I always like re -injuring my back, as it really helps me cut through the academic and medical bullshit.
Its very common for us to over sympathise with and “forgive” back pain sufferers .
We should not.
Every single bit of “normal” back pain is self inflicted. (m not talking about the weird obscure stuff that effects a teeny proportion of back sufferers). Im talking about our old friend , the non specific back pain stuff that is now costing the NHS loads of money.
Anyway , today I pulled my back in gymnastics. Obviously i could go on a campaign: one that bans gymnastics, and stops gymnasts from holding high office. Gymnasts should be rounded up and shot. Certainly banned from schools,
You will find lots of campaigns like this: Ban Crossfit, ban strength training, Olympic weightlifting . If you come across someone trying to ban something, look at their personal involvement and see if their conclusion is reasonable. Being knocked down by a car, does not justify a ban on cars: iI may justify a lower speed limit, more education for pedestrians etc.
So, I screwed my back doing gymnastics? Well, actually yes and no. Here is the whole story.
1) over the last month, my focus has slipped. I found myself more and more in my slumping place, slumping. I have done no “good core” enhancing exercise. My hip and shoulder flexibility regimes have wobbled.
2) On wednesday I booked myself quite a tough day: 3 hours driving ( I rarely drive) and 8 hours standing about ( i was an extra in film set)
3) On thursday, apart from one gymnastic training session ( 1 hour) i slopped around the flat. I slumped and hunched.
4) On thursday night, i had a terrible night: I got up late on Friday, and after skipping breakfast I went to gymnastics. I did my normal 1 hour session 10 to 11), but as warm up and planned to start my coached session straight after. I had felt my 1st back twinge at 10.50, but continued after a quick rest. At 11.10m, my coached session began and at 11.20 a slightly wrong back flick, brought the pain flashing up. While I could still move. I stopped.
So here was the story. Id stopped all my recommended exercises and began slumping. In short, i wasn’t building up my back balance as Stuart McGill tells us to do, and I was “spending” back capacity like water. That said, I had still got through my basic “back buck spending” sport. and then, at the end of a terrible week, i thought i should push my luck by adding an extra hour.
I’m a pratt and I deserve every scrap of pain!!
Get rid of your "slumping place"
Everyone has a happy place: part of your mind that you can go to when you are happy.
Some naughty children have a naughty step: where they are sent to “reflect” after being naughty.
Smokers have a smoking place.
As someone with repeating back pain ( assuming its not a red flag or something more serious) I can pretty much guarantee that you have a “slumping place”
Its where you sneak off to and slump. The (normally) soft cushions allow you to collapse your back, for hours as you watch TV or read or surf the internet. In many cases the cushions have become moulded to the flexion based spinal curve that will make your back ache.
You feel it as you lie there ( slump/sit there). You know its bad for you, but, it feels so good.
Here is a picture of my slump place. I try to avoid it like the plague. I try and sit on my wooden seat if i can , or if I want a nap or a lie down, the hard floor with appropriate lumbar support, but, BUT, if I want to guarantee to make my back hurt, this is where I will slump.
It used to be one of those reclining seats…. now its this sofa type thing
Maybe like me, you cannot actually throw it out: so be it, Learn to avoid it.
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