Bad back....

miss notax

Bugger

I have hurt my lower back (again) 3 days before we're off to Scotland MTBing. I have had problems with my back for years and last night I picked something up awkwardly and it went. Sitting down is ok but walking is really painful (and i'm walking in a very strange way :? ).

I have an appointment with the chiropractor tomorrow, but is there anything else I can be doing apart from shovelling ibruprofen? Cancelling Scotland isn't an option as we have booked hotels etc, and i'm not going all that way and not MTBing. So it's a case of damage limitation rather than not going!

Thanks

The Northern Monkey

deep heat and bananas. .

Don't ask me why bananas, just always been recommended to eat loads of them for cramp/muscle strains in rugby!

Deep heat massage from the OH!

miss notax

Fair enough - i'll give that a go! Thanks

Justdoit

I have the same problems as you and I use a tense machine. Pregnant women use them for the same reason they are brilliant. £15 in Boots

The Northern Monkey

Also, try some very light stretching as the pain resides... otherwise you'll end up very stiff when you get to riding

Ditch Witch

Try an osteopath instead of a chiro, maybe?

It was actually an osteo that worked out my problem was in my pelvis, not my back.

You should be much recovered in 3 days if it is just your back, though

robmanic1

I wouldn't have thought cycling will do your back any good at all, but only you know how painful it is so you have to judge it yourself. I suffered for a good few years but have been relatively problem free for a while now (touching wood), I was told that standing or lying down were best for recovery and that sitting was to be avoided.

If you can bear the pain (you are a woman so you should be ok!), dose up and take it, otherwise looks like you'll be spending the weekend on your back, and not in a good way.

Sh1t timing, hope you recover quickly.

miss notax

Thanks guys

Yup, not riding isn't an option so it's a case of making it as good as I can... Bananas, deep heat, and ibruprofen then!

Ditch Witch - yep, my chiro is very good and mine is actually a pelvis problem too (it twists around, last year trapping my sciatic nerve meaning that I had no muscle strength in one leg. Somehow I still rode though 8) )

Ditch Witch

Ooo, are you double jointed? That's why it happens to me. The sciatic thing happened to me too, after riding at Betsy-y-Coed a few years ago. Unbelievable agony.

You have my sympathies

miss notax

Ditch Witch wrote:

Ooo, are you double jointed? That's why it happens to me. The sciatic thing happened to me too, after riding at Betsy-y-Coed a few years ago. Unbelievable agony.

You have my sympathies

Bizarrely, pretty much yes (I could do the splits up until my 20's :shock: )!

Bloody agony isn't it. Saw the chiropractor this morning and - whilst it still hurts - she thinks it's actually looking ok so looks like MTBing is on! I'll dose up and give it a go and see what happens....

One thing that may help you - my chiro said I should take up pilates asap. I'll keep doing the mental stuff (MTBing, motorsport etc) but also start this to build up my core strength. Apparently there's less chance of your back suddenly 'going' if you do this.

Hope you're back stays ok!

passout

bigbenj_08 wrote:

deep heat and bananas. .

Don't ask me why bananas, just always been recommended to eat loads of them for cramp/muscle strains in rugby!

Deep heat massage from the OH!

Something to do with potassium maybe? The bananas I mean, not the deep heat.

Furkuk

I injured my back a few years ago. Fortunate enough to be in a scheme where I get free medical treatment for injuries. I was taught how to strengthen my back using core stability exercises. Some injuries are caused by weak core muscles and you will have to work on them. I use a exercise ball each day and do other exercises and it works. I feel that biking also helps it. Good luck
Ask your Doctors about core stability exercises, they normally have a sheet with them on or do a search on the net

Nik_B

pilates works wonders with backs apparently.

Ditch Witch

sarah75 wrote:

Ditch Witch wrote:

Ooo, are you double jointed? That's why it happens to me. The sciatic thing happened to me too, after riding at Betsy-y-Coed a few years ago. Unbelievable agony.

You have my sympathies

Bizarrely, pretty much yes (I could do the splits up until my 20's :shock: )!

Bloody agony isn't it. Saw the chiropractor this morning and - whilst it still hurts - she thinks it's actually looking ok so looks like MTBing is on! I'll dose up and give it a go and see what happens....

One thing that may help you - my chiro said I should take up pilates asap. I'll keep doing the mental stuff (MTBing, motorsport etc) but also start this to build up my core strength. Apparently there's less chance of your back suddenly 'going' if you do this.

Hope you're back stays ok!

I've done Pilates in the past, but just find it so unutterably boring I work on my core in other ways, though.

Good luck for the weekend!

miss notax

Thanks

Oh dear, doesn't bode well for the pilates then... I tried yoga years ago but only lasted one lesson because I found it too dull (not adrenaline fuelled enough for me )!

Hey ho :?

Nik_B

well I have a bad back and I wont go because it sounds like something women do after they've had a baby.

miss notax

I am going to try and persuade Chris to come with me to pilates by telling him that there will be lots of women there in lycra.

I won't tell him that most of them will be over 60...... (apart from me that is!)!

Nik_B

sarah75 wrote:

I am going to try and persuade Chris to come with me to pilates by telling him that there will be lots of women there in lycra.

I won't tell him that most of them will be over 60...... (apart from me that is!)!

I was almost about to change my mind untill I read the last bit...are you sure??? I mean really really sure?

miss notax

I shall bravely volunteer to go next week and report back!!

(and whether Chris comes with me again will be your answer!)

fastsuzi

after hurting my back 9 weeks ago and not been on bike or work since, i have done a lot of back research and seen physios and chiropractors and surgeon, if you need to see a chiro more than twice they cant help with you r problem once they have done there click thing its done, strength core exercises will help
but get yourself a copy of the mckensie book fix your own back, straight away and read it on the way to scotland

miss notax

fastsuzi wrote:

after hurting my back 9 weeks ago and not been on bike or work since, i have done a lot of back research and seen physios and chiropractors and surgeon, if you need to see a chiro more than twice they cant help with you r problem once they have done there click thing its done, strength core exercises will help
but get yourself a copy of the mckensie book fix your own back, straight away and read it on the way to scotland

What book?

blister pus

sarah75 wrote:

fastsuzi wrote:

after hurting my back 9 weeks ago and not been on bike or work since, i have done a lot of back research and seen physios and chiropractors and surgeon, if you need to see a chiro more than twice they cant help with you r problem once they have done there click thing its done, strength core exercises will help
but get yourself a copy of the mckensie book fix your own back, straight away and read it on the way to scotland

What book?

the mckensie book fix your own back

Treat Your Own Back: Amazon.co.uk: Robin A. McKenzie: Books

miss notax

Thanks - I was obviously having a blond moment and missed that :oops:

blister pus

We all get them, blonde or otherwise

miss notax

Hi guys

Just a quick update that I did indeed manage to ride in Scotland and had a FANTASTIC time! My back was fine and it was absolutely the best MTBing that I have ever done.

I am still grinning like an idiot today (although my legs are killing me.... :? )

Thanks for all the good advice last week

Steve_F

Glad you enjoyed it up here. Which trails did you do?

I've suffered with a bad back off and on for a while now. I went to the Chiro and really don't think cracking bones like that can be healthy. The bones in my back never clicked before and they do now. Not going there again unless there's no other option!

The one that really works for me is the core strength one. This fixed the problem by doing exercises every morning. When it was better I backed off and only did them when I could be bothered which set it off again.

I now do my exercises every morning (unless I'm hungover or seriously slept in) and although I can feel twinges every now and then it seems to be at a level where I can bare it and do whatever amount of mtbing I want.

Good luck!

miss notax

Steve_F wrote:

Glad you enjoyed it up here. Which trails did you do?

I've suffered with a bad back off and on for a while now. I went to the Chiro and really don't think cracking bones like that can be healthy. The bones in my back never clicked before and they do now. Not going there again unless there's no other option!

The one that really works for me is the core strength one. This fixed the problem by doing exercises every morning. When it was better I backed off and only did them when I could be bothered which set it off again.

I now do my exercises every morning (unless I'm hungover or seriously slept in) and although I can feel twinges every now and then it seems to be at a level where I can bare it and do whatever amount of mtbing I want.

Good luck!

That's good to hear. I am armed with a pilates DVD and have found out about classes at the gym. Bizarrely my back feels worse now sat at my desk than it did belting across Scottish mountains!

We rode Dalbeattie, Kirroughtree and Mabie (red routes) - and they were all amazing! Dalbeattie was my favourite, absolutely exhausting but very challenging and great fun!!

The Northern Monkey

Bizarrely my back feels worse now sat at my desk than it did belting across Scottish mountains!

Buy a cheap MTB frame, stick stands through the forks and rear dropouts, replace the handle bars with a keyboard.....

Or get a gym bike and stick the keyboard on that, but its not as fun

dentinator

tight quads and hamstrings can cause backache, and so can improper bike set up.

stretch and check set up worked for me

Steve_F

A day sitting at my desk is one of the worst things I can do too. I find that the cycling pain is just when it gets tired but the desk pain tends to last days.

The really bad one for me is hangover days where I spend the day in bed and on the couch. Really not sure why I ever bother drinking but it seems to keep happening!