Whats wrong with my back?

[hucksquaw]

My back has been giving me some minor problems i dont think its anything too serious but it has become very uncomfortable and irritating at times... so i ask if any mags have any answers:

i was up at squaw during the epic storm-filled weeks around new years. on one of my days out i came bombing out of a chute on cornice and hit a pretty damn big compression that threw me rodeo-style off the other end and that, compounded with getting all twisted up in the fall, tweaked my back pretty good. that same week i hit another big compression pretty hard traversing red-dog ridge (squaw mags will know the one im talking about, its always there) and that must have added to the problems. im sure these are the biggest contributers but it only got worse with skiing hard every day and throwin in a few good drops in my lines every once and a while. by the end of my 4 weeks up there my days out were getting shorter due to my back. the discomfort is in the lumbar region and it is usually nonexistent, however, it comes back every time (since the days i spent at squaw) when i work out any of the muscles in my back or core, or when i do any activity that requires me to use these muscles in excess. it feels like my back stiffens up and just cant support any weight (for example i cant lean over without supporting myself on something or i feel a lot of strain in my lower back).

any feedback would be well-appreciated. thanks

[Huckwheat]

big compression pretty hard traversing red-dog ridge (squaw mags will know the one im talking about, its always there)

Ahhh, the dip from HELL. Of course we know that one.

Advice....I stand strongly behind chiropractic. My chiro pretty much puts me back together every Monday. I walk in with huckneck, and walk out with good alignment.

I think I would be a crippled little man by now, if I couldnt get my shit all straightened out.

[L7]

STRECH!!! The hams, the quads, the hip flexors, the glutes, the hip structure and the IT bands. Hard to give you diagrams here but loosening all that stuff is your secret and then do your core strengthening to avoid doing it again

[hucksquaw]

thanks...

im familiar with the anatomy of the human body so no need for a diagram L7... ill do some more stretching and see where that gets me, i do very little, ive always been one of those sceptics about how much good stretching actually does...

[ScottG]

If it really hurts all the time and you have insurance, you may wanna get things checked out to ensure no herniated disks or fractured/compressed vertebrae.

If its just muscle tension/spasms, massage works well.
Also, ben gay or tiger balm has a similar effect - the heat increases blood flow like a massage.

Best stretching is always after a hot shower.

P.S. - your prolly just getting old

[L7]

thanks...

im familiar with the anatomy of the human body so no need for a diagram L7... ill do some more stretching and see where that gets me, i do very little, ive always been one of those sceptics about how much good stretching actually does...

The one I'm thinking of for the hip in particular is a tricky one to describe but offers sssoooo much relief. One way is on your back one leg up and bent accross the body at 90, the other leg in line but knee bent and pushing on the first leg's ankle. Pull it all towards your head gently and feel the pull through the side of the hip and glutes. Don't know if you'd thought of that one but it is the big key for me.

[altagirl]

If it really hurts all the time and you have insurance, you may wanna get things checked out to ensure no herniated disks or fractured/compressed vertebrae.

Any decent chiropractor is going to do x-rays and check for those kind of things before he does anything else. We sent a friend to our chiro, who x-rayed him and immediately referred him to an ortho because he had some serious problems that required surgery. So I'd still recommend a good chiropractor as a place to start for back pain.

[schuss]

I'm gonna hijack this with my own back problems (and yes, I'm calling the doc on monday to get it checked out):

In november I tweaked my back out skiing hard all day. No major falls, just one edge catch which did not hurt physically (just my pride, it was in front of the liftline). About 2:30 PM, my lower back seized up. Couldn't make any movements without major pain (as in, at all costs will I not move this). Called my sis, an ortho nurse, she said ice, ibuprofen, massage and rest. Didn't get the massage, but ever since I've been stretching every day. Most of this season saw minor-to-medium back issues, as some days I would have to cut it short due to random back pain that I attributed to me not having enough core strength and just pushing too hard. Yesterday, first major turn of the day, it seized up again. It hurts walking up ramps and stairs, is localized primarily to the left-middle of my lower back (spine to edge, about 2-3 inches above where my ass ends). Any ideas?

[L7]

Any ideas?

You're screwed, that's my idea. (kidding really but just partially). I'd actually pass on the doctor and go straight to a physio or a good chiropracter myself. Maybe you need a doctor referal first though. The rest, ice and vitamin I again is likely going to be the short term remedy. It's probably too inflamed for a chiropractor to do much with and a good one won't try.

Long term clearly something is going on and there's no use dicking with it periodically since I'm sure you're clear it sucks to do. You need an assessment to figure what is stressing it and exercise to strengthen and/or stretch the problem areas. Just a weak core should read more like, 'you're lacking core strength dumbass.' You want to play hard you have to do the maintenance to make that possible. Of course I repeatedly prove that again to myself the hard way.


The back itself could be lots of things but likely some sort of misalignment in SI joints or vertabrae possibly causing a disc to bulge. Likely nothing super serious but also nothing to just ignore as it could become serious down the road.

I'm just trying to give you rough guidance Vinman or Mrs Roo could give more but probably not so much over the internet.

[Vinman]

No major falls, just one edge catch which did not hurt physically (just my pride, it was in front of the liftline). About 2:30 PM, my lower back seized up.

Most of this season saw minor-to-medium back issues, as some days I would have to cut it short due to random back pain

is localized primarily to the left-middle of my lower back (spine to edge, about 2-3 inches above where my ass ends).

This sound less like "weak core" and more like SI (SacroIlliac joint) joint or impinged facet joint to me based solely on location. Unfortunately for you if your SI joint is misaligned it probably won't just go away on its own. And when I say misaligned I'm talking a couple millimeters. The SI joint is the place where you spine (Sacrum bone) inserts into your pelvis.

Best bets are do what L7 has advised. Go see your doc and or a chiro for an evaluation. If you go to your GP don't be satisfied with the strengthen your core advise, most GP's might not recognize an SI joint misalignment. It is not that they are bad doctors it is just not their area of expertise. Get your SI joint mobilized. After that you will need to work on your strength to prevent it from happening again. When the SI joint gets misaligned it basically sprains the ligaments around the joint, putting one back in place does the same thing actually, causing pain.

Keep stertching but go get your back evaluated by someone who knows backs, get adjusted if needed and then work on your core to prevent it from happening again.

[schuss]

yep, gonna call the chiro and doc today. Luckily, I don't have to get referrals with my health plan, but I'm going to start out with a good chiro and pass along the ideas that you and my sis (who I got to consult with yesterday) had regarding the injury. Saturday drove home that this is not just a small thing that can be corrected with rest and ice. Thanks for the tips.

[SPREAD EAGLE]

Holmes, one thing that can really mess up your back is when your hips fall out of alignment. This can come from skiing, the gym, sneezing, or tying your shoe. The hips are made up of moveable parts and when one hip falls it sets the spine out of alignment causing cracking or popping feelings in your back and trust me some hellacious pain at times.
NO E.R. just chiro or sports medicine. Don't wait!!!

[BENDOR]

I was in a wreck that involved a 4 door diesel truck that rolled, and a large Ponderosa tree that didn't move when we rolled into it at 45mph. This resulted in torn lower back muscles for me. Blew fuckin ass for a while and I couldn't even sit up or move without someone lifting me completely. It felt like someone was putting a flame thrower to my back after they cut it open with a dull knife. I started therapy and basically did tons of stretching. Working on you leg flexibility will help your back a ton especially the hammies. Everything is connected and you dont realize it till something is fuckered up. Good luck and put some time into it.