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For you guys with back problems


ATXZJ

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Currently dealing some lower back issues and starting to look at the next steps of recovery. Have a couple questions for you that I'd appreciate any insight you could provide.

Thanks!

  • What are you currently dealing with or have dealt with in the past?
  • What did you do to resolve?

 

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make your back stronger! drugs and stretching are not enough. hit the floor and do crunches, planks, deadlifts, bridges, lunges, and squats until you can't do any more. then do it again the next day. I learned this by going to several chiropractors over the years when it would flare up, until Dr. Brad Holden got ahold of me and mostly just made me work out in the gym at his office three days a week. before that, I got to the point that I could not ride for 30 minutes without paralyzing pain sending me home.

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not just your back but your entire core - could be imbalance or weakness elsewhere.

It's not a short road but working to improve your core can help a LOT and it'll pay out not just in preventing lower back issues but numerous others, can also help your legs apply more power to the pedals too by giving them a better "root" to push against.

Consider a PT for a limited period of time for assessment and guidance on getting good behavior going, if possible.

i really need to motivate myself to get back to the gym for that stuff ... been such a slacker this past year and so. ;^(

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I don't have anything diagnosed but I've dealt with upper back/neck pain (desk jokey malady) and lower back (slacking on core).  Both can be debilitating.  I'll second everything everyone has said about hitting the core regularly.  I'll add that riding trails like 1/4 notch regularly (2+ times a week which I haven't done in months) seems to keep my core decently fit.  So it doesn't necessarily have to always be a soul breaking indoor workout necessarily.  Not just your regular crunches but lots of hamstring, glutes, and hip flexor stuff, Pistol squats, Hungarian squats, lunges, stretching, et.

When it's irritated I'll have an extra beer/wine/drink and use the heating pad or moist heat if available.

Did they say your bulging disks are congenital or from posture/injury?  That can make a difference in the approach.

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Thanks for all the feedback! This has certainly been and eye opening experience.

I think most of my issues are due to wear and tear. Was a pretty hardcore skateboarder up until my early 20s, then mechanic/fabricator and raced & crashed cars. Followed that by a desk job while also home fabricating and crashing my jeeps through my 30s. Been into MTB for about 9.5 years and have resumed working with my hands for the last eight. Lots of lifting and out of position work. I'm 48 now and feeling it.

Regular at gym including core, but suspect i was doing the wrong exercises and just making everything worse. Typical. MRI showed some of the usual spinal degradation to be expected for someone in my condition. Finally got insurance approval for PT and start tomorrow. Been doing the DIY home rehab assigned to me and that seems to be helping. The pinched nerve really, really sucks though and has been making me miserable for going on three weeks. Currently on gabapentin, methocarbamol and some RX tylenol and want off all of is as soon as possible. Never had to take any RX drugs in the past. 

I know some consider them a bad word but what's your experience with chiropractors?  

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chiropractors can be good if they focus on physical therapy. IME, most of them are not quacks, but they are fighting an old reputation as such. Brad Holden at Health First is a cyclist and a lot of his clients are among the ASS crew. I can't justify going to him any more because he doesn't deal with insurance, so you pay full price for services.

I've had good experiences with Endeavor for physical therapy. I'm still nursing a left shoulder/ neck issue but I could barely ride at all this time last year.

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4 hours ago, ATXZJ said:

Currently dealing some lower back issues and starting to look at the next steps of recovery. Have a couple questions for you that I'd appreciate any insight you could provide.

Thanks!

  • What are you currently dealing with or have dealt with in the past?
  • What did you do to resolve?

 

airrosti was very helpful for me. I normally am skeptical of all things like that. But they did a little massage and exercises and my problem went away fast.

I do a lot of jiu jitsu and flexibility and strength training to build the core really help a lot.

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For what it’s worth I seem to get a pretty painful low back flare up every couple years going on about 10 years now and the successful ticket for me for the last 3 episodes has been a steroid dose pack to get rid of the inflammation (after the second day of this 90% of the pain gone), then routine of core work out prescribed by a PT, followed by losing 20-30lbs.  I then feel great, keep up the routine regularly for about six months and get lazy again. My flare ups seem to always happen around the holidays when my allergies start and I’ve had to go on multiple long road trips. I can’t help but think if I just kept the weight off and kept up with the core work I’d save myself a lot of misery! Hang in there brother, I’m currently feeling your pain and need to suck it up and go to the doctor to get the process started!

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9 hours ago, 4fun said:

...followed by losing 20-30lbs.  I then feel great, keep up the routine regularly for about six months and get lazy again. My flare ups seem to always happen around the holidays when my allergies start and I’ve had to go on multiple long road trips.

The holidays, 20-30 pounds... I think there's a connection there.

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44 minutes ago, AustinBike said:

Yeah, I'd say losing 50 really changed my biking 1000%. It was a long journey but it's been close to 5 years of keeping it off. It was like riding with a downhill bike on my back. Definitely less inflammation with lower weight.

agreed.

recognize it's hard to permanently change habits that put you where you are, and keep it going. I'd bounced around a bit in 90's and '00s but seem to have finally stabilized in a better state since 2016 too and it's certainly made life better.

I'll still never be the first to the top of the climb ... well maybe not ... but bike life is easier on me and on my bike to be sure.

AB ... 5 years ... sounds like you and us started a big change around the same time in 2016. ?

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1 hour ago, bear said:

agreed.

recognize it's hard to permanently change habits that put you where you are, and keep it going. I'd bounced around a bit in 90's and '00s but seem to have finally stabilized in a better state since 2016 too and it's certainly made life better.

I'll still never be the first to the top of the climb ... well maybe not ... but bike life is easier on me and on my bike to be sure.

AB ... 5 years ... sounds like you and us started a big change around the same time in 2016. ?

Yeah, 2016 was when I "retired" for the most part. Started ~2014 because of cholesterol but got more regimented by 2016.

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8 minutes ago, AustinBike said:

If I do a ton of yoga I can get there, but not in normal life

Being a working-stiff with a desk job doesn't help either ... especially the last two years where the work situation and job changes have put me onr 6-9 hours of zoom calls a day. WTF do I get to take a walk? Backlash is starting to build.

Life is setting me up to play the "note from my dr." card though ... to manage some health factors may "require" full hour+ mid day break ... time for some reasonable fresh air activity.

addendum: mixing in some road bike riding at moderate effort seems to help my hip/IT flex - something about the more full range of motion compared to MTB ?

Edited by bear
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32 minutes ago, bear said:

 

addendum: mixing in some road bike riding at moderate effort seems to help my hip/IT flex - something about the more full range of motion compared to MTB ?

Yeah, I am half trails, half urban and my body prefers that over just one or the other. I had a pain in the ball of my foot the other day and I stated thinking it was pedals. 20+ miles on the streets and magically it was gone.

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1 hour ago, mack_turtle said:

Do most cyclist have tight hamstrings? I don't think I've even been able to bend at the waist and touch my toes for my entire life.

Some people are naturally less flexible than others.  I don't think it's exclusive to cycling.  I think it's more of a desk job commonality.  What cyclists do have is weak or tight hip flexors and bad balance.  Road runners have the same problem. I try to throw in some trail running or other kind of court sport for the side to side motion, and I'm doing climbing which is actually helping my neck/shoulders and numb hands quite a bit.

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On 12/9/2021 at 6:25 PM, crazyt said:

airrosti was very helpful for me. I normally am skeptical of all things like that. But they did a little massage and exercises and my problem went away fast.

I do a lot of jiu jitsu and flexibility and strength training to build the core really help a lot.

Thanks! I'll take a look at them.

21 hours ago, 4fun said:

For what it’s worth I seem to get a pretty painful low back flare up every couple years going on about 10 years now and the successful ticket for me for the last 3 episodes has been a steroid dose pack to get rid of the inflammation (after the second day of this 90% of the pain gone), then routine of core work out prescribed by a PT, followed by losing 20-30lbs.  I then feel great, keep up the routine regularly for about six months and get lazy again. My flare ups seem to always happen around the holidays when my allergies start and I’ve had to go on multiple long road trips. I can’t help but think if I just kept the weight off and kept up with the core work I’d save myself a lot of misery! Hang in there brother, I’m currently feeling your pain and need to suck it up and go to the doctor to get the process started!

 

10 hours ago, bear said:

agreed.

recognize it's hard to permanently change habits that put you where you are, and keep it going. I'd bounced around a bit in 90's and '00s but seem to have finally stabilized in a better state since 2016 too and it's certainly made life better.

I'll still never be the first to the top of the climb ... well maybe not ... but bike life is easier on me and on my bike to be sure.

AB ... 5 years ... sounds like you and us started a big change around the same time in 2016. ?

 

10 hours ago, Taco Man said:

https://www.moenchmethodbodywork.com/

I go here as needed but starting out 3x a year.  The stretching I learned from their 90 minutes of pain (stretching/ trigger points) keeps me in way better shape.

 

But overall for me its stretching my Hamstrings and Glutes

 

9 hours ago, mack_turtle said:

Do most cyclist have tight hamstrings? I don't think I've even been able to bend at the waist and touch my toes for my entire life.

 

9 hours ago, bear said:

Being a working-stiff with a desk job doesn't help either ... especially the last two years where the work situation and job changes have put me onr 6-9 hours of zoom calls a day. WTF do I get to take a walk? Backlash is starting to build.

Life is setting me up to play the "note from my dr." card though ... to manage some health factors may "require" full hour+ mid day break ... time for some reasonable fresh air activity.

addendum: mixing in some road bike riding at moderate effort seems to help my hip/IT flex - something about the more full range of motion compared to MTB ?

 

9 hours ago, Barry said:

I don't think I can get within 18 inches of my toes without bending my knees.

 

8 hours ago, AntonioGG said:

Some people are naturally less flexible than others.  I don't think it's exclusive to cycling.  I think it's more of a desk job commonality.  What cyclists do have is weak or tight hip flexors and bad balance.  Road runners have the same problem. I try to throw in some trail running or other kind of court sport for the side to side motion, and I'm doing climbing which is actually helping my neck/shoulders and numb hands quite a bit.

I've been lucky in that I've become more flexible over the last couple of years. I do stretches in the shower and have been able to palm the floor after a few minutes. That was close to impossible a year ago. As of this injury, I can still get my knuckles to the floor. I'm pretty happy about this as I'm built like a redneck hockey player, so far from svelte in stature. Also agree with the posts mentioning core. Working with PT to get safe, specific exercises down.

Thanks to sober October and staying sober due to taking these narcotics with the injury, i've lost 14lbs since 10/1. Mostly my waist, chest and face. That weight loss has helped to stave off some of the depression from being injured. Only 6 lbs from HS weight. Can say this, eating out and drinking is the devil. 

Did PT today and have made enough improvements to get off the muscle relaxer with no issues. Burning in leg is slowly subsiding which is a relief for me. God that sucked.

I appreciate all the feedback and ideas! Definitely going to check out the other facilities as I'm currently in the Baylor Scott & White rehabilitation and they are great, but not sure if they are the right place for me. Time will tell.

Also, the day all this flared up i did a long ride/climb on my 38lb park bike that had me in the absolute worst body position for climbing. I think that bastard also contributed to this and I was just dumb enough to ride it. I'm probably just more suited for DH as I can do multiple days with no pain but too much climbing makes me want to commit genocide. 

Going to totally rethink my bike cockpit from now on. 

 

BIG thanks again!

 

 

 

  

Edited by ATXZJ
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I have been prone to back episodes since I was a teenager (which was a LONG time ago).  At some point someone realized I had scoliosis.  Most of the time the episodes were self-correcting but occasionally I went to a chiropractor, an acupuncturist, a masseuse, or a physical therapist for relief.  Since retiring and letting go of the hellish commute I have not been bothered much but recently I had a lower back episode that really laid me low.  I ended up seeing a chiropractor, Bradley Sikes, in Wimberley and he really helped me out.  And he’s a mountain biker.

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use to have back issues back in my early 40's but focusing on core work along with yoga every morning I have been pain free for more than ten years now.  Also flexibility has improved overall for myself exponentially, I can easily touch my toes and place my palms on the floor without issue which would have been near impossible 15 years ago.

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