I Know My Problem....How Do I Fix It?

Have you had a good pro fit done on the bike recently? Your style and position can change if you've put lots of time in.

Fixing it may take active practice--put a timer on your watch that goes off every 5 min (or whatever) and consciously relax the parts of your upper body.

That's what I had to do in order to un-do the Vulcan Death Grip I had on the handlebars the first few months I rode.

I've had chronic upper back pain on and off for 15 years.  The first time this happened I wasn't properly diagnosed for a year and my right shoulder blade was effectively locked to my back.   I had trigger point injections that allowed things to get better.  This is a last resort thing to do and I wouldn't recommend it at this stage.  When things gets out of hand these days, I go to physical therapy and have the trigger points worked out.  Somethings that has worked great is a gadget called a Theracane.  This is used for self-massage of trigger points.  With it you can work the trigger points (yes, you can make it hurt like hell all by yourself) and get them to loosen up.

Welcome to my world. So far, 35 -40 miles or 2 hours is my max ride. After that I'm thinking about chewing my shoulder off to get rid of the pain. When I get off the bike, no more problem. On a bad day I am unable to signal a left turn by the end of the ride. If I do a couple or three rides in a row like that, then I started hurting OFF the bike as well, and have to stay off 3-5 days to make it stop.

I went to a personal trainer, we worked on strengthening the rhomboids, and other back-related muscles (lots of rows, etc.) I have worked incredibly hard at building a strong core. That spot on my back still hurts, but it's a bit higher up now. I weigh 50# less though, so that was a bonus. 

I went to the chiropracter. I am apparently a complete mystery. I have the tightest back/spine muscles ever.  He did give me some ideas: two tennis balls tied in a sock, used to massage the muscles along the spine (put 'em on the floor and lay on them, sock holds them in position). Also downward dog/upward dog for flexibility. (I am not a flexible person). He also said that swimming would be good to loosen up as well as strengthen all those back muscles. This has indeed helped.

I just bought this book: http://www.triggerpointbook.com/  I haven't had it long enough to really tell you if/how well it works. I did sleep wrong the other day and my neck/shoulder tightened up and the triggerpoint massage technique loosened that up really well. If your chiro can show you where the triggerpoint is, you should be able to self-massage the muscle so that it releases. The diagrams shown in the book exactly match my referred pain pattern so that's a good start.

I am also one to shrug up and tighten my shoulders while riding. I have been concentrating a LOT on my training rides on keeping my shoulders down and relaxed. My LEGS get me down the road, not my shoulders. repeat repeat repeat...  Training rides go much better now, and I've been going farther, more comfortably.

On the other hand, I have a very challenging weekly group ride, and I don't have the attention to spare. It's hard work to just keep up, work to watch who's doing what so I'm riding safe in the pack, and by the end my shoulder usually hurts because I've been tense for almost 2 hours. It has been getting better though. Either I'm not as tense or the stretching, tennis balls, swimming, and strength training is all helping.

My next trip down fix-it lane is going to be with a cyclist physical therapist. I do have a strength imbalance left/right that I'm hoping he can help with. If there is a weak area that other muscles are compensating for, then perhaps he can find it and I can work on it.

You may also want to notice your posture at other times as well, not just on the bike. 50# ago I was a terrible sloucher at my desk at work - on the couch at home, etc, and being slumped down all the time weakens back muscles too. I'm better now, but still have to pay attention to posture. I still tend to scrunch up my shoulders which builds tension all through the upper back.

Hope my experience helps. I wish I could say, "Hey do this..." cuz then my problem would be gone too. Good luck. Perhaps someone else will have some magic for both of us.

I do the tennis balls in a sock, also.  This helps a lot.  I also have a contour pillow.  Trigger points aren't that hard to find.  Wherever you have a knot, that is a trigger point.

 I've been able to keep things in check, but I do wonder how I'll be in another 20 years.

Wow....great information.  I hate to hear that several people have the same problems that I do, but it is comforting knowing that others have dealt with the issue.

I am planning a trip to the physical therapist this week.  I also plan on using the two tennis balls trick.

I have an iron distance race coming up.....should I be worried about this thing locking up.....Kathy G. you completed an IM with this sort of issue?

I have the same problem, I've had a bad back for over 10 years.  I have been doing a lot of yoga of late and find that it helps, not only on the bike but in all other walks of life.  Heck, I have to stretch before getting out of bed in the morning just to stand up straight. 

For the shoulder problem, you need to concentrate on that one point ... and that alone until it becomes second nature in your riding style.  Make a concerted effort to be aware of your shoulder position at all times.  As soon as you feel those shoulder blades creeping up, extend the neck forward, drop the shoulders,  relax, tighten the abs in and lengthen the body.   This has helped me stay in the saddle for over 3 hours at a time without undue strain.  Of course, what works for me may not be work for you.  You can try it out and make alterations to your position as you go along.