Back pain, NOT lower back, kind of on my back lats, a few inches out from the spine on each side HELP!

And it seems to not happen if I am "active" on the bike, like riding too fast tensing up my core, or fighting a heavy wind. If I just sit relaxed on the bike, the pain is almost unbearable even with 600mg of ibuprofen.
This is killing me because I can't just sit and relax for a nice ride, and I don't think there is any way I can do my long trip this spring if this continues.
This is a new pain since the past several months, I did a 2200 mile trip last year on a different bike and only had base of neck pain, since then if anything I have gotten in BETTER shape by dropping 50lbs.

I have changed seats from Sargent to OEM, my butt is much happier but no change on my back
I have done ROX risers, I can't really say if they improved the situation with this particular pain at all, but I don't think so.

I have tried sitting more forward, sitting further back, the ONLY things that seem to prevent it, are things that keep my core muscles engaged.

Does this just mean that I need to build my core strength? I am definitely no weaker in that respect than I was before and I didn't have this pain.



*I also get this pain sitting up without back support even on a chair. The only thing that makes it go away when it gets bad is laying flat on my back.
It only seems to happen when I am stationary and my core muscles aren't engaged.

Simple solution seems to be, keep my core engaged

But that isn't going to make a long road trip enjoyable if I can't just enjoy the ride and have to concentrate on squeezing my abs lol.

I had a pain that sounds very similar to your son previous bikes I owned when I sat up too tall and kinda.... how can I describe it....relaxed. When I scooted my butt back and leaned more forward to reach the bars it alleviated the pain. Also had it on my Royal Star with the stock bars. Switched to mini-apes and the pain went away. Then I switched to beach bars and still no pain. Went back to stock and the pain came back. Weird.

I think the bike makes you slouch, I do it, I have to remember not to. I have extenders fitted (1 up 1.5 back) these help, but posture is the problem here, have to re-learn how to sit. But leaning forward, with butt back may help.

FIrst of all, see a doctor and/or chiropractor.....motorcycle forums (or gun forums, or brewing forums, or jeep forums, etc.) are probably not the best place to seek medical advice.

That said, I found this makes my back much happier on long rides: https://www.backaline.com/collections/motorcycle-riders

I had some upper back pain on longish rides on my S10. My solution was new handlebars with less of a swept back angle. ProTaper Raptor bend.

I agree with what’s already been said and I have struggled with low back pain for a long time so finding what’s comfortable and knowing my limitations is key.

I’ve also noticed a similar new back pain that feels more muscular than spine/nerve related. I could almost put my elbow on it, low lat muscle. I contribute this to my now more upright seating position compared to my former FJR and K75.

Once I got my seat comfortable I looked for other fixes, kinda the same with windshields.

I tried bar risers and that made it worse. I tilted my bar fwd which straightened my arms and back more. This helped but took a bit to get use to. Fixing the bike to fit you is part of it I think, same with car seats with me, even furniture.

I needed to straighten my back on the bike to eliminate this, “cramp”.
Something I did Saturday was raise my fork tubes 3/8” and moved my bars back just a bit. I was happily surprised by what this minor change did. Rode all day Sunday and without the “cramp”. Related? Hard to say, combination of all little tweaks, probably so and my body adjusting to the bike. Try different things and see what works.

Core strength has been mentioned and would help everyone including me.

Good luck.

If I know I'm going to be out on a longer (300+ miles) day-ride, I will wear my "Back-Support" Band.
The one I have is an older, cheaper, fabric and Velcro one that has support bars made into it at the lower back area.
It keeps my back aligned better (I slouch on the bike too) and helps with lower back discomfort, especially if there is going to be long sections of slab work ( the worst for back/butt pain ).
If I'm riding mostly twisties, my back never gives me any grief, cause I'm constantly moving around on the seat.

I wonder if a fixed driver's backrest might be enough to make your body remember to straighten up. I really liked having the backrest on my Royal Star. That bike made me slouch. Haven't noticed any back issues on the Ten though... tail bone for sure, back is good.

jbrown said:

I had some upper back pain on longish rides on my S10. My solution was new handlebars with less of a swept back angle. ProTaper Raptor bend.

Click to expand...

Funny because I was the opposite. I fitted protaper raptor bend bars and got shocking upper back pain. Went back to OEM and it went away. Everyone is different I guess

Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

I am going to try to find some take off OEM DRZ400SM bars (Renthal Fatbars, CR High bend) for cheap. I have seen them for 40 bucks used and I have always liked the feel. We shall see if they make the situation better or worse.

My plan of attack is

1. Start going to the gym again and work on core strength, particularly, my lats
2. get a lumbar belt (I was thinking about trying one before this thread)
3. talk to a Dr, my neighbor is a chiropractor, at least see what he has to say, then go from there.

The only thing that makes me doubt a lumbar belt is that the pain isn't in my lower back... But perhaps keeping my lower core all together tight will help?

I regularly ride long distances of over 1000 miles per day and often day after day. I've never considered it a chore to look in my mirrors every few seconds or so. I even check the speedo every now and then, plus the fuel gauge and have a sip from a camelbak when I feel like it or think I should.

What's so onerous about checking your grip and posture, wriggling about, taking a hand off the bars, stretching your legs out or even standing up on the pegs occasionally? I routinely do an exercise program* on the bike every 30 mins - 24 hours per day if riding through the night. I feel better and the process keeps me engaged and, um, my "core" as you say, is doing what it is supposed to do - all for free.

Go right ahead and do some of the above mentioned things like change the bars, add some risers, change or buy a new seat, get back rest, whatever. Go to the gym by all means and get some exercise and even continue your so far excellent weight loss. That is great but that is non-specific. Maybe the velcro belt will help, maybe it won't, but you have noted that the belt doesn't seem to cover your are of concern. Anyway...

I'd suggest finding an interesting route, staying engaged with the ride, be active and not just passively slouching yourself along with your brain and body turned off on your upcoming trip.

* Squats, pullups, pushups, biceps curls, flyes of various kinds, side bends etc; stretches for forearms, pecs, lats/rear delts, rhomboids, traps/neck, hamstrings, calves. My quads never seem to need a stretch on the bike.

thughes317 said:

FIrst of all, see a doctor and/or chiropractor.....motorcycle forums (or gun forums, or brewing forums, or jeep forums, etc.) are probably not the best place to seek medical advice.

That said, I found this makes my back much happier on long rides: https://www.backaline.com/collections/motorcycle-riders

Click to expand...

Peter
B.Medicine, B. App Sc (Human Movement)

And I'm not selling anything.

I came down with severe back pain back in 2001 at 34 years old, despite being in athletic shape. It was also muscular pain, toward the sides and not spine related. X-rays looked fine, and months of chiropractor did nothing. The muscles were tight and prone to spasm and would trigger in certain positions, in the office chair and especially when sitting on a curb or stair. This would occasionally lay me up in bed, unable to roll over. (This was before I ever had a motorcycle.)

I dealt with this until 2006 when I finally figured it out. I had remained pain-free during a 3 week vacation to Australia. As soon as I returned, so did the pain. This helped narrow it down to coffee. Not the caffeine, since I still had other sources of that, but apparently some herbal component. I also noted that too much red wine also triggered the spasms. I mentioned this to my dad, a biochemist. He thinks the common factor may be tannins. I love coffee, but later incidents confirmed the issue, so I don't drink a drop. I remain fine to this day, going to the gym regularly, running, ADV riding dirt bikes and S10, rock climbing, etc.

Later, I also connected upper back and neck tightness to soft drinks, especially Diet Coke. In fact, I broke down this week drinking excessive root beer, and at the moment it hurts to lower my head. Lest you think it, there is nothing psychosomatic about these observations.

So while I'm not saying these specific things are your issue, you might consider your chemical intake. Try a 2-3 months without coffee, hard alcohol, wine, soda, excessive sugar, nicotine, or whatever your vice may be. It made such a big difference for me that I feel it's a good idea to at least mention this to sufferers in case even a single person can resolve their severe pain.

^^^^ Food /drink intake may well be a major contributor. I suffer from really bad back pain from time to time (bad back is constant though), then I realise my water intake has been falling for a few days, normally over weekends. My 7-9 cups of coffee per day has nothing to do with it

OX-34 said:

I regularly ride long distances of over 1000 miles per day and often day after day. I've never considered it a chore to look in my mirrors every few seconds or so. I even check the speedo every now and then, plus the fuel gauge and have a sip from a camelbak when I feel like it or think I should.

What's so onerous about checking your grip and posture, wriggling about, taking a hand off the bars, stretching your legs out or even standing up on the pegs occasionally? I routinely do an exercise program* on the bike every 30 mins - 24 hours per day if riding through the night. I feel better and the process keeps me engaged and, um, my "core" as you say, is doing what it is supposed to do - all for free.

Go right ahead and do some of the above mentioned things like change the bars, add some risers, change or buy a new seat, get back rest, whatever. Go to the gym by all means and get some exercise and even continue your so far excellent weight loss. That is great but that is non-specific. Maybe the velcro belt will help, maybe it won't, but you have noted that the belt doesn't seem to cover your are of concern. Anyway...

I'd suggest finding an interesting route, staying engaged with the ride, be active and not just passively slouching yourself along with your brain and body turned off on your upcoming trip.

* Squats, pullups, pushups, biceps curls, flyes of various kinds, side bends etc; stretches for forearms, pecs, lats/rear delts, rhomboids, traps/neck, hamstrings, calves. My quads never seem to need a stretch on the bike.



Peter
B.Medicine, B. App Sc (Human Movement)

And I'm not selling anything.

Click to expand...

The problem is some of the really long rides, there isn't much choice as far as interesting routes. Heading to Colorado from Austin there is a pretty much unavoidable multi-hour highway slog, and the back pain can start as soon as 10-15 minutes into the ride.

My plan right now is
1. Gym to build core, focusing on my back, particularly my lats (but not only my back and lats obviously)
2. Keep going on weight loss, I have another 10lbs to lose, I am close but not 100% where I want to be yet
3. Bars. I have ROX risers, they didn't seem to make any difference bringing the bars up and back. I am going to try moving them forward to see if leaning in more helps.


Staying engaged with the ride DEFINITELY seems to help, well, not even seems, it does for sure help. I can make the 60 mile ride with little to no pain if I am riding like a dick or there is a heavy crosswind. Even just tensing my core prevents the pain.
/\ That is why I am focusing on building core muscles, in hopes that a stronger core will support better and keep the pain away without having to actively tense my core up the whole time. This is also one of the reasons I am going to try moving the bars up, to make me lean in, forcing me to be more engaged.


Stretching doesn't seem to help. Direct pressure on the affected area seems to help. Keep in mind this is a pain that ALSO comes sitting stationary not on the bike, and when my wife used her fingers to REALLY push on it and rub, it seemed to relieve it a bit. But I think I would look funny laying on the ground using a foam roller alongside the highway

I don't think seat so much, because I started to have this pain on my Vstrom and it had an aftermarket seat, and it has continued on my S10 with both the Sargent it came with and the OEM seat that is on it now (that is much more comfortable to me)

Strangely I never had the pain on my Fury which was a chopper. My arms were close to straight forward but I was leaning way forward (relative to my leg position which was way out front)



As for a back rest, does anyone know of one that works on a stock seat S10? To me that's worst case scenario but I want to look at it in case.

I'm going to echo two of the things mentioned. First would be to try a handlebar that is flatter. The only reason I've kept the stock bar is that I'm cheap, but I sure have liked the flatter bars I have tried on a couple of other forum member's bikes.

The other for long distance is that I actually watch the clock and have a routine that happens on the hour, then at 20 and 40 past. I stand on the pegs for at least a mile, twisting as much as possible at the waist and twisting my neck, sit and then for a mile put my left hand on the rear passenger grab bar, then set the cruise and put the right hand back there for a mile. It also feels good to run a mile with a leg on the crash bar then switch. Probably look like a fool but add it up and I'm stretching & out of the saddle for nearly 15 minutes an hour.

Checkswrecks said:

I'm going to echo two of the things mentioned. First would be to try a handlebar that is flatter. The only reason I've kept the stock bar is that I'm cheap, but I sure have liked the flatter bars I have tried on a couple of other forum member's bikes.

The other for long distance is that I actually watch the clock and have a routine that happens on the hour, then at 20 and 40 past. I stand on the pegs for at least a mile, twisting as much as possible at the waist and twisting my neck, sit and then for a mile put my left hand on the rear passenger grab bar, then set the cruise and put the right hand back there for a mile. It also feels good to run a mile with a leg on the crash bar then switch. Probably look like a fool but add it up and I'm stretching & out of the saddle for nearly 15 minutes an hour.

Click to expand...

Flatter up and down or straighter across?

Checkswrecks said:

I'm going to echo two of the things mentioned. First would be to try a handlebar that is flatter. The only reason I've kept the stock bar is that I'm cheap, but I sure have liked the flatter bars I have tried on a couple of other forum member's bikes.

The other for long distance is that I actually watch the clock and have a routine that happens on the hour, then at 20 and 40 past. I stand on the pegs for at least a mile, twisting as much as possible at the waist and twisting my neck, sit and then for a mile put my left hand on the rear passenger grab bar, then set the cruise and put the right hand back there for a mile. It also feels good to run a mile with a leg on the crash bar then switch. Probably look like a fool but add it up and I'm stretching & out of the saddle for nearly 15 minutes an hour.

Click to expand...

I do this.

When I first get on the bike and it happened very often on the FJR especially in the morning my hands would go numb and my back would stiffen up.
I might ride 30 miles like this or less but I would make a point to get off, walk around a bit, get back on and everything became hunky dory.
Almost like my body had to realign, weird.

The thing is, its not a matter of getting off and stretching once in a while as the pain starts 10-15 minutes into the ride. The only things that seem to relieve it are laying flat on my back or sitting upright in a chair with a pretty vertical full back. Which makes me think its an alignment issue but the pain is to the sides of my back and not on the spine.

I don't stop to do all that stretching.
Flatter straight across, but far enough back to allow you to sit upright.