Riding a bicycle with a herniated spine

Many people who are accustomed to an active lifestyle are very sensitive to some of the changes that a spinal hernia introduces into it. If a person is used to playing sports, is he allowed to ride a bicycle with a hernia of the spine? And if so, how to do it right, minimizing the risk of any complications?

A little about the disease

A herniated disc is a pathology characterized by the appearance of a specific protrusion of the contents of the disc between two vertebrae.

The formation of the disease takes place in several simple stages:

• the disk that performs the shock-absorbing function is deformed;
• pathological mobility appears in the intervertebral joints;
• the fibrous ring, unable to withstand the load, breaks;
• the nucleus pulposus or a significant part of it enters the gap.

Since the vertebrae are no longer cushioned, the load on the spine increases. In addition, the protrusion can compress vital structures.

This leads to the following symptoms:

• pain syndromeaccompanying sudden or simply unsuccessful movements;
• feeling of numbness or tingling in the limbscaused by pinching of the nerve trunks;
• violation of the ability to move due to a pronounced pain syndrome, which does not allow movement of full amplitude;
• dysfunction of the pelvic organs with advanced pathology.

Many doctors recommend that their patients engage in physical activity to cope with the disease. True, not everyone specifies whether it is possible to have a direct effect on the spinal column, which is the mistake. How does cycling affect the condition of the intervertebral discs?

Benefits of cycling

Many patients who have experienced spinal hernia ask if it is possible to ride a bicycle with this disease? Is there any benefit from such sports, and if the answer is yes, then what?

Benefits of cycling include:

• improvement of blood circulation throughout the body, thanks to which, including those suffering from illness, the vertebrae receive more blood and can recover faster;
• a bicycle will help a fat person lose weight, saving him extra pounds thanks to unobtrusive, but tangible physical activity;
• the ability to strengthen the cardiovascular system;
• in addition to improving blood circulation, the level of oxygen supply to tissues increases, hypoxia is eliminated, which can interfere with regenerative processes;
• cycling maintains the overall tone of the body, helping a person to be in good physical shape;
• a short bike ride has a good effect on the emotional background of a person, significantly improving his mood.

It turns out that cycling is useful for people with a hernia? It would seem that this is true, but after talking with doctors, you can learn about the other side of this popular and loved by many sports.

Negative influence

Many patients wonder why it is still unsafe to eat on a bicycle with a hernia? There are several reasons that contributed to the formation of such a view among doctors.

These include:

• Wrong posture

A person riding a bicycle is forced to sit, leaning forward and bending his back. Of course, such a position loads the spine, strengthening the muscular frame, which is good, but there is a downside. The intervertebral discs are pinched due to the tilt in the spinal column, resulting in a feeling of numbness and severe pain.

• load

Riding a bicycle with a herniated disc can lead to unwanted stress on the spinal column. Nevertheless, many doctors draw the attention of patients to the fact that physical activity must be strictly dosed, otherwise it will not bring benefits, but only aggravate the situation.

• Poor road quality

Having decided to engage in cycling, a person must carefully select routes for walking. The road should be as smooth as possible, without deep holes. It is necessary to avoid irregularities, since during the shaking the athlete jumps on the bike, which leads to a sharp alternating stretching and contraction of the intervertebral structures. As a result, not only a pinched hernia is possible, but also an incorrect formation of weak muscles, followed by the formation of a curvature.

• Sitting position

Intervertebral hernia is a disease that does not like a sitting position for a long time. And a person is still sitting on a bicycle, even though he is active at this time. Long-term maintenance of such a situation can adversely affect the development of the disease.

Definitely, like any other sport, cycling will not be useful if a person does it incorrectly.

May or may not

So is it possible to ride a bike if a person suffers from a vertebral hernia? Indeed, on the one hand, it is useful, but on the other hand, such a sport can only aggravate the situation.

Any doctor involved in the treatment of the disease will be able to tell that such a sport is allowed.

It is only important to observe a number of restrictions:

• do not ride a bike if the hernia shows even minimal signs of exacerbation, it is better to postpone doing this sport until a complete remission occurs;
• during classes, make sure to keep your back straight (this can be achieved both by willpower and with the help of a specially selected corset);
• avoid strong shaking, choose good roads for sports so as not to injure a sore spine (due to the lack of holes, exercise bikes that can be used in the gym are considered more useful for hernia than regular bicycles).

Hernia doctors are mostly negative about cycling. Such an attitude is fully justified, given the impact that exercises have on the spine. In this regard, it is still recommended to choose a more suitable method of physical activity, after consulting with the attending specialist. If you really want to do cycling, then you need to strictly dose the load, not allowing yourself to overstrain.