Help an elderly man! Lower back pain only one side

[Calvin27]

Ok so I lied a bit, I am turning 30 this year but my body disagrees and thinks it's at least 50. Apologies lol, but I am asking for anyone who can help me fix my problem which is a very sore lower back when riding.

Symptoms:
- Soreness in right side lower back during rides. I used to think this was due to my MTBing and my inability to ride switch (left foot forward when jumping/absorbing bumps) but I have been doing climbs lately and I've realised it's the climbing that causes this.
- The left side is sore too but no where near as much. The left is pretty much fatigue, but I feel the right is something else.

Body stats:
- Plantar fasciitis on both feet, worse on the right. Currently managing well through lots of stretching and massage. Unlikely to be the problem.
- Right side dominant, currently not doing any right side dominant activities (tennis etc.)
- Hip and spine is pretty dead straight.
- Left leg is 1cm longer than right? This could be the problem but everything is all good when riding flats?

Hypothesis:
- Bike fit is fine, it's combination of posture and working (mouse etc) that is causing this.
- Get some wedges and fix up the cleats. That 1cm is the cause.
- Disproportionate power from right leg during climbs.
- Other: pay more attention to hand positions, recheck cleat alignment whatever.

If anyone has had similar symptoms what was the cause and how did you fix it? Thanks in advance.

[SuperSix]

What cadence are you riding at?

[Dr_Mutley]

Your right thinking its a fit thing... That's where the money will be... How do u know u have a short leg?

[Calvin27]

Cadence is something I am playing with. Normally about 90, moved to maybe 120 with no change in back pain. Better climbing though.

Chiropractor told me about the leg. A physio also mentioned it.

[lobstermash]

I had this issue trying to set up a new saddle, only the pain was on the left side. What solved it was refining the fit, starting with the saddle height, then setback to refine the angle of my back when relaxed in the hoods.

[Dr_Mutley]

"Observed" LLDs need to be taken with a grain of salt until proven radiographically... However u could try a shim and see what happens to the back pain. The first assessment Id make is whether you are sitting square on the saddle. U need to know whether u are sitting in the centre, or hanging off to one side. Also u need to ascertain if both hips are square or if one is rotated forward or back... Once u have gotten this right u can go ahead and workout saddle heights and positions...

[Nobody]

Usually it's saddle too far back and/or saddle too low.

[Calvin27]

I had this issue trying to set up a new saddle, only the pain was on the left side. What solved it was refining the fit, starting with the saddle height, then setback to refine the angle of my back when relaxed in the hoods.

How can I tell? The spesh foam thing only looks at static seat pressure. Dynamic is a bit more complicated. I'm leaning towards this as the main cause but have no idea how to oberserve, let alone correct it.

In the meantime I'll try play with saddle height.

[CXCommuter]

My right sided back issues appear related to glute under utilisation and tight right hip flexors (iliopsoas in particular) due to my right leg being my dominant/stronger side

When I stretch my ilioposas things dramatically improve, trying also to change my pedal stroke to use glutes more (failing so far).

[NeillS]

You need a proper bike fit.

[lobstermash]

I had this issue trying to set up a new saddle, only the pain was on the left side. What solved it was refining the fit, starting with the saddle height, then setback to refine the angle of my back when relaxed in the hoods.

How can I tell? The spesh foam thing only looks at static seat pressure. Dynamic is a bit more complicated. I'm leaning towards this as the main cause but have no idea how to oberserve, let alone correct it.

In the meantime I'll try play with saddle height.

The things you need to keep in mind are the leg angle (seat height), back angle (saddle setback and bar position/stem length) and plumb line from the tip of the knee to center of the ball of the foot at the 9 to 3 pedal position (saddle setback and cleat position). You can measure back angle using an app on your phone - at least, you can get someone to measure it for you using a phone.

[Calvin27]

Thanks for that lobster. The original fit was one of those specialized ones - slightly better than the average lbs but no steve hoggs.

I plan to pull the seat and cleats off and start again with the fit. I suspect the cleats might have moved, but maybe the seat has creeped too - not sure if they do that?