Recumbent bikes and lower back problems

[Boho]

Years ago I got a recumbent exercise bike for my father because I figured it's safer than a treadmill or a standard exercise bike. Maybe it is in a way because there's less chance of falling, but I don't see myself falling or breaking bones if I do. What I do see/feel is lower back and hip pain that lasted three days.

I'm blaming the bike for the pain because I remember reading that standing leg raises, where you keep your leg straight and try to raise it as close to parallel to the ground as you could, are bad for your lower back and shouldn't be part of an exercise routine unless you're a martial artist or dancer that needs to do that movement. It seems to me that recumbent biking requires the same muscles, especially if you're trying to go fast and pushing upward on pedal straps. I got the straps for my father so his feet would stay in place, which is an appropriate use, but not for pushing up on the pedals.

Also, if you get straps, get the Velcro ones. The plastic ones I got, to save a little money, are way too hard to get out of. I use the bike with sandals and slip my foot out of the sandals first, then manipulate the sandals out of the pedals.

But still, with or without straps I think you're activating the same...I think they're hip flexors that are attached to your lower back...that cause your disks to separate or contract or something, causing lower back problems. I hope I can trade in the bike for something else, or sell it, after coronavirus.

 

[easysurfer]

I owned a recumbent exercise bike before but didn't like it. Yes, it does distribute the weight away from certain areas. However, for me seemed like the position pushed the blood flow away from my legs so my legs would end up feeling week. Others might have had better experiences but I went back to getting an upright exercise bike instead. As for indoor cardio, my best workout is walking on the treadmill. But that does get boring fast.

 

[Winemaker]

After I bought my recumbent bike, my knee flared up, and I never had trouble with my knees. So, when talking to my physical therapist when I had rotator cuff surgery, I told him my issue. He then told me that the body was made to have the legs underneath you, so that's where they should be when you exercise. He said they had no recumbent bikes on the property. When I took it to the curb, no one would even steal/take it.

 

[Boho]

That's another thing. I could walk 3-6 miles non-stop (pre-isolation) with no problem but my legs feel tired for the 3/4 to 1 mile the recumbent bike. I don't consider it regular cardio because of the significant feeling of resistance in the beginning, even with it on the second level out of 20. It has a weighted, magnetically adjustable wheel. Even with no resistance, just the position of my legs would probably make it feel like resistance training.

 

[easysurfer]

That's another thing. I could walk 3-6 miles non-stop (pre-isolation) with no problem but my legs feel tired for the 3/4 to 1 mile the recumbent bike. I don't consider it regular cardio because of the significant feeling of resistance in the beginning, even with it on the second level out of 20. It has a weighted, magnetically adjustable wheel. Even with no resistance, just the position of my legs would probably make it feel like resistance training.

Yes, the tire legs feeling with the recumbent. That's what made me cry uncle and get a normal bike.

 

[Masquernom]

On a related note, I once bought a recumbent bike for riding outdoors. First time I road it, my toes went numb. I did a little online research and found it's a common problem. Had to sell it.

 

[candrew]

An avid cyclist myself, this thread is of interest to me. I ride a road bike and do see several recumbent bikes on my daily rides. At times I've wondered if I might get to a point in the future where I can no longer ride a road bike safely and if a recumbent might be the solution.

 

[Dash man]

I’ve had back problems for years and bought a recumbent bike hoping it would help. It didn’t help my back at all and may have aggravated it some. I need to rid myself of it.

 

[stepford]

Wow, this thread is depressing me. I'm a fairly avid cyclist, but cervical disc problems in the last year have limited the amount of time I can spend with my head down and neck craned up (i.e. standard road bike body position). It's a bit better on my mountain bike where I've raised the handlebars to put me in a more upright position, but I've been looking for a way I could spend more time on the road bike (currently limited to about an hour - maybe an hour and a half if I'm willing to be sore for the next couple of days).

I'd been thinking about trying out a recumbent (though the thought of riding one in traffic scares me silly). While it would alleviate my neck issues it sounds like it might bring in a whole host of new problems I'd sooner avoid.

 

[Boho]

An avid cyclist myself, this thread is of interest to me. I ride a road bike and do see several recumbent bikes on my daily rides. At times I've wondered if I might get to a point in the future where I can no longer ride a road bike safely and if a recumbent might be the solution.

I was a member of a cycling forum for a while, related to my building a crank shortener for the recumbent bike (a whole other story). There seemed to be general agreement that balance is lost over time and at a certain point it's time to switch to a trike. I don't remember mention of moving to a recumbent bike at a certain age.

 

[Willers]

We have both a recumbent and a traditional bike (on a trainer stand). DW likes the recumbent but I can't stand being on it for more than 45 minutes and always have a knee ache the next day. I moved to the traditional exclusively now and can go for hours without an issue. Hope you find something that works for you!

 

[gerntz]

I prefer a recumbent. Easier on certain external appendages. No problems. Walk 4 miles the days I don't use it. No problems.

 

[ABQ2015]

I love my stationary recumbent bike that I have been using for more than 10 years. Before then, my back hurt after a few minutes using a regular stationary bike and my knees hurt using a treadmill. And the recumbent seems to be easier to adjust to my short legs. I am starting to have knee problems but hard to determine if this is just from age, the bike, or hiking steeper grades when on trips.

 

[Aerides]

On a related note, I once bought a recumbent bike for riding outdoors.

At times I've wondered if I might get to a point in the future where I can no longer ride a road bike safely and if a recumbent might be the solution.

I see those in bike lanes and figure they have to be far more dangerous than a road bike. The cyclist on those is generally lower than any truck driver, most car drivers too. I've never seen one without a big high flag on the back, but I don't think that's enough to make me ever feel safe on the road in one.

 

[madsquopper]

66 here, and I use a recumbent bike machine in the basement and also have a recumbent trike for outside. Love both of them and they are much easier on both my back and butt. The trike isn't "slow", I'm no speedster but can maintain a 15 mph pace indefinitely as long as it's not really hilly. Recumbents suck on hills, but the advantage of the trike is you can proceed at 2 mph without worrying about falling over.

My spouse also has one of these; we don't use them on roads (I will for a very short stretch if needed) but there are plenty of good trails in the DC area. Another bonus is we got the folding ones, and can put them both inside a Mazda 5 hatchback for vacations within driving distance.

 

[zinger1457]

Spotted someone this week going down the bike path on an elliptical bike. Don't see many of those around, it was a flat section and he was moving at a decent pace. Not sure what the drawbacks are to those type of bikes, looks comfortable riding in a standup position.

 

[eytonxav]

I've never used a road recumbent, but the stationary one in the gym was great, so I am a bit surprised over the negative experiences being reported.

 

[Dtail]

I used one in the gym when I was in my 40's without any issues, but could be being "only" in my 40's and had no generic back issues.

 

[COcheesehead]

I think a well fitted standard bike (road, mountain, gravel or cross) is better than a recumbent. Seek out a quality bike shop and pay for a fitting. Once you have a correct frame size, stem length, head tube height, etc, many of the ills that riders of improperly fit cycles complain of (numb butt, numb hands, neck, shoulder pain) all resolve themselves.
If you don’t know what size works for you or how you swap out components for a better fit, seek a professional. I got a bike fitting years ago and thought it was worth every penny.

 

[candrew]

I think a well fitted standard bike (road, mountain, gravel or cross) is better than a recumbent. Seek out a quality bike shop and pay for a fitting. Once you have a correct frame size, stem length, head tube height, etc, many of the ills that riders of improperly fit cycles complain of (numb butt, numb hands, neck, shoulder pain) all resolve themselves.
If you don’t know what size works for you or how you swap out components for a better fit, seek a professional. I got a bike fitting years ago and thought it was worth every penny.

+1

Some of those discomforts you mentioned are worn from time to time by cyclists as a badge of courage. In addition to having a properly fitted road bike, core strengthening exercises, proper form while riding and miles spent in the saddle will also help to lessen discomforts.

 

[Boho]

Also, if you get straps, get the Velcro ones. The plastic ones I got, to save a little money, are way too hard to get out of. I use the bike with sandals and slip my foot out of the sandals first, then manipulate the sandals out of the pedals.

Correction: I caught a glimpse of the original pedals and they have plastic straps that your foot doesn't get caught in. The problematic pedals were the full-foot ones with two plastic straps, one at the heal and one around the front of your foot. They kept my father's feet straight and worked well except they were way too hard to get out of. Too hard for my own feet too, but I've been too lazy to put back the original ones.

 

[Boho]

I continued to use the recumbent bike, but more carefully. I would start pedaling slowly on level 2 out of 20 for at least 1/2 mile, which does pretty well to prevent leg pain. Then I'd go a little faster for a couple tenths of a mile, then increase the resistance to 4-6 and speed up a bit for a couple more tenths of a mile. The momentum of the weighted wheel makes the resistance feel lower as you speed up. That seemed fine.

Three days ago, in the morning, I did a full flat-footed squat without warming up, which I think stretches my back muscles a but much. Later that day I went a little harder than usual on the bike, or maybe at the high end of the maximums I'd been doing. After the bike I did some pushups against the wall which I don't usually do, nowhere near my maximum. That evening, I felt two quick sharp pains in my back while standing over the bathroom sink, but my back didn't go out. My back started hurting the next day and for two more days.

So now I have to tweak things and go even further below my maximum, which I'd already felt I was nowhere near. It's like I can't even have fun on the bike by challenging myself. With a non-recumbent bike it would be more about my legs and I bet I could go all out.

 

[Speculator]

Recumbent or Conventional Bike?

I have used conventional stationary bikes for cardio exercise for decades in the gym and at home. One day at the gym, I noticed the recumbent bike and decided to give it a try. The position was more relaxed and I did not experience any adverse effects. What I did notice, though, was that when using the conventional stationary bike I was able to reach my target heart rate sooner than with the recumbent one. To me, that meant the recumbent bike did not work me as hard as the stationary bike even though I pedaled at the same speed. I toyed around with it for a while to see if I was doing anything different when on one or the other and it appeared I wasn't. So I now only use the conventional stationary bike when working out inside.

 

[Boho]

...when using the conventional stationary bike I was able to reach my target heart rate sooner than with the recumbent one. To me, that meant the recumbent bike did not work me as hard as the stationary bike even though I pedaled at the same speed.

That's interesting because about four years ago read that recumbent bikes are harder on the heart. On the other hand, the first thing I found just now was this:

"...recumbent stepping requiring less physiological effort than the upright stepping at the same [perceived exertion]"

I don't think I got it wrong though. I read a formal study that showed recumbent bikes are harder on the heart. Somewhere.

 

[F4mandolin]

Ex-recumbent rider....same bike indoors and out (Bacchetta Giro). Sudden problems out of nowhere killed off regular bikes (neck, saddle sores, hand numbness). Out of biking now because of too many close calls, but if I returned to biking it would be on a recumbent. Technically, I think there might be a slightly lower heart rate involved since you are barely using your arms. People who have a lower heart rate on the indoor recumbent bike, there is a simple solution, pedal harder. I've had a treadmill (tv in front of me) for over 20 years, although I've been fighting arthritis in my big toes for 6 years now....most of the time it's ok, but on a bad day walking uphill on the treadmill hurts a fair bit. Thinking about getting a Cybex Arc Trainer which I used to use in gyms.....expensive though. An Arc Trainer with arm levers is a better workout than the treadmill.....not much in the gym that works you harder.