused it - pinching the nerve that runs through your arse / thigh. Thigh did go a bit numb on uphill sections and never had a problem with my old saddle.

I've found some exercises / yoga that has helped but do not want it to return!

Any experiences? Suggestions?

Cheers

[anonymous-user]

Perhaps you can you warm up more and stretch more after each ride, also pedal in an easier gear at a higher cadence?

[MadDad]

I would suggest a bike fitting, the root of a back problem is unlikely to be the saddle fit, but the saddle position will do it for you! A fitting won't give you a perfect position but will give you a good starting point, once you know that you are more or less in the right place you can 'fettle' the ride position until you get it right for you. I have my saddle about 1 cms higher than the bike fitting suggested.

I have a totally screwed back (4 collapsed discs at the last count), cycling is one of the few things I can do and has huge health benefits - helps keep weight down, getting onto the drops forces you to activate your core and helps with core strength. Stick with it, a new bike always hurts for a bit.

[996 sps]

As well as the bike fit Google Piriformis stretches for sciatica, may help you out. Small muscle which can get inflammed and effect nerve.

[BadgerBenji]

Stretching helped me loads, and just getting the bike to fit better as mentioned above. How does it compare to your last bike, reach and saddle height?