back pain - Any help tips?
chris
Since yesterday I'm experiencing intense pain in the lower back. I've just
come back from the Greek National Funboard Championchip that ran for 5 days
with 5 hours of strenuous sailing per day on average. I must have overdone
it a bit, since I never had this kind of back problems in the past.
The pain is pretty much constant with peaks when I try to bow or take my
back our of the "straight" position. I'm also having some trouble sleeping
at night if I dont find the right position and stay there - which isn't
always easy.
Has anyone had similar problems in the past? Could he/she post some
advice/tips as to what worked and what didn't? If this goes on another
couple of days I'll seek expert advice, but I'd like to hear from the group
first, since in many cases it brings up interesting viewpoint / tips that
can prove helpful.
Thanks to all!
Chris
GR-438
serc...@nospam.hotmail.com
PS. The Champinship was mainly formula racing (in 14-25knots of wind) with
the exception of 2 slalom races when the wind had picked up. The top 5 guys
were on starboard 175s and had a quiver of 11-10-9m2 sails. The most
difficult thing was that the course was _long_ and each course race took
about 55 minutes to complete. After that you had 5 minutes of rest before
the next one would start. Really exhausting..
Mr. Salvatore
serc...@nospam.hotmail.com says...
I had a similar problem some time ago.
Andreas Macke
Seriously, for short term relief, look up child's pose (I'm sure you
can find it on the Web in some tuturial; or else in a basic yoga book
at your library or bookstore). Spending a lot of time in child's pose
whenever things get tweaky will take pressure of the pinched nerve.
Long term, yoga, if practiced with care and realistic expectations,
can help you achieve more flexibility and a huge reduction in the
overall creakiness factor. Just don't think that you should be able to
achieve the degree of flexibility you will see in most people in a
yoga class; most males, especially if they've been athletic for a
while, simply won't be able go there for a long time, especially if
yoga is not their main pursuit but just something they do to keep
their body in shape for windsurfing.
Hope you feel better soon!
Andreas
Stergios Papadakis
>
> Chris
> GR-438
> serc...@nospam.hotmail.com
>
> PS. The Champinship was mainly formula racing (in 14-25knots of wind) with
> the exception of 2 slalom races when the wind had picked up. The top 5 guys
> were on starboard 175s and had a quiver of 11-10-9m2 sails. The most
> difficult thing was that the course was _long_ and each course race took
> about 55 minutes to complete. After that you had 5 minutes of rest before
> the next one would start. Really exhausting..
How many competitors were there, and where was it?
Stergios
Tom Whittemore
Go see your doctor, request physical therapy,
go see a chiropractor, and consider getting a massage.
Why all these things
1. doctor to relieve pain and reduce swelling and to rule out a slipped
disc.
2. physical therapy to restrenghen the injuried muscles.
3. chiropractor to straighten the back out.
4. massage to finish getting the knots out of the muscles.
I have had a bad windsurfing back for 4 years and currently
am in remission and use #3 and #4 every month.
I also exericise 1 hour or more every other day,
and use a high backed Dakine seat harness to spread the load.
Hope you feel better soon.
--
(\ ( Thomas M. Whittemore USWA/ABC ( sites:
{_\ ( East Greenbush,NY F2 Xantos/Axxis ( Saratoga Lk.
(__\ ( FIBERSPAR Gaastra/Rushwind ( Kalmus
{i__\ ( "911" racing on Equipe II US-TW ( Rio Vista
++^++++++ ( Adirondack Boardsailing Club ( AVON
Club Web site: http://www.abcsail.org
My Web site: http://www.members.global2000.net/~vikingsail/tom.htm
Mike F
population ) have the same problem. The cures -- until next time -- include
chiropractic adjustment, pain pills, NSAIDS, physicians, acupuncture,
stretching, strengthening, gutting it out, time, and bed rest. Presuming
there's no pathology (specific injury to disc, muscle, bone, ligaments, etc)
involved, the surest cure is the cheap one: time. It starts, builds, peaks,
then becomes tolerable again all in a matter of 5-7 days. The most effective
ways to mitigate an episode include chemicals and chiropractic; the best
preventatives (it will happen again) include stretching and strengthening.
The details are at your doc's office (the chemicals, adjustment,
acupuncture), the PT (the stretching and strengthening), and at the
bookstore in the "Back Pain" section.
One PT told me a good sign of nerve involvement is when lying down doesn't
shut it off. That, or the bed sags. If you feel ANY pain radiating from the
sore spot, especially down your legs, go straight to a physician.
I'll be curious: let us know when you're crawling, as in can't stand up. Bin
dere, dun dat. Suct.
Mike \m/
"chris" <serc...@nospam.hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:9grveb$2h2t$1...@ulysses.noc.ntua.gr...
Mike F
pain: stretching specific tight (short) muscles to prevent reoccurrence.
Tight hams and glutes cause literally millions of "bad backs", and proper
stretching will go a long ways towards "curing" the problem. I've also been
told (?) that too-frequent (another ?) chiropractic adjustment makes the
offending spinal joint too loose. There is also a simple, risk-free,
15-second solo maneuver which can avert an impending back spasm (that's what
most cases of "throwing out one's back" consist of).
Mike \m/
"Tom Whittemore" <vikin...@global2000.net> wrote in message
news:3B324C1F...@global2000.net...
dhef...@cais.net
wrote:
>offending spinal joint too loose. There is also a simple, risk-free,
>15-second solo maneuver which can avert an impending back spasm (that's what
>most cases of "throwing out one's back" consist of).
Mike - is the solo maneuver simple enough that you can share it with
us?
Don
Mike F
gently (as opposed to a sudden, more extensive, and more immediately
effective chiropractic adjustment) apply a corrective force to a mis-aligned
sacro-iliac (S-I) joint -- a VERY common cause of lower back pain. Caveats
include:
1. The problem may not be a misaligned S-I joint, in which case this would
not help.
2. It may be a nerve injury or impingement, a disc problem, a vertebra
injury, or a muscle injury, any of which could be exacerbated by exertion.
3. If it is appropriate, your PT or chiropractor should have shown it to
you.
4. It's just one VERY small pixel in the whole panorama of treatment for bad
backs.
5. Even the whole panorama is of little success with millions of "bad
backs".
6. Many studies of the three main types of treatment -- chemical,
chiropractic, and PT (strengthening & stretching) -- show that of the people
who get any benefit at all, about a third responds best to chem, a third to
chiro, and a third to PT.
7. This stretch is just a band-aid, employed when everything else has failed
and I feel or see a misalignment (after being taught to see and feel it).
8. You won't feel any real relief, because this stretch is intended simply
to reduce the strain on a muscle which is being overworked, not switch off a
full-blown spasm like a chiropractor can.
9. This should feel neither great (because its help, if any, is subtle and
gradual) nor the least bit painful (because that may exacerbate the problem
or could indicate other problems.)
That said, if this were something aggressive, ballistic (as in a bouncing
stretch or a sudden self-adjustment employing momentum), or tricky to do
properly (many stretches, like many weight-lifting moves, require very
precise technique to be safe and/or effective), I'd stop here.
NOW ... after all that ... the technique that seems to help relax the muscle
that spasms/cramps in MY back when MY S-I joint is misaligned, as diagnosed
by physicians and x-rays initially and detectable by visual observation (my
left front hip prominence drops low my right hip prominence [the bony
prominences on either side of my belly at my waist] as I stand in front of a
mirror and my back aches at my waist two inches left of my spine):
I lie on my back, relax my right led so it straightens out on the floor or
bed (a rolled towel or small pillow under my right knee feels good), raise
my left knee until I can lock my hands together behind my left femur at my
left knee, and try to lower/straighten my left leg while my shoulders and
arms resist at full strength. I hold this isometric effort for 10-15 seconds
a few times a day, and hope it draws the misaligned S-I joint back where it
should be. If it doesn't, that little muscle that aches from trying to
realign the S-I joint all my itself may ultimately go from ache to acetylene
torch as though struck by a bullet the next time I tie a shoe or pick up a
sock, as it gives up and just goes into total spasm to teach me a lesson.
Once mine does that, I have only four ways to switch off the acetylene
torch: lie down on a good bed, sit in a good car seat (I'm the average 5-10
guy car seats are designed for), get a chiropractic adjustment, or hook in
on a plane (after someone carries my gear to the water).
That's a lot of prose for such a simple procedure, but I think every comment
is important, for self-evident reasons.
Mike \m/
<dhef...@cais.net> wrote in message
news:3b3298ef....@nnrp-corp.news.cais.net...
Endo
episode!
Endo
chris
Even though I didn't (yet) try Mike's maneuver, my back's getting a lot
better. More than 48 hours have passed since the "peak" of the pain (and
that was early in the mornnig 2 days ago, as if triggered by an awkward
sleeping position) and now it looks as if the pain has totally disappeared.
Even so, I'll refrain from the water this weekend (I'll have to be self
disciplined on that one...) and gradually re-enter my regular training
routine (weight training, mtn bike).
I thought I had a strong back (I practice specific back strengthening
exercices) but in the future I'll take more care.
Thanks to all of you for the precious tips, once more this newsgroup has
proved of great help!
P.S. For Stergios, the Greek Funboard Nationals are held once year at a
specific venue (that changes from year to year). This year it was in Rio, a
small village near Patra. There were about 35 competitors mainly from
Athens, Salonica and Patra. I finished 18th. Main difficulties were changing
winds and _strong_ currents.
Chris
GR-438
bsin...@straub.net
>If you feel ANY pain radiating from the
> sore spot, especially down your legs, go straight to a physician.
>
>
> Mike \m/
Minor correction: If you feel weakness in either leg or bowel/bladder
dysfunction go immediately to the ER. Radicular pain will still most
likely respond to conservative treatment. Weakness implies nerve
damage. Odds of restoring function drop rapidly with time.
bs
Tom Whittemore
every morning when i wake up I stretch my back
and one instructor I know did a 40 minute stretch session at the king of
the cape.
Bill
1. Let it fully recover before resuming activity. At least two
people have related lifetime chronic problems from pushing through
pain.
2. Get a knowledgable observer to check your form. Esp. pumping but
even mundane activity such as downhauling, sitting, car seats, use of
rowing machines, fit of your seat harness, etc.
3. Learn to protect your back by daily stretching of the entire body
and developing certain muscles in the gym. Esp. abs and erector
spinae. Hatha Yoga instructors, some runners, and trainers can help a
lot. You might even find a few stretches that relieve your discomfort
immediately. Do not stretch your back directly without supervision!
Rather, stretch the legs and hips to relieve the lower back. Better
to do one leg at a time. Make certain you get expert help, e.g.
physiotherapist.
"chris" <serc...@nospam.hotmail.com> wrote in message news:<9grveb$2h2t$1...@ulysses.noc.ntua.gr>...
chris
some exercises for correct back stretching) it's already getting better.
Chris
"Bill" <utt...@netscape.net> wrote in message
news:abfd3735.01062...@posting.google.com...
PoPuP
That is the only way you will know whats wrong with it. Before you start
stretching or physio routine, get the problem diagnosed first.
The physios and Chiros or Homers Garbage can are all good, but you need to
know whats going on first.
chris <serc...@nospam.hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:9grveb$2h2t$1...@ulysses.noc.ntua.gr...
Mike F
what is radicular pain?
Mike \m/
<bsin...@straub.net> wrote in message
news:91ff41a1.01062...@posting.google.com...
Mike F
the morning. It had to do, if I recall, with the level of disc distension
in the AM, and the recommendation was that backs should be stretched much
later in the day.
Mike \m/
"Tom Whittemore" <vikin...@global2000.net> wrote in message
news:3B331B90...@global2000.net...
bsin...@straub.net
> Is there a way we can distinguish weakness from mere pain avoidance? And ...
> what is radicular pain?
>
> Mike \m/
>
Good points, I'll paraphrase. 1) You can't always tell weakness from
pain avoidance, and if in doubt, you should seek medical attention.
2) Don't use jargon, Brian. Sorry. My bad. Radicular pain is doctor
speak for the kind of pain Mike described in his earlier post
radiating down into the leg.
Re: "Go to a doctor and get a scan (MRI/CT)"
Since I make my living reading these things, I would profit a great
deal from this suggestion. You could also argue that since most back
pain goes away on its own, there is no reason to image anyone with
acute pain and no weakness. The truth is somewhere in the middle.
bs
Mike F
Mac
In addition to all the advice about back stretching, get an Easy-Uphaul for
windsurfing. You mentioned that people were sailing 9m, 10m and 11m sails.
These are big sails and can easily pull a back muscle while uphauling, (not too
many sailors waterstart them.) Also, during the five minutes between races
Beth Powell tells me that she stands on her board, hooked in to the
Easy-Uphaul, leans forward and stretches her back against the Easy-Uphaul.
Oooh! feels good right on the water.
Also, now that you are recovering from a back issue, the Easy-Uphaul will
prevent a relapse and allow you to go out earlier than otherwise. Since you
can lift the sail without your hands (you simply lean back against the
Easy-Uphaul) there is no back strain.
I am biased, since Easy-Uphaul is my company, but doctors, chiropractors,
Mike Gebhardt and Beth Powell have all told me that the Easy-Uphaul is great
for the back.
You can find it in most windsurfing shops, or you can see photos and learn more
and order it at www.easy-uphaul.com.
Stay in the lead,
Mac Barnes
frusdniw
> and order it at www.easy-uphaul.com.
Mac,
I saw your ad in a windsurfing mag and tried to view your site, but wasn't able to.
I'm still not able to. I've tried to ping it from a machine in Montana, one in San
Jose, CA and
one somewhere on the east coast (NJ, I think). It just tells me the host doesn't
exist.
Hans
Jack (Sarasota)
raising after starting my timer for a race. Makes lifting my 9.5 a
piece of cake.
Mac,
I bet more people would get them if they were a little cheaper. :)
Jack (Sarasota)
"Mac" <m...@easy-uphaul.com> wrote in message
news:3B37E337...@easy-uphaul.com...
Mike F
mpr
"Jack (Sarasota)" <jack.t...@access.gov> wrote in message
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