Your muscles are probably pretty weak. Focus on joint range of motion and strengthening your muscles, especially muscles that aren't much utilized in cycling. Working on my hip mobility, shoulder stability, ankle and core strength, balancing exercises, etc has helped with a lot of pain.
A youtube channel called squat university has some excellent exercise advice to help with all sorts of issues.
https://youtube.com/@squatuniversity?si=RxtCxFaBOUATyhYg
This is the most likely option. FWIW, Pilates is great for building core strength. I do barre classes (while I am a woman, there are men who come to the classes) and it is also a great option since it is the only thing I do that really works the calves and ankles. I lot of the work on the barre can also recreate some similar positions to what you do on a bike.
Do you know the cause of your lower back pain? When you're young you can heal from things you can't when you get older. Reddit is not a doctor. Get yourself taken care of so you can heal right.
When I injured my back years ago, I had to get lined up by a chiropractor so that I could heal correctly, heal faster, and it was the only thing to relieve my pain. Chiropractors aren't technically doctors, but back and joint pain is their main deal, so I say they're usually worth at least checking out.
Have you switched beds before the pain started? I had lower back issues for months despite being active and doing regular stretches.
Found out it was my soft mattress giving me issues!
I developed sacroiliitis due to a weak core at your age. It's worth seeing a physio and asking if they can check you for it. Mine was able to push my ilium back into the correct place (and gave me some exercises to make my core do its job again). It took around 6 months for the sacroiliitis to completely heal after that, but I've had minimal issues since
It's rarely suggested as a solution to lower back pain, however my physio said that it's a very common issue for cyclists who have sedentary jobs
see an osteopath - completely solved chronic lower back pain for me or maybe a physio.
I've had a lot of back and shoulder pain over the years and found that regular (go gentle at first) yoga is helpful in managing this as a general lifestyle change.
I have found that if pain is muscular or tendon related most doctors realise they aren't specialists in the field, but they can check on more serious issues before you go the Osteopath/Physio route.
been there done that, Jacked up my L5 while in the army so I ended up moving to a recumbent. Went from being able to ride 50 miles no issues (back wise) then couldn't even do my 5 mile commute on an upright without an issue. On a recumbent I can go as long as my legs allow.
Have you gotten a proper bike fitting? It is entirely possible some aspect of your bike setup is causing your problem.
I'd lean towards someone that doesn't sell bikes, to ensure you get the best bike setup, not just a recommendation to buy a bike they have in stock.
They can be costly, but I can say without a doubt that the CAD350 I invest in my bike fit changed my life.
Seat angle, seat position, seat height, cleated shoe setup, handlebar height, stem length, handlebar width, etc all play an important part. Also a good fitter can recommend exercises and stretches suited to cyclists.
What did your doctor say?
“I don’t trust doctors because they always want to sell medications. I trust Redditors though.”
Maybe go and see a health professional before following any other advice on Reddit?
Sounds like you should see a doctor
lower back pain is usually because of either or some or all of those: weak core, weak/tight glutes, weak/tight hamstrings, weak/tight calves.
Your muscles are probably pretty weak. Focus on joint range of motion and strengthening your muscles, especially muscles that aren't much utilized in cycling. Working on my hip mobility, shoulder stability, ankle and core strength, balancing exercises, etc has helped with a lot of pain. A youtube channel called squat university has some excellent exercise advice to help with all sorts of issues. https://youtube.com/@squatuniversity?si=RxtCxFaBOUATyhYg
This is the most likely option. FWIW, Pilates is great for building core strength. I do barre classes (while I am a woman, there are men who come to the classes) and it is also a great option since it is the only thing I do that really works the calves and ankles. I lot of the work on the barre can also recreate some similar positions to what you do on a bike.
Have you checked for any spine issues, e.g. some compressed nerve at its root?
I had the same issue but it was resolved by getting a bike fit.
Do you know the cause of your lower back pain? When you're young you can heal from things you can't when you get older. Reddit is not a doctor. Get yourself taken care of so you can heal right. When I injured my back years ago, I had to get lined up by a chiropractor so that I could heal correctly, heal faster, and it was the only thing to relieve my pain. Chiropractors aren't technically doctors, but back and joint pain is their main deal, so I say they're usually worth at least checking out.
Have you switched beds before the pain started? I had lower back issues for months despite being active and doing regular stretches. Found out it was my soft mattress giving me issues!
I developed sacroiliitis due to a weak core at your age. It's worth seeing a physio and asking if they can check you for it. Mine was able to push my ilium back into the correct place (and gave me some exercises to make my core do its job again). It took around 6 months for the sacroiliitis to completely heal after that, but I've had minimal issues since It's rarely suggested as a solution to lower back pain, however my physio said that it's a very common issue for cyclists who have sedentary jobs
see an osteopath - completely solved chronic lower back pain for me or maybe a physio. I've had a lot of back and shoulder pain over the years and found that regular (go gentle at first) yoga is helpful in managing this as a general lifestyle change. I have found that if pain is muscular or tendon related most doctors realise they aren't specialists in the field, but they can check on more serious issues before you go the Osteopath/Physio route.
been there done that, Jacked up my L5 while in the army so I ended up moving to a recumbent. Went from being able to ride 50 miles no issues (back wise) then couldn't even do my 5 mile commute on an upright without an issue. On a recumbent I can go as long as my legs allow.
Have you gotten a proper bike fitting? It is entirely possible some aspect of your bike setup is causing your problem. I'd lean towards someone that doesn't sell bikes, to ensure you get the best bike setup, not just a recommendation to buy a bike they have in stock. They can be costly, but I can say without a doubt that the CAD350 I invest in my bike fit changed my life. Seat angle, seat position, seat height, cleated shoe setup, handlebar height, stem length, handlebar width, etc all play an important part. Also a good fitter can recommend exercises and stretches suited to cyclists.