Back Pain Anyone?

[Chase.Leibfritz]

So I've been out of commission for a while now. My last day riding was short lived and painful. I've had this problem before I started kiting, so I know it's not the cause, but feel that it is one part of a larger problem. Currently my sciatic nerve is being pinched on my right side. If you've never experienced this joy, it makes everyday tasks like putting on shoes or getting in your car nearly impossible. Now I've been told multiple reasons that may be causing this with none verified for sure. I'm skeptical about degenerative disks because x-rays look normal. Also been told after a kite session, the worst thing to do is hop in your car and sit for 1-2 hours, but seriously none of us are going to hang out with the millions of bugs at SSB and stretch out after riding. Most likely cause is anterior rotation of the pelvis caused by a muscle imbalance between my quads and hamstrings/inner thighs (tight quads, weak hammies). This is also my "powder" leg while snowboarding so may make since that the right side of my body would be more "out of balance." Through massage, physical therapy, and chiro the pain is now manageable. One doctor wants to do spinal injections and another wants to do laser treatment therapy. Just curious if anyone else has had similar issues and what measures you went to in order to correct and prevent the problem from returning.

[Craig Goudie]

Hi Chase,

I am a long time degenerative disk sufferer (started when I was 24), and I've had multiple surgeries
to continue performance sports (like windsurfing). I can comment on a number of your questions, but 1st, I suggest
that an x-ray might show a little compression vertebrae to vertebrae, but you really need an MRI to tell you what's
going on with the "soft" tissue in between. If you get a lot of leg pain, I'm wondering how your ankle reflexes are.
No or reduced ankle reflexes are a pretty good sign you have nerve damage. Tall skinny people seem to have
a real problem with low back degeneration.

I've had injection nerve blocks, sometimes they work, and sometimes they don't, but they're worth a try before
surgery, and if they do work (they usually last aout 6 Months), they give you a chance to develop some core strength, and do some stretching, which
tends to be my best remedy. You need to get your core really, really strong, and do it without irritating your lower
back. Lunges and ball work are best for me, but if you just go on-line, you can get an idea of what to try. Before
trying anything, I'd see a sports medicine doctor.

It can be a real struggle to stretch before, and after a sesh, or to get someone else to drive you to and from a
session, so that you can lie semi-flat instead of sitting for 1-2 hours, but that may be required. If you have a
desk job, I recommend you raise all the tools you need at your desk up so that you can stand while you work.
I've done this for months at a time when my back is bad, and it helps a lot. I've also done 6 Month layoffs from
sporting activities, while trying to maintain flexibility and core strength, without doing more damage. For me,
it's a balancing act. I also quit lifting anything over 50 lbs. There are appropriate ways to lift, but I have found,
that letting that $1000 LCD screen crash to the ground and shatter. is much cheaper and way easier than the
year long recovery from a fusion (or the 4 Month recovery from a discectomy). It's also hard not to be manly,
when someone wants you to help them move stuff, of change a tire, or whatever, but eventually, you get used to
saying "I can't really do that".

Sometimes the best remedy is just time without irritation, but that's not easy either. If you need a good injection
specialist, I can recommend one. I'd avoid surgery until the last possible moment, but as my surgeons say, you'll know
when it's time, and you do, because death seems like a good alternative.

Wishing you much success in recovery, with nothing more than the appropriate exercise, and stretching.

-Craig

p.s. I'm having a really good year this year, hope my luck holds

[Todd Jacques]

Well I am out as well. no fun. I woke up tuesday to a back ache. It got worse by Friday. My chiropractor told me on saturday that I had a inflammed disc. I do like seeing him when it gets like this. I am still nursing it. Kiting and any other sport other than drinking are not possible. I am currently icing alot and trying to keep it as loose as possible.
Craig gives great advice. I think we all have to cross a bridge at sometime. I have this issue in the past and always have to battle through it. As Craig puts it strong core, which I dont have.
See you on the water.

[Jake-wright]

Chase, i am sorry to hear your stuggles with the sciatic nerve. While i've never personally struggled with it, my dad has. And to see a life long construction worker tough guy that has never (at least to my knowledge) shed a tear over Anything except the pain caused by this pinched nerve tells me how bad it really must be. He is overweight and has been since his twenties and that is the obvious cause of the compressing discs.

He has had 2 injections as craig mentioned. The first lasted a year and the second never had an effect (despite a few returning visits for reinjections). Surgery for him would only be a temporary fix because as you plate 2 vertebrae together the one adjacent starts to compress instead. So i second doing everything you can before any thought of surgery. His doctor strongly recommended losing weight and working for a stronger core just as craig and todd said, also make sure you're not driving on your wallet.

My dad hasn't lost a pound he's too stuck in his ways. So to releive the pressure from the extra belly weight, he bought an inversion chair. I think it was a few hundred bucks but any time he feels the pain in his leg from that nerve he starts to use the chair for about 15 - 20 minutes a day and it goes away. He's been 3 years now with no major pain at all.

Obviously you're far from overweight, but if you could get access to one of these chairs maybe it would help? If you want to try it hit me up and i'll see if my dad would let me steal it for a week or two for you. 801.420.0222

Sorry again and good luck!

[Mark Johnson]

I have siatic nerve problems also. My MRI shows a bulging disc in my lower back. I have had 3 shots in my pack that have helped alot. They do wear off and I am told that the time between shots will eventually get closer and closer, then the doc says he can do an operation where he sucks out some of the disc. Sometimes Ibupropen works good and other times lortabs. Strenghtening the core muscles is also what I am told will help most. Problem is the only excersise I get besides work is kiting. Should you find anything else that works please let me know. Also when they ask how you hurt your back say it was from working and not skiing or kiting because it will always be in your medical record and could hurt if you do get hurt at work and need to file a claim.

[Kenny]

A strong core is key not only to riders that suffer from back pain, but also for riders who wish to prevent it. Doing a bunch of crunches may give you a nice looking 6 pack, but won't do much to strengthen all of your core muscles. You need a workout that works on the deep core muscles as well as the other stabilizing muscles. I practice Pilates and yoga. Pilates is just wickedly focused on working your core. Sure, you are going to be exercising with a lot of women, but it will kick your butt. Another alternative is to read the book "You Are Your Own Gym" and begin a regular routine of several core exercises performed every other day. If kiteboarding or windsurfing is your only form of exercise and you live in Utah, you either are not working enough or you are not getting enough exercise.

The nice thing about a strong core is that it will help you ride longer and stronger. A strong core is vital for a multitude of sports and will help you from injuring yourself doing every day tasks like yard work or vacuuming. It will also help with your sex life, but I will let you figure out how.

I like Craig's advice on this topic. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

[Marc Hauver]

Something my Chiropractor said he commonly see's that causes long term lower back problems is that one leg is shorter than the other. They can do a simple test to see how much and you can use a insert if the shorter show to balance it out. Over time this length difference causes misalignment. My back problems cause was a large wallet in my pocket and computer bag slung over shoulder which caused me to be major out of balance. This may sound dumb but the more your movement is out of optimal alignment the more wear you put on your frame. Just look at how long your tires last when your wheels are out of alignment...all the stretching and core help maintain but it is critical to keep your posture(form) correct as much as possible. Another obvious thing I learned is not to try to play thru the pain. You have to get the inflammation down before stretching and range of motion is normal again. Hope to see you on the water soon....

[Craig Goudie]

It seems like a small thing, but moving my wallet to my front pocket, and thus not sitting on it,
definitely helped. I got that advise from an orthopod.

-Craig

My back problems cause was a large wallet in my pocket and computer bag slung over shoulder which caused me to be major out of balance.

[Erik Holmgren]

I work with a fairly unique chiropractor in Sandy, from back pain (car accidents/self abuse through sports ) to shoulder, hip, knee, etc..

I've had a TON of success with a product called Spider Tech tape, it's similar to KT, slightly different in application and stretch. it put my right shoulder and back/neck back together to the point where i'm only looking at one shoulder getting sliced/diced in the near future instead of both. My upper back/neck were horrid this spring, to the point where staying focused during classes..hell, and driving was difficult... this has improved beyond belief as well,though not all of that is due to the tape alone.. he also uses a combination of more modern/tech approaches(cold laser, aqua therapy, etc) and Chinese medicine-type muscle therapies, like negative pressure (cupping) and Gua Sha massage... odd mix, sounds almost hokey, but super effective. (fyi- the pictures if you should look up either of those look bizarre/painful. the aftereffects are NOT near as extreme as shown, and not any more painful.. honestly, less so than other types of muscle therapy/massage i've...endured? before.)

I think the keys are flexibility/strength and endurance. I know when i'm fit, taking the time to stretch out nightly, especially after a day where I did anything physical helps me immensely..after a hot shower, since we don't have a hot tub where I live, and this seems to get things loosened up enough to stretch fairly effectively.

Anyone experimented with any compression-type sleeves/tanks/tights before after/during kiting or skiing? Any benefits/noticeable differences in performance/endurance/recovery time?

Interesting thread!

[Kenny]

Erik,

I am glad that you brought up how to deal with a shoulder injury. I have had one that I hav been dealing with for 18 months. I tried 2 chiropracters, acupuncture, massage, and PT. PT is what finally made the pain go away. The key was strengthening of my rotator cuff muscles. I use resistance bands and a dynaflex gyroscopic ball 3 times per week. The bonus is that these exercises have also eliminated the elbow tendonitis that I suffered with from kiting. If you don't have a gyroscopic exerciser, try one. It will strengthen your grip, forearm strength, and rotator cuff muscles. The model I really like is an auto start(doesn't require a string) from Powerball. It also lights up with different colors when it reaches a certain rpm. It is a lot more fun than resistance band exercises.

[bordy]

Chase,
Bummer... You can fight your way through it! There is lots of good advice here!!

I have broken my Back twicE and my neck once, I had several doctors tell me I would need surgery just to function and the I would never be active again..even wheel chair bond

after that I had a snowboard career and have been kiting for like seven years now. I often do not even consider the injuries I have substained. I strech always, keep my hamstrings super lose, eat Ibouprofin off and on, but have never had a shot, even though I have been told I should often.. I have eaten tons of Ibuprofin, and had stomach issues becuase of it bnut I have reached a balance since I first broke L-4 and L-5. in 1995. I curently have no pedecules left on any of my lumbar, and thorastic factures, but I keep going for it and so far so good.... sure there are nights I sleep poorley, and kite sessions that hurt, but considering I was told I would never be active again and would be crippled from my abuse of my body I think I am doing ok for the last 17 years. Hit me up on the beach and i am happy to show you streches that work for my issues that I learned from the US snowboard and ski team docs that kept me active for all these years...

You are much to young to surcome to this crap fight your ass off and get strong!!! you can do it bro!

[peckdave]

I feel like I'm at my first AA meeting and everyone's sharing stories similar to mine, when I though I was the only one on earth with these issues! Thanks for all the valuable information and hope everyone here finds a way to stay on the water(and snow) through this aging process. I went through the low back issue a couple years ago (brought on by too much time on the bike)--MRI showed herniated disc L3-L4, doc said avoid surgery like the plague, so I did a bunch of core/PT stuff and it got mostly better. Still rears its ugly head if I ride 4 hours or more...fortunately I found kiting 2 summers ago and now don't have to bike race so much in the summer! Currently been fighting chronic neck pain for 10 months, and after a CT scan and 2 MRI's (none of them conclusive for anything other than draining our cash flow), and trying every alternative approach including accupuncture, massage, PT, chiropractic, and magic brownies (my favorite), I found a pain doc in Park City and today am going in for a diagnostic nerve block procedure to see if it's Cervical Facet syndrome as he suspects (nearly broke my neck windsurfing in big surf in Maui years ago, makes sense that it stems from this). If so, it's a procedure where they "burn" the nerve to block pain signals from getting to your brain (similar effect to the magic brownies but longer lasting, 9-24 months till the nerve regenerates). Anyway, hoping the procedure today is conclusive since it's supposed to be windy Saturday!

Stay healthy (and thirsty), my friends...see you on the water.

[obzansky]

Daily yoga practice for life....

... and everything Craig has said...

[Chase.Leibfritz]

Thanks for everyone's input. A lot of valuable information in this thread. In the last 3 weeks while I've been hurt, I've had the kiting bug worse than usual. I've filled this void with watching videos and reading a lot about rehab and prehab. I ran across this site with tons of valuable information. Good site for everyone to check out, even if you're not nursing an injury.

http://www.kiteboardingexercises.com/

[dave holmgren]

Ditto what Mark and Craig said...

Probably not your issue at all, but IF you carry your wallet in your back pocket- DON'T! Other than that tidbit, I got nuthin'. good luck...

Heal well, Chase

-Homey