Client present with nagging back pain on their right hand side after a ride round QE park, no other symptoms, no real incident that triggered it, but got worse when engaging their core.
They were holding themselves a little fun as a result when they came in, and their breathing appeared quite shallow.
We tested their intercostal muscles initially, and found issues with all but the lowest pairs.
Looking at the diaphragm, we found the left side to be overactive, but the right side was fine. 🤔
The diaphragm works in unison with the pelvic diaphragm (or pelvic floor) as well as forming part of the intrinsic core. I asked if they had landed on the saddle hard at any point in the ride. They hadn’t, but the dropper post did stop working shortly after starting out. 🤩
This had changed how they were positioning themselves on the bike, and could possibly mean the saddle would come into contact with the perennial area more than usual when trancersing the rough stuff.
We investigated the pelvic area (again, clients do this themselves, I merely instruct) to find the right deep transverse perineal muscle and the right levator ani under active.
With client directed release and activation, we were able to get everything working again, the ache to dissipate, and the intercostals came back on line, meaning a full lung full of air was possible again.
Homework and breathing drill progressions will be essential to moving this forward for them, but a trip to the bike shop to get the dropper sorted might also be a good idea.
Suffering from aches and pains others struggle to resolve? Drop me a line 😊
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