Topic: bad back

[bikerbart]

anyone else have a bad back?I threw my back out last week at work again,once it happens it seems as if its going to suck forever.Twice this year.At least i got painkillers.It really really sucks though.

[FrankenFrankenstuff]

I ruptured a disc and found that I have spinal arthritis last year. Was in the hospital for a week and lazy for a month after. I need to keep up with my stretches in am and pm to keep the flex and strength up. My physical therapist told me not to sit for more than 30 mins..driving watching tv...anything. Get up. stretch. I am now taking boxing classes and feel darn good. (knock on wood)

FYI- it happened in the morning while sweeping the floor. I used the dust pan and brush to pick up the pile, stood up and.....felt like a butterknife was pulling my spine out. Took me an hour to get to the phone that was only 3 feet away but an eternity. 911.

[Gordon]

Right there with you.  I have a herniated disc.  Most of the time it's not a problem, but it rears its ugly head if I lift or push something incorrectly, and sometimes just bending forward slightly and reaching my hand out for something triggers it. 

[MCRider]

The way its been explained to me, and i think its true, back problems are an accumulation of stress and abuse. Then there is that one, "last straw", often seemingly minor event that is the trigger event to the damage.

So we need to avoid the accumulation in the first place by activity, stretching, diet, etc. Then, if its too late for that, you'll be in therapy for the duration, which is usually...activity, stretching, diet, etc. Though at a reduced level due to the injury.

Which reminds me, I need to get out of this chair and go stretch. 

[flybox1]

Regular maintenance(stabilization exercises) is(are) needed to keep your bike(back) in working order...

been dealing with sciatica and degenerative disc issues most of my life.  primarily due to competitive sports since i was 10.

Posture and ergonomics during ADL's (activities of daily living) are a b!Tch to learn, but once they become habit, you're golden. this is stuff a PT can teach you.
Good luck with your healing....

[bikerbart]

posture is key,if I slouch it actually hurts.Getting old sucks,Arthritus in my neck real bad.I have to start a daily regimen of stretching.

[Bob Wessner]

Getting old sucks

Yup, sure does. Tore the rotator cuff in my right shoulder, doing who knows what, and probably a long time ago. Finally had it looked at and ended up getting surgery to repair in back in July. I'm now in week three of PT and would never have guessed how long the rehabilitation process is.  You usually hear about these types of injuries in relation to pro athletes. My surgeon said that's the myth. More than 80% of these age related. Just as suggested for the back injuries, there are some regular exercises you can do to prevent it. They are not difficult nor are they time consuming. If you're constantly confronted with back issues, I would make your first stop an orthopedic specialist. If no intervention is necessary, the next stop might be a physical therapist.

[flybox1]

posture is key,if I slouch it actually hurts.Getting old sucks,Arthritus in my neck real bad.I have to start a daily regimen of stretching.

BB - you know, you'll never get any better, and eventually the slouched riding posture on your K will bother you too much and your helmet will feel too heavy.   better sell it to me before you cant get out of bed.   

JK  i wouldnt be able to ride it much anyway.....i'm due for an MRI on my R knee.  meniscus blowout 3 weeks ago.  it'll be my 3rd surgery for the same thing. 4 month rehab   some days i feel great.  other days i cant get up from my cubicle or carry my kids to bed....

so,yeah...getting old does suk 

[Duanob]

I might have you beat Fly, two complete ACLs on the same right knee. Now this year my left knee started giving me grief. Also have had back pain problems for 25 years but PT and stretches have kept me in pretty decent shape. I notice when I lapse on stretching, my back starts to ache, that's the PT telepathicaly telling me to get off my lazy arse and do my excersizes. Yes it really does suck getting old.

[KRONUS0100]

had one low back surgery in Jan 2000.  the disc right off the tailbone.  Now I have T6-T11 that have been fractured by compressive forces.....the disc between t6 and t7, as well as t8-t9 are ruptured to the inside of the spinal column and actually impinging on the sciatic nerve causing all sorts of problems.  have already been advised that "This is a surgery that no surgeon would ever want to do on a live human."  Has really slowed me down bad.takes 2 or 3 days to do what used to take me 8 hrs or less mechanically.
Incidentally.the compression fractures were either due to a serious accident with a horse landing on me.............or due to when i wrecked my 81 GL1100 at 60+ miles an hour and could not get away from it.
life sucks as, but we must soldier on.............especially while fighting for disability.

[boatsdickson]

This thread is depressing.

Ive been playing this back pain injury/recovery since my mid 20's and Im 38 now. Found out a few years ago that my lowest disk is ruptured and the disk above it is bulging, and Im following in my fathers footsteps with a case of the narrowing spine, stenosis. Just a matter of how long I can cope before getting the repair surgery done. Trying to make it 2 more years till my better half finishes school and begins to gather money paying clients. Ive done the PT a few different times to satisfy the insurances, and getting my 4th round of injections this week. Its temporary though. So are the painkillers.

My recommendations are as the others above say.... stretch out and keep yourself mobile. Anything active helps. I like to combine the inversion table for about 5 "tilts" of a minute each before doing my floor stretching. With lack of mobility and motion come pain and depression. Best of luck all.....boats 

[Honda Brat]

had a spinal op 3 years ago, 2 blown discs, was told that I would suffer and have to take things easy from now on - no more badminton, squash but I could swim as it strengthens your core muscles, also I may have to stop riding - well what can I say, my last 2 bikes that I built were hardtails and i'm still riding 

I have to admit though, sometimes I feel that I could do with a stretch on an old English torture rack to crack some of them bones 

[Don R]

Me too. Ice and ibuprofen help. You can't live with an ice bag though. Mine has been about the same for 30 years. Just inconvienient. Worse in the morning than in the evening. I've tried all the trick beds. No help. I tried white raisins soaked in gin. (A friend brought a jar full.)  Strange but I went two days without any pain at all. Seems like usual now.

[FrankenFrankenstuff]

well boys. I am sitting here in pain. Spent the afternoon riding the 3 wheeler with the kid..a couple pull starts and some log jumps...Budwieser and advil. My wife is saying "do your stretches!". Ug. fist clenching. Like the nerves are trying to be sliced

[Terry in Australia]

I fractured 10 vertebrae (L1 to S5) and crushed most of the discs in between in bad parachute landings back in the 1990's, and I'm actually an inch shorter than I was when I was 31. I have regular physio paid for by Veterans Affairs, and most of the time I'm fine, but if it "goes out", I'm out of the game for a couple of days.

I haven't had a bad episode in awhile, and like most of you guys I'm an Ibuprofen addict. Gotta be careful with that too, I had a blood nose a year ago and had to be admitted to hospital for 3 days because my blood was so thin it wouldn't clot....... Cheers, Terry.

[Retro Rocket]

I fractured 10 vertebrae (L1 to S5) and crushed most of the discs in between in bad parachute landings back in the 1990's, and I'm actually an inch shorter than I was when I was 31. I have regular physio paid for by Veterans Affairs, and most of the time I'm fine, but if it "goes out", I'm out of the game for a couple of days.

I haven't had a bad episode in awhile, and like most of you guys I'm an Ibuprofen addict. Gotta be careful with that too, I had a blood nose a year ago and had to be admitted to hospital for 3 days because my blood was so thin it wouldn't clot....... Cheers, Terry.

I had an "episode" 3 months ago and after 6 weeks of physio i am still feeling it.....

[Greggo]

Okay, okay!  I'll do my stretches!

[Terry in Australia]

I fractured 10 vertebrae (L1 to S5) and crushed most of the discs in between in bad parachute landings back in the 1990's, and I'm actually an inch shorter than I was when I was 31. I have regular physio paid for by Veterans Affairs, and most of the time I'm fine, but if it "goes out", I'm out of the game for a couple of days.

I haven't had a bad episode in awhile, and like most of you guys I'm an Ibuprofen addict. Gotta be careful with that too, I had a blood nose a year ago and had to be admitted to hospital for 3 days because my blood was so thin it wouldn't clot....... Cheers, Terry.

I had an "episode" 3 months ago and after 6 weeks of physio i am still feeling it.....

Geezus Mick, 6 weeks? You gotta harden up!

[Retro Rocket]

It has all hardened up mate, i have virtually no movement in my lower 4 or 5 vertebrae.....

[Terry in Australia]

Don't get too worried about it Mick, spinal dexterity is over-rated anyway.........

[Really?]

Back pain blows. I have 5 or 6 herniated discs (I have lost count) starting at the bottom of my neck. Regular chiropractic and neurosurgeon visits, pain killers, muscle relaxers and stretching help keep away that threat of surgery. Oh yea, I lift almost nothing now.

[Terry in Australia]

That lifting thing is weird Tip, I can still muscle a CB750 engine out of the frame and carry it over to my work bench, but all I gotta do to put my back out is bend the wrong way.

Last time I had an episode, all I did was pull start my lawn mower, and the time before that I bent down to take a drinking glass out of the cupboard in the kitchen, and BAM! Out it went........   

[japscrap]

I've had back problems since birth,born with Spina Bifida.
parents were told I would never walk,proved the docs wrong then and still doing
it now.
wrecked a cb350-4 in sept of '07 breaking my back in 6 places.
have been diagnosed with degenerative disc disease,and arthritis in my spine.
I get by with doses of aleve morning and nite, and tylenol arthritis formula in between.
I refuse to let it get in the way of my life though.

I've been told by doctors that I shouldnt lift anything heavier than a coffee cup,but still maintain my job as a mechanic with no problems.yet...
like was said above I can pull a 750 motor out and walk it to the work bench easily,but
if I turn wrong or bend wrong its painful for several days.
I generally just work on through it gritting my teeth and cursing a bit.
when I get like that my boss just steers clear of me because I become a real a-hole when I'm hurting.

one thing that helps me is smoking pot,it doesnt kill the pain,just dulls it enough for me to function normally.

listen to your doctors and physical therapist,but always set your limitations by what you are able to do without causing extra pain for yourself.

hope you feel better soon.