Over the years I have had more than my share of back problems. I had surgery on a ruptured L5:S1 and have had ongoing problems with bulging disks at L3:L4 & L4:L5. I went through physical therapy last year and learned a bit about the mechanics involved. My therapist was emphatic about not riding the bike when I am having issues. Basically, when you are sitting like we do on the bike you put an inordinate amount of pressure on the front of disks between those lower vertebrae. They tend to compress in the front and bulge in the back and that bulge presses against the sciatic nerve. Sitting at a desk all day staring at a monitor doesn’t help matters either.
The most effective exercise for me was what she called a lock and sag. Do a pushup and when you lock your arms, relax and drop your pelvis to the floor, exhale and relax some more. Let your pelvis sag and you are putting the pressure on the back of the disk. This helps shift the “gel†inside of the disk back towards the front, relieving the pressure on the nerve in the back. I did this at least 4 times a day, and it really did help the pain.
I also had problems with muscles spasms in my lower back as well because of the “compensation“ effect. (Muscles tensing to try to compensate.) For this, I got a TENS unit. I pasted some electrodes onto the muscles that I was having problems with and it passed a low voltage shock through them. Alternatively, there are muscle relaxers, vicodin or a lidocaine patch, but if it gets that bad, you definitely won’t be riding!
Talk to your Dr about getting a referral to a physical therapist. They deal with these sorts of back problems on a daily basis and are very good at working out a non surgical solution. Good luck with it.
