YEEOOOOWWWW! What the h-- did I do?

[eminenz2]

Last Wednesday I did the following workout -

AB ripper from P90X
The Cathe Low Impact Step workout on a BOSU (it's the workout that comes with the 27 minutes muscle toning. Cathe and Cedie are on the cover wearing red and yellow tank tops, respectively)

I had also schooled my horse that day, for about a half hour.

Now, given that this was nothing new I did to my body - I do this much activity every day plus teaching children, and would even say the workout I did was on the easier side, and schooling my horse is usually fairly rigorous,

I don't understand why I've been experiencing lower back pain since Thursday. It hurts it hurts it hurts! Wah! I did the ice/heat thing. I tried Tylenol, and when that didn't work I tried taking Doan's, which apparently is specifically for back pain, and that didn't help either. I've done a little stretching and I have a big honking massager that has two rubber knobs that beat on your back. None of that helped either.

My back didn't start to really hurt until Thursday after lunch.

I've never had any chronic back pain before. I feel like such a loser. I mean, I'm only 40! Will it go away on it's own? I'm not sure if I should do nothing, or try to do some activity. Obviously riding is completely out of the question (that's the toughest part of all this) and I can't do any Cathe workouts.

I'm really worried that if I see a doctor or a chiropracter I will never get off the Non-Specific-Chronic-Back-Pain train.

Thanks for advice, etc. and thank for reading my post!

Susan L.G.

P.S. I've been googling 'lower back pain' as well.

 

[kathryn]

If it's muscle tension or a spasm, a soak in the tub with some Epsom salts would probably help. (I like to use Epsom salts, sea salts and lavender oil).

A chiropractor could help as well, especially if what you have is a 'subluxation' (a vertebra out of place, but not so much that it's a slipped disc, just enough to irritate nerves). They will usually take Xrays to diagnose and rule out other problems, then set you up for an initial series of 10 adjustments (3 a week). This can take care of many things, from my experience (the first time I went to a chiropractor, it was after falling off a horse---actually, the horse tripped, he fell, and I fell off him, but he righted himself before he fell on me! The regular doctor said there was nothing wrong, even though I was in excrutiating pain and took 15 minutes to get out of bed in the morning, and only offered meds, while the chiro had me feeling better after just a few adjustments).

It may not be anything you did during the workouts themselves that caused it immediately, but that the workouts stressed that area, and later, when you weren't paying attention, you moved in a way that injured a pre-fatigued back.

 

[princessbear]

Susan - I feel you "pain" - literally and figuratively. It seems over the past two months I've had nothing but injuries - and have not done anything different, unsafe, or overexerted myself (so I think). First the shoulder - after I ignored that feeling for 2 months, I finally saw the dr., got xrays, saw orthopedic doctor and am now having PT sessions 3x a week. Now it seems I have sciatica which flared up for the first time last week - no pain, but numbness and tingling down the leg... it is KILLING me not working out regular - I do suggest you see a doctor or chiropractor. You DO NOT want to ignore back pain... keep us posted on how you are doing.

 

[eminenz2]

Thank you SO MUCH for your advice ladies! I hardly knew what to do - info on the web is alternately confusing and overwheming and downright frightening!

So I've been staying on my back since Friday night, feeling like a completely slug.

I've also been sleeping on an infar-red pad while sleeping, and rotating a heating pad and a cold pack on my back while awake.

Today I feel about back to 90%. Still a little ache here and there but I think I may be able to ride by the end of this week.

If I'm not 100% in a few days, I will look into seeing a chiropracter - although taking time away from school is a drag, especially trying to prepare for a sub, ususally a sub that knows nothing about music.

I hope the little ones take it easy on me this week.

So, luckily it was never shooting pains down my legs - whew!

Princessbear - I'll be keeping you in my thoughts and hope your pain heals soon!

Kathryn- Epsom salts - of couse! Why didn't I think of that?

Thanks again!

 

[CollinsMom]

No advice here but I did want to say that I hope you feel better soon! The pain you are describing is nothing to mess around with -- take it easy until you feel 100%.

 

[eminenz2]

Thank you for the good wishes, CollinsMom! I sure will take it easy, even if I don't want to - hee! You know, if it were an ache in my legs, or soreness in my chest muscles, I wouldn't treat it so seriously knowing that it woud pobably just be DOMS, but you are so right when you (and the other posters) say back problems are not to be taken so lightly.

Better to lose a few days of working out (and riding) now, rather than 'soldiering on' and really risk screwing oneself up for the long term.

 

[Pearlstrand]

I know how you feel!

Susan,
I've had that low back pain myself a couple of times. It takes time to go away and you have to avoid activites that will make it worse.

My first time (about 8 months ago) was cause by doing extremely heavy squats followed by very heavy deadlifts. Lower back was killing me and it took a couple of weeks to heal completely. I used those stick-on heating pads that you can buy at the drugstore, and took Advil.

A couple of weeks ago I re-injured it by not warming up properly before playing golf. I hit a beautiful drive on the first tee and was promptly rewarded by instant ouch. I'm just now feeling better, but I've not played golf and have been very careful about giving my back time to heal.

I can't say if you should see a doctor or not, but I hope that my experience will help you decide.

By the way, mine was not disc-related, but seemed to be muscle. It wasn't a pinch (like a nerve), but a very sore lower back. And having injured it twice now, I know that I'm vulnerable in the future.

Ah, the joys of aging! Hope you feel better soon!

--Kathryn

 

[eminenz2]

Pearlstrand, sounds like we have the same thing - a very sore lower back.

It sucks, doesn't it, because you can get a sore anything else, and you rest it a bit and use the muscle lighty over the next couple of days and then it's OK, but not so with your back!



I'm anxious to fix this because the rest of my horse's and my riding career will be done at the sitting trot - no exceptions, no excuses. BIG sitting trot!

Right now the expectation is just working trot and lengthening the regular strides to what's called a medium trot. Then the medium trot will be the norm and we will be working on extensions (think kangaroo - haha! ) - lengthening the strides even more!

So my trainer and I have been trying to develop my seat/posture so my aging back to handle the concussion.

 

[Pearlstrand]

Other things to watch out for

Here are a few other things to be careful of:

Anything that requires bending over (putting on your shoes, pulling on pants & shorts), lifting (legs only!), huge sneezes (ouch!), sitting in the car for any length of time, and sleeping on your stomach.

I have to say that I try to stay off my backside and move around because I feel worse from sitting and/or lying for any length of time. (So I'm really stiff in the morning). But at least I know it's the kind of thing that will heal (for me) without medical attention. It's an inconvenience but it's not a tragedy.

But you're smart to look at ways to modify your riding because that may help prevent re-injury.

Good luck with your recovery!

--Kathryn