BACK-OFF!!

That is basically what I discovered this past week. After having back pain for several weeks it culminated into pretty serious discomfort after wiping out last Sunday on the single track. I went to the chiropractor yesterday, after several nights with no sleep, and the news wasn't great. However, it could have been much worse. I've had an L4-L5 issue in my lower back for quite sometime. Five years ago I was laid up for an entire summer because of this and needed to have two cortisone injections into my lower back. Well, the issue has returned, and it's usually made more complicated by other things such as lack of core strength and a general muscle imbalance. My fault totally!!! I became complacent about doing the exercises I need to do and making sure that my flexibility, core strength, and core balance were all kept in check. I just rode and rode and rode. It's time now to STOP!!!

My chiropractor gave me a pretty good scolding, but did say he would have me back on my bike within a reasonable amount of time. What I need to do now is formulate a schedule of regular strength training and flexibility training so this does not happen again. I also need to mix it up a bit with some other activities other than cycling. In other words...cross train!! He also made mention that the hard crashes I had earlier in the fall riding season didn't help much because my back was probably over compensating for those injuries as well. My pelvis was soooo off that my right leg was nearly two inches shorter than my left leg and this tilting of my pelvis was rather evident when I was standing in front of a mirror....not good!!!

So, I now venture down that road to recovery and hopefully won't have to be off my bike for too long. As of right now however, I can't even lift my leg high enough to straddle a bike. I'll need to be patient and diligent about getting my back from "off track" to "on track." Maybe this will be helpful...