Muscle Imbalance - Lower back burning feel then pain - Only when sitting down at Pc & Road Cycling/Racing

My left side in the lower back is alot more tight then my right my left hamstring isn't as flexible as the right so my muscle imbalance has done some damage to my leg already, had physiotherapy, got lots of exercises & stretches to strengthen my core to make them balanced again. I am also very flexible I've been told by Physiotherapy

I was wonder I sit the computer alot doing them exercises will I gain anything from them if I go straight to sitting down on the computer after the exercises?

Also when sitting with correct posture at the computer my lower back feels tired and I feel I really need to slouch again. Is there any support that help me sit up for longer without forcing my self to stay in the correct posture while pain? At the moment I have like a bean bag thing that helps me sit upright put it just below my shoulders so there is a gap between the chair and my back at the lumber spine so do I need something to sit at the lumbar spine so it can relax and not force the muscles to work?

When I very first went to the hospital for Physiotherapy the guy that interviewed me first clicked my back he said it was a natural painkiller my back felt fresh and had no pain for about 4 weeks until it came back I was wondering if I can have it clicked again if I was to go back or can it damage anything in the back if I was to keep having it?

Bumping......

Anyone posting or not?

Not sure what clicking is...did he do a mobilization or manipulation on you? Or something else? The best bet is to talk to your physio about the effects and side effects of that treatment.

Stuart McGill is a back researcher that has noted in his book Low Back Disorders, that sitting in one position is often not the best idea even if it is ergonomically correct. Shifting, moving, changing postures, especially if you have to sit for long periods of time, can help reduce repetitive type strain from holding one position.

I'm thinking you have a number of spine extension type exercises (you didn't specify) to help counterbalance all the flexed positions you find yourself in while sitting and on the bike. Definitely keep up with them. You need them. Think of being in flexion as a posture that puts pressure on one side of your disk for long periods of time, which can eventually lead to disc protrusion issues. The extension exercises usually work to put pressure on the other side of the disk, aiding in redistributing the inner disk material to where it originally was, taking the strain off the affected side of the disk. So make extension exercises part of your day and do them often. Consider walking sometimes instead of biking as it puts your spine in extension, so it would be a good change of pace for it.

However, if you have completely different exercises, talk with your physio that did your original and full assessment. They were prescribed to you for a reason. I'm only going by general patterns, as I can't actually assess what is really going on with you. So I'm not getting the full picture.

lumbar spine movement flexible in extension lacteal side flexion right side rotation restricted slightly compared to left rotation flexion is full of pain free straight leg raise and movement of hips are normal supine he does have elevated left crest over active tender left psoas quadratus lumborum palpation in of lumbar spine reveals general restriction over the left fascists of lumbar spine clinically mechanical lower back pain these certainly evidence of muscle imbalances marked over activity of there psoas quadratics lumborum

Thats is from the Physio.

Sounds like he gave me manipulation to the whole back. I just googled it to find out what it was. But that sounds like it. I felt so fresh when I had that done for 4 weeks. Then back started hurting again. Is there any risks of having muscle manipulation like damage to nervs or whatever?

Nope, as long as you don't have contraindications for it, like hypermobility, osteoporosis, spinal cancer, that sort of thing, you should have no issues.

Bumping this to see if there is anymore suggestions..

Come on guys been waiting so long...

Not sure exactly what else you want to know. You can go back to your physio and have at it without worries of being injured. You can do your exercises and sit back down again without worrying about them being effective or not because they should be. Lumbar support is good, as is moving positions as per Stuart McGill...

I have to go for a MRI Scan in 4-6 weeks. He said the pain could be a memory pain.. I'm so use to it, its like 2nd nature.. I don't see how this can be fixed?

When you're physio did mobilizations on your back and your pain went away, that's a pretty good sign that you have a mechanical issue going on, as the pain can be made to go away.

I'm assuming that your 'memory pain' is what is often called chronic pain. It usually doesn't just go away...

Go back to the physio that helped you out at the hospital. I think you're on the right track with the treatment that physio did for you. See if that physio can recommend someone for you to go to that does similar work. And try that.

Interested to see what the MRI results show.

Had MRI Scan last night went well no fear. Waiting for results 7-14 days.

Have a mild disk bulge. Going back this week to find out what happens next.

Slumped posture will get the lumbar spine 'stuck forward' at certain segments so that when you are manipulated the relief may be from those spinal segments returning to normal motion; once you spend time slumped at the computer and while riding, the segments will get stuck forward again; yes, sit with support behind your low back, unless you can 'balance' your spine - meaning hold a neutral posture without significant muscle contraction to hold you there a la kneeling chairs; pay attention also to the ergonomics of your desk - ideally sit in neutral posture, with feet on floor, your eyes looking straight ahead should align with the top of your monitor (generally speaking) and your arms should rest comfortably on the keyboard with it tilted slightly AWAY from you. If you are like my 16 year old son, your posture is horrible!! Pull your shoulders back, do plenty of lumbar extension stretches both lying face down and standing; look up iliopsoas stretches/hip flexor stretches as your prolonged sitting and biking will tighten these and also limit upright posture; the lumbar extension stretches will also help to control your bulging disc; not likely to need any surgery unless you have marked weakness/pain in the legs, or loss of bowl/bladder control - take this advice with a grain of salt but i hope this gets you thinking - SN

Have injections in 6 weeks time.