1. Who can use it?
For people with lumbar spine problems, mild lumbar disc herniation, or chronic lumbar muscle strain can try to ride simple stationary exercise bike training. The horizontal model with a backrest can reduce the pressure on the spine, and low-resistance cycling can also improve blood circulation in the lower back, but you need to make sure that the lower back always presses against the cushion. Elderly people can ride at low intensity only if they have no serious heart disease, history of joint replacement surgery or balance disorders, and if they have the ability to switch between sitting and standing on their own and have basic leg muscle strength.
2. Who can't use it?
Acute lumbar spine injury period (such as fracture, within 3 months after surgery or sudden lumbar sprain), severe osteoporosis, accompanied by numbness and weakness of the lower limbs with nerve compression symptoms, as well as patients with severe osteoarthritis of the knee joints, need to avoid the use of a fitness bike. The vibration or joint pressure during riding may aggravate the condition and even trigger vertebral compression fracture or nerve oedema.
3. How to choose a safe model for special people?
Horizontal exercise bike is the first choice, its wide seat and backrest can support the lumbar region and reduce the pressure on the lumbar vertebrae by more than 50 per cent. We recommend Schwinn 270 and other brands with heart rate armrests and emergency braking function. If you choose an upright bike, make sure the angle of the backrest is adjustable (≥100°) and the pedals are extra wide and non-slip, and avoid backless exercise bikes or folding models to prevent accidents caused by a lack of stability.
4. How to use it safely?
When debugging the equipment, the seat height of a simple stationary exercise bike should ensure that the knee flexion is≥ 150 °, the backrest needs to be completely close to the lumbar vertebrae, and a memory foam lumbar pillow can be added to fill the gap. When you start, hold the armrests with both hands, pedal at low speed for 3 minutes to warm up, and focus on the quadriceps muscle to avoid bending the back. Elderly people resistance gear not more than 3 gears (RPE self-sensing strain ≤ 4 level), lumbar patients single ride ≤ 15 minutes, the elderly ≤ 20 minutes, can be divided into morning and evening twice to complete.
But no matter what, if you ride a simple stationary exercise bike, you need to stop immediately if you have lumbar radiating tingling, stiffness aggravation, or lower limb joints popping accompanied by pain. If dizziness, cold sweat, shortness of breath, and other systemic symptoms occur, it may be postural hypotension or cardiopulmonary overload; one needs to be vigilant and seek timely medical attention.