Terrible lower back pain

[KcSwerver]

On the course for the first time this year today. And I experienced some REALLY bad back pain in my lower back, sort of where it attaches to the hip down south there. Trying to ski a tournament this Saturday. Any tips on pain alleviation and/or prevention.

 

15' off-28 to 32 miles per hour today.

[jcamp]

Google the McKenzie Method. If, and that's a precautionary if, the pain is resulting from a bulging disc, the method can help pinch the bulging disc material back into the spinal column, which relieves the painful pressure it is putting on the nerves. Good luck.

[oneski]

I "tweaked" my lower back last Friday practicing for a tournament.....the pain in my low back was so bad that I couldn't bend over and put my shoes on. I could walk without much pain but couldn't bend over, sit down, or lay down.

I was signed up for a tournament the following day and after taking a narcotic pain pill and spending a good hour and a half walking and stretching my legs and back I actually felt well enough to ski. What's amazing is my back actually felt much better after I skied than before. The real key is using proper form behind the boat and not taking slack line hits.

[BraceMaker]

@jcamp - if that's the same 7 secrets to a pain free life - I know a bunch of folks who swear by it. You look like a prat stretching turtle style on the engine hatch but so be it.

[6balls]

Sounds like SI joint. Be more specific about location and any radiation of pain elsewhere.

 

 

[ToddL]

If SI joint pain is occurring, see a rheumatologist and ask about AS. Not a fun condition, but the earlier it is diagnosed and treatment started the better. I have AS and it is under control with Embrel.

 

Alternatively, I had some low back pain come on out of the blue recently. My chiropractor used Graston technique and I was able to ski two days later. We agreed that tight calves/hamstrings/ITband were causing extra stress on lower back muscles. So, stretching and flexibility is key.

[rawly]

There was a recent thread on this sight about back pain that you should look up.I had the pain that you are describing.Stretching the psoas muscle made my pain go away almost right away.Therefore,I did not have to cancel my skiing plans.Good luck

[9400]

I have also had some lower back pain this year. I have been stretching psoas for about a week twice a day and it is almost completely gone.

[lpskier]

My diagnosis is a pulled hip flexor. Take two aspirin and call me in the morning.

[6balls]

@lpskier nice try...but hip flexor attaches anteriorly (the iliopsoas muscle group primarily), not on the back side.

[TWB]

Be careful. I continued to ski last year and aggravated a bulging disk. It finally ruptured. The fluid impinged on my sciatic nerve causing partial loss of calf muscle control (foot drop) and some foot numbness. It took three to four months to regain full control of my calf muscle, not to mention the week of intense pain until the fluid retreated from the nerve. I'm back skiing now, but not as much as last year, and I'm being very cautious.

[KcSwerver]

Thanks guys, iv been bed ridden for the passed day due to the flu (great timing right!?) so my back has been thoroughly rested, and I can't feel any pain. I will look stretches up for the areas mentioned. I'm 16 do you think the ailment @toddl described is likely to happen to someone so young?

[ToddL]

@KcSwerver - I was diagnosed at 18.

 

Unlike other forms of arthritis and rheumatic diseases, general onset of AS commonly occurs in younger people, between the ages of 17-45. However, it can affect children and those who are much older. AS is more common in men, but occurs in women as well.

 

http://www.spondylitis.org/about/as.aspx

 

 

[ToddL]

@Bruce55 - spot on! Notice I never said, "I think you have..." or "It might be..." I did suggest that if a root cause cannot be found and if a specific symptom is present then, one expert to consult with is a rheumatologist.

 

However, I totally agree with Bruce in that our ideas should not be held over the inputs of the doctors and experts who get to meet personally with you and perform personal examinations and test for you. I'd further agree that the internet is helpful for learning more about an existing diagnosis, but can become overwhelming or get you misdirected when trying to use it to guess at possible causes.

[cragginshred]

Treat causes not symptoms. Everyone has tight hips flexor, hamstring, piriformis and calf muscles. ICE will Always have the same pysiological effect Every time. This is a video I did for friends hopefully it will help! @3:35 I go into the stretching part -done at the out patient PT clinic I work at.

 

[gregy]

@kcswerver how's the back. When I was 19 one summer I was having terrible lower back pain, I thought for sure I had really screwed something up. I was went to a specialist and he said my back muscles were overdeveloped compared to abdominal muscles. He had me do some stretching and core strength exercises and it went a way pretty quick.

[thager]

I had a nagging lower right back ache for the last year or so. Bought a sleep number bed and have been pain free since.

[KcSwerver]

I skied a tournament yesterday and had a tournament PB all with no pain in sight!

[Brady]

@thager I also bought a sleep number and it was great for sleep but horrible for sex! Being a big dude and liking a soft bed, "35" and having a light wife who likes it hard, "75," going over for a visit was like rolling over on NIagara Falls! It was akin to crossing a Nautique G23 wake, and I found myself intimidated to get into a stacked position to say hi to the wifey. The result? A regular boring bed that causes lower back pain, but that also keeps me happy off the water!

[thager]

@Brady TMI!

[Brady]

@thager But I feel like we are brothers? And brothers gotta share!!!!!!! (Love that line from Tommy Boy)