Back issues from carving, need some magic

[Bobby Buggs]

Have any others here had back Issues from carving. I know during the season my back hurts and summer not so much. In 2006 I bulged a disc carving hard on a Madd at MT Snow and it blew a month later causing surgery and nerve damage in my right leg. This season I have not been able to follow my usual winter gym routine and Im in major pain the day after I ride.

Anyone got some magic they can share

[Pat Donnelly]

Buggs,

PureBoard stance hurt my back and took weeks to get over. I will never set my angles more than 5 degrees apart front/back.

Dialed down to 45/40 on a Coiler 169 VSR XT and ride less aggressive, like a weeble or skateboard style, less Turing the torso into heel side. Still ride 65/60 on the Monsters when it is prime.

[boidy77]

I have 4 bulging discs in my lower back which can cause my whole lower back to pretty much seize up. to manage the flare ups and issues I have to take it easy with my fitness and work outs during the off season. can only really swim, walk and ride bike. if I feel it getting tight I back right off what I am doing and let it settle down for a couple of days. what works for me is:

 

1. I stretch and roll on a rumble roller every day before I snowboard.  1 x 200mg of celebrex everyday in the morning.

2. I have a basic brace which supports my lower back. I only use it when I ride. otherwise you risk becoming reliant on it.

3. After riding my glutes/quads and hamstrings are usually pretty tight so I roll and stretch after riding. I also  try and hot tub it where possible and if not I have my heat pack to loosen things up.

4. I limit my riding during the day.

 

pain is usually being referred from another area so pain in your lower back could be coming from below or above.

 

If you have already had surgery then you know that it will never be the same again. Go hard for the season and then use the off season to rebuild :)

 

All the best as there is nothing worse than a bad back as my dr's keep telling me in back recuperation less is more which is tough!!

[J0hn]

A few years ago I found it very easy to pull a muscle in my lower back while snowboarding.  I did it on several occasions, and it was always on a heelside turn.  I do have a herniated disc, but I think my form contributed to the problem as well.  When I would get fatigued, I would allow my back to round out on a heelside and then the muscle pull was inevitable.  About three years ago I started lifting weights.  I do a fair bit of mobility work and foam rolling as well.  I was told not to do deadlifts because they are bad for your back, but they have done wonders for me.  I think the improvement has come from two things.  The obvious is that my back and core are stronger.  But I am also much more aware of my body position all of the time.  I try to bend only at the hip, not by flexing my spine.  I think about this the whole time I am carving.  I have not had any issues from carving in the last several years.

 

I should say, I don't just hit the gym a handful of times before a ski trip.  I go about 3x / wk all year round.  It's a lifestyle change.  Being able to ride harder and longer is a nice benefit too.  Good luck with it.

[Bobby Buggs]

Thanks for checking in guys. Pat I ride like 54x49 so we can check that off. I believe Im hurting this season cause of the lack of gym time. Yes dead lifts can be bad if done wrong. Doing them right can get to many muscles that are weak in normal life. Thats where Im at I think. I rode Snowbird in December and didnt have a back issue, came back and did ZERO training, its like someone glued a huge sheet of velcro on my ass and stuck me to the couch. Im betting my glutes and the backs of my legs are so weak in comparison thats part of it as well. The nice ring of fat around my waist cant be helping. I dont want to think about saying good bye but if I cant get this under control I wont have a choice.

[Keenan]

I've had some back issues the last couple of years.  Thought about not going to SES last year because i couldn't stand up, but it was already paid for so I had to go.  My chiro turned me on to MyoCalm from Metagenics, it's an all natural muscle relaxer.  Works great with no side effects.  I also had a masseuse tell me that my calves were way tighter than my back and I needed to stretch the legs more.  Aging is a great adventure.

[That Guy...]

Unfortunately, I have no issues with back pain, so I can't offer any advice beyond lots of NSAIDs.  I'm not sure if one of those weight lifter belts/ back braces would help any?  I notice a little bit of support for my back when I put on my spine protector, but I have no idea if it'd be enough for you.

 

The older I get, the more I realize that off- season gym time is key.  Sucks, but that's life, I guess?  I changed my habits since last winter and have been paying for it all winter.  Kinda funny- I've begun to subconsciously associate the pain with doing something fun, so the shin bang issues I've been having all season have kind of been going away.  Again, I have no idea what your back pain is like or what your threshold is, but there's always mind over matter; easier said than done, though.

 

I hope you can get through what ails you so you can keep doing what you like.

[monodude]

When I started riding a monoski I realized that each year I had more and more back issues. When I started to ski more again I had less and less issues. (Bad Boy Virus skies and Skwals). It's all in your "core" muscles. Focus on "core" exercises and take care of the "Budda Belly" and you won't have nearly as many issues.

Don

 

Feed the addiction...

[lordmetroland]

It's all in your "core" muscles. Focus on "core" exercises and take care of the "Budda Belly" and you won't have nearly as many issues.

No disk issues here, but have done battle with a wonky sacro-iliac joint for the better part of a decade. It sometimes flares up after a hard day of riding. PT and Pilates focusing on increased core strength and piriformis/hip flexor flexibility have been the key. One particularly bad episode was helped by dry-needling. A good PT is a real advantage!

[keltacer]

I think you need some personal time with karson.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[icebiker]

I've had back issues for over 20 years (2 herniated discs, 2 bulging, all in the lower L vertebrae, including L5 S1).   I have tried everything but surgery: meds, chiro, steroid injections, accupuncture, nothing worked, until my 3rd physical therapist posited that my issue wasn't tied to the discs, but to poor muscle tone in my legs, butt and trunk.   She introduced me to a daily stretching routine, along with regular use of a foam roller, and it has worked WONDERS over the past 3 years.  I am able to ride (mountain bike (on very techical terrain) and snowboard) with no issues now, whereas in the past I'd knock my back out of shape pretty much every 3-6 months.  

 

The analogy she used was to think of your spine as a flagpole, with four cables holding it upright. Each cable represents the muscles and fascia in your front, back, left and right.  If any of these cables has a different level of tension than the others, the flagpole (or the other muscles) become stressed trying to keep the pole upright. Key is to keep them in the same relative state.

 

As someone with a desk job (sitting), whose main form of exercise is biking (sitting), many of my leg and lower-trunk muscles are tight as guitar strings. So now I stretch those daily.  Most of my stretching is done on my legs (quads, hamstrings), trunk (QL, psoas) and glutes including piriformis.  My rolling is focused on legs (IT Band, glutes).  The roller hurts like heck at first, but what it's doing is breaking down the "stiction" between my muscles and my fascia. If these don't glide smoothly, the affected area tugs on other muscles in the area, causing (eventually) spasms, which in turn lock up  my back.

 

Definitely give rollers a try....$40 at your local sporting good store.  That, and a professional massage once or twice a month..preferably someone skilled in myofascial or sports massage.

 

Hope this helps. 

[boidy77]

rollers rules!!! a lot of my back pain/ issues comes from a lack of glutes which then puts pressure on my hammies.....the rolling hurts like hell (and gets me real bruised) but it makes all the difference.

 

when I started trying to build strength in my back/glutes/legs thru weights I would sometimes throw my back out cause the wrong muscles were compensating lack of muscles in other areas. Swimming and walking have had made huge differences to me!!

[Jack M]

Chiropractor

[Bobby Buggs]

I think you need some personal time with karson.

How do I get that 

[purpletiesto]

+1 what icebiker said

 

you might want to apply a cream to your muscles (back, glutes, legs) prior to getting out to get the blood flowing. the cream you should use is only FINALGON. the only cream that actually works and gets blood flowing to the area.

[Allee]

The best thing you can do is spend some time tracking down a good physical therapist/exercise therapist. Icebiker's right on the money. Especially if you've had that injury for a while, your body has adapted around it, built up scar tissues, and changed your movement patterns to compensate. Until you identify exactly what areas are causing the problems (and they will be nothing like you think), you're just going to keep having the same issues.

 

You're also going to have to be to spend a chunk of time - probably an hour a day for a while -  and a lot of pain to work on it. Be prepared for that.

 

Edited March 5, 2015 by Allee

[ursle]

I like to treat the problem rather than the symptoms

http://www.amazon.com/Trigger-Performance-Revolutionary-Roller-SMRT-CORE/dp/B003X4BMFW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1425563164&sr=8-2&keywords=trigger+point+foam+rollers

Massage is nice but the ability to roll everyday is superior, and you only spend the money once, chiropractors are an ongoing expense not saying an adjustment when needed is bad, but adjusting after exercise is treating a symptom.

Rolling will limber up everything, using something applied to the skin that masks pain may not be such a good idea (finalgon), on the other hand applying something like ( peaceful mt arnica) before exercise is an excellent way to loosen up muscles.

( red pepper in aloe would work)

Melted a foam roller, the trigger point sucker is great.

[John E]

I had chronic back issues for a long time. Then, about 4 years ago, I had a herniated disc that sent me to the ER. I had a "discectomy" the next day (removing a pea-sized piece of disc tissue that had pushed out). I had to stay off the board for a month. But - I have had no issues at all since. I would do it again in a heartbeat. 

[softbootsurfer]

Core exercises as Monodude said above, saved me, though now I can not do them as the spurs have gotten to bad, and I am not supposed arch my back at all :(

Edited March 5, 2015 by softbootsailer

[keltacer]

I think you need some personal time with karson.

How do I get that

Prob just a box of chocolates and flowers. Do you have his phone number? He'll fix u right up.

[nils]

Gosh I see am not alone!

Early december, after a gym session at the rowing club ( was too cold to row on water) I got a discal hernia on L5/S1...fortunately the sciatic nerve was not damaged to the point needing surgery, and just received infiltration of corticoids to ease the pain.

I am friend to a very famous back surgeon here, and he told me its always better to avoid surgery, unless the nerve is under so much stress it can get permanently damaged. The surgery on L5 is quite simple, its the recovery period that seems long and painful....after 3 full months I am now recovering ( got rid of tramadol and other myorelaxing pills after 1 month)...He told me the worst that can happen now to my spine is torsion moves...hence he does not recommend swimming but axis oriented sports.

 

I am scheduled now to see a massage therapist specialized in sports in order to learn doe's and don'ts, and how to gain belly and back muscles in order to hold my spine.

He also recommended a total reconfiguration of my office space:

- ergo chair ( receiving my Hermann Miller Embody tomorrow, after trying many models this one is good with my back)

- raised screen so my head is level ( not easy with laptops)

- optionnal raised desk ( stand up position) > will consider purchasing Ikea's motorized model.

 

As for sports, should be able to go back to rowing after the recovery time, then snowboard...I'll have to make sure I'm locked at hips ( mandatory rotationnal technique so spine is aligned as much as I can during turns...)

Will let you know what exercice therapist creates for me ( tall / stiff joints kind of guy)

 

Nils

[Bobby Buggs]

yer smart John, I took 2 injections and waited 3 months to have mine removed and it left me with nerve damage

[mookie431]

Hello my friend,

 

I wish you were closer so I could help you but this is what I would do. Due to prior surgeries, injuries, nerve damage you essentially have a perfect storm for the symptoms you are experiencing. As many have stated there isn't one single magical modality that will "cure" your issues. 

 

Typically in my office we would have to address the issues in this order.

 

1) Scar tissue, deep myofascial release techniques like (A.R.T active release technique, Graston Technique, Rolfing) to address your bodies natural response to tissue damage. Scar tissue is normal and a natural thing, but when the body lays down the collagen for soft tissue repair it sometimes doesn't care if the tissue is 100% functional. Scar tissue develops to patch the tissues together but in doing so it creates very taught tight tissue that is prone to re-injury and an inflammatory response. (inflammation drives pain and more scar tissue development)

 

2) Soft tissue mobility/ rehab, after scar work is performed you need to rehab the tissue. Soft tissue has a funny way of healing, if incorrect stimuli is introduced it creates more scar tissue. It follows Davis law which states:

 

"Ligaments, or any soft tissue, when put under even a moderate degree of tension, if that tension is unremitting, will elongate by the addition of new material; on the contrary, when ligaments, or rather soft tissues, remain uninterruptedly in a loose or lax state, they will gradually shorten, as the effete material is removed, until they come to maintain the same relation to the bony structures with which they are united that they did before their shortening. Nature never wastes her time and material in maintaining a muscle or ligament at its original length when the distance between their points of origin and insertion is for any considerable time, without interruption, shortened."  

 

This is where rehab comes into play, strengthening of the tissues supporting the injury sight as well as the injured tissues themselves would essentially remodel the tissue to a more functional state. 

 

3) Inflammation control, we all love pooping those NSAIDS but current research has shown that NSAIDS are detrimental to soft tissue repair. Yes NSAIDS help reduce inflammation but inflammation starts healing process (Fibroblasts the collagen producing stem cells which facilitate tissue repair/ scar tissue are Chemotaxic and are drawn to the injury site by inflammation). Too much inflammation creates pain! Inflammation can be controlled by ice or from a larger systemic point nutrition.  Check out diets like the paleo diet etc which focuses on Omega 3 consumption over Omega 6 for this. 

 

Well those are the three points I wanted to touch upon, there is a lot more but tired of typing hope this helps ;) 

 

 

[Bobby Buggs]

I really wish you were closer Kar

[Allee]

Early december, after a gym session at the rowing club ( was too cold to row on water) I got a discal hernia on L5/S1...fortunately the sciatic nerve was not damaged to the point needing surgery, and just received infiltration of corticoids to ease the pain.

I am friend to a very famous back surgeon here, and he told me its always better to avoid surgery, unless the nerve is under so much stress it can get permanently damaged. The surgery on L5 is quite simple, its the recovery period that seems long and painful....after 3 full months I am now recovering ( got rid of tramadol and other myorelaxing pills after 1 month)...He told me the worst that can happen now to my spine is torsion moves...hence he does not recommend swimming but axis oriented sports.

 

My eyes are watering in sympathy. I've put my L5 out twice in the last three months weightlifting. The first time was last thing at night, and by the time I got to the chiro the next day, the only thing I could move pain free was my eyeballs.  When he rolled me on my side to put it back in, I thought I was going to throw up - and when he did the other side I burst into tears. It took three visits to get it back in properly. Good to hear it's getting better for you, it's a nasty injury.