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Old     (greg_smith)      Join Date: Sep 2006       08-16-2007, 2:03 PM Reply   
Hey whatsup? I've been having this constant back problem know for about 6 weeks or so from wakeboarding. It started as a slight lower back pain but I went out wakeboarding one day anyways. By the time I came back in, the pain had gone right up my neck. Most of the pain had gone away within a day or two but there was still a little soreness there. It wasn't enough to keep me off the wakeboard but it seems I'm not giving it enough time to heal. So I havent been wakeboarding for the past week and a half(doctor's orders). The progress is very minimal. I'm on anti-inflammatories prescribed by my doctor. I also got a new pair of shoes for better arch/back support. If this doesnt get any better I'll probably have to go for physiotherapy. Anyone have the same kind of problems? Any tips to get healed quickly before the season is over?
Old     (cadesun)      Join Date: May 2007 Location: Chicago       08-16-2007, 2:07 PM Reply   
Over 90% of back probelms are caused by a weak core (abdominal region and low back). Try to strengthen that as much as possible.
Old     (ronnyboy27)      Join Date: Nov 2005       08-16-2007, 2:28 PM Reply   
I've only got a sore butt from landing on it repeatedly.
Old     (wakeslife)      Join Date: Jul 2005       08-16-2007, 2:44 PM Reply   
Greg I was in the same boat as you about a month and a half ago. It never really bothered me beforehand, but after crashing hard on my back snowboarding this winter and starting out the wakeboard season riding hard often and landing way out in the flats every time my back just gave out on me one morning; couldn't even do a wake jump without bad pain in my lower back. I saw a couple doctors and concluded that I had to take it easy for a while and get into a physical therapy program. From the end of June throughout all July I didn't strap on a wakeboard and stuck to wakeskating and surfing. I went to physical therapy 3 times a week doing core excersizes and continue to up to this day. About two weeks ago I started riding again and feel just as good as I did last year. I just can't push myself so hard and have taken up a wake-to-wake style of riding, at least for now.

Get into the therapy program, strengthen those core muscles, and it will make a world of difference.
Old     (ilikebeaverandboats)      Join Date: Jul 2007       08-16-2007, 4:22 PM Reply   
hey man. get an xray. Believe me. Its not worth waiting. The same kind of thing
happened to me, back pain for a few months, then one hard fall made it obvius
something was wrong. I just got my MRI on tuesday, after my 16 Xrays did not
sufice, I have slipped discs, degenerating discs, and a few compresion
fractures! I FEEL YOUR PAIN MAN!!!! I go to the spine doc again next week, they are
going to tell me how long im out for and what i have to do to get better. Good luck ma brotha!!!
Old     (dudeman)      Join Date: Mar 2005       08-16-2007, 4:31 PM Reply   
Been there Greg. Could be like Joey said, slipped discs, degenerative disk, also could be pulled muscle or muscle spasm. The nerves also run up the spine. You could have a pinched nerve. You're going to have to lay off for awhile. I wouldn't go for the MRI route. If you have a good doc, he can tell what's going on. They'll let you know if you need an MRI. Usually just meds, stretching and rest will do the trick.
Old     (byrd)      Join Date: Dec 2005       08-16-2007, 5:27 PM Reply   
AFter you get checked out and if you find out that it is not serious, get in the gym over the winter and strengthen up those muscles.
Old     (bob)      Join Date: Feb 2001       08-17-2007, 3:15 AM Reply   
Why dont people just take it easy when they know their hurt?? Why would you want more punishment when your in pain already? Too many people ride with injuries and then ask about why this or that...
Old     (clubjoe)      Join Date: Sep 2005       08-17-2007, 8:12 AM Reply   
Consider the chiropractor option as well......I love mine!! Had increasing back pain from playing, and old guy status......Instant relief for me starting from the first adjustment and they can recommend excercises to suit your back issues.

She's my reset button!
Old     (joshugan)      Join Date: Apr 2005       08-17-2007, 9:18 AM Reply   
The two things I recommend from personal experience with back pain:

#1 Ride switch!!! (If you're spending all your time riding regular stance then you're overly developing those muscles to the detriment of the muscles on the other side. This can cause the more developed muscles to push your spine out of alignment.)

#2 Do Pilates!!! (Great core work out. Pilates for a few weeks is my reset button.)

Getting an Xray wouldn't hurt though in case it is more serious.

Good luck!
Old     (ilikebeaverandboats)      Join Date: Jul 2007       08-17-2007, 5:30 PM Reply   
dont go to the chiropracter regularly, if you do have an ijury its just goig to cause it it swell more. its like if you had a cut, would you wwiggle your finger around in it? Or if you broke your arm would you bend it around? go to the doc before you do anything.
Old     (gene3x)      Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Dallas , TX       08-17-2007, 8:16 PM Reply   
I have had 3 ruptured disks. The last one last year from wakeboarding. I know I should take it easy but cannot seem to make myself stay consistant on strength training or stretching or anything but boarding. I know i am playing with fire but I live with tingling and sciatica when I ride.
Old     (sam8)      Join Date: Dec 2004       08-17-2007, 8:19 PM Reply   
Greg,
Don't screw around with this. I am 48, completely retired/disabled after not paying enough attention to nagging back problems in my 20's and 30's.
Advanced degenerative disc, and I damn near waited too long to do anything to fix it. I am part of a medical study group and had two Flexicore Artificial Disks implanted at L4-5 and L5-S1 in January of 06. L3-4 was going then, but a three level procedure was out of the question at that time and now it is going bad rapidly...just had a steriod injection into it last week.
Age, body type, etc. all play a role, but a woman in the same group I was in was 5-2 105 and is worse off than I was at the time of surgery. One surgeon told me the primary reason humans face this is because we walk upright. He told me my back went so quickly because of the weight of the gunbelt (24lbs) and sitting in a car with it pulling on my spine. He sees lots of cops and lots of carpenters.
Get to a good Doctor, get the MRI stuff done. Avoid fusion, it is like welding a hinge; you cease to bend at that location and the disks above and below wear out due to excessive load/flexsion trying to make up for the fused joint.
The Art. Disks are one way to go, the field is changing rapidy.
If you have what I have, you could pinch the sciatic nerve if you land wrong, and trust me when I tell you you don't want to go there. Other nerve damage is permanent as well.
The x-ray will show thinning of the gap between vertabra, but the MRI shows soft tissue degeneration/bulging/blown/slippage. You need a combo of both and a good doc to read them.
Good luck. I'm not tying to scare you, this shiznit changed my life, and if I can save anybody some of the grief and misery I've been through, I sure as hell want to...
Old     (dlwsrider)      Join Date: Apr 2007       08-17-2007, 11:08 PM Reply   
Wakeboarding will do it for you,

im going to be 16 on tuesday and my back is already jacked up.

i messed up something in my lower back riding in a double up contest, i came down from a nuke tantrum that i over rotated and my back absorbed the whole thing, and ontop of that i already tweaked my shoulder on a toe roll to revert, my spine is going to look like a roller coaster ride by the time im 20
Old     (wakehype)      Join Date: Dec 2002       08-17-2007, 11:35 PM Reply   
I am with Army Dad on this one... I am 22 years old, and just had a Pro-Disc (artificial disk) implanted at the L4-l5 level. Two years ago I underwent two lumbar discectomys. After that the pain got worse, as well as my posture. Get an MRI, and then push for an MRI as they tell the most. You would be surprised how many people have back problems. DDD and Spinal Stenosis sucks. I am 22 and 4 months post operative, three surgeries later, it sucks. Owell, life goes on ... haha. Feel better, goto the doctor, get an MRI. Stay off the pain meds if you can, too addictive.
Old     (gene3x)      Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Dallas , TX       08-18-2007, 4:54 AM Reply   
I hear that pain meds are good for you.

Can I have your leftovers?

(Message edited by gene3x on August 18, 2007)
Old     (wakehype)      Join Date: Dec 2002       08-18-2007, 3:50 PM Reply   
Only thing my injury was not wakeboard related. Good luck
Old     (joeshmoe)      Join Date: Jan 2003       08-19-2007, 9:18 AM Reply   
yup, all good advice here, but you need to emphasize stretching, everyday, what you can, and don't wait till after an accident to start therapy, strengthen the muscles around the joint will help in supporting them
Old     (greg_smith)      Join Date: Sep 2006       08-23-2007, 1:34 PM Reply   
Thanks everyone for the advice. I read every post. Especially, ArmyDad... I appreciate it.

Heres a little update:

It's been 2 and a half weeks since I've been wakeboarding. After being on anti-inflammatories for 2 weeks, they really haven't worked. I went back to the doctor's today. He suggested starting physio therapy and getting an X-ray. So I had the X-ray done today and should know by the end of next week if anything is severly wrong. I am to under-go physio therapy for 2 weeks and if nothing is improving, I will have to go for a cat-scan and/or MRI. At this point I may start seeing a chiropractor as well as the physio therapist. The pain is only in my lower back and it only flares up a few times a day. I will take everyone's advice and give it rest, do my streches, and work on my core when my body permits. I'll post another update in a week and a half or so for those who are interested. Thanks again!
Old     (sam8)      Join Date: Dec 2004       08-23-2007, 2:34 PM Reply   
Greg,

I see you are in Canada, and I don't know anything about your health care system other than it is different than ours.
The x-ray will show if the distances between the vert., (which is where the discs are) has shrunk.
It won't show if the disc is bulging, herniated, or otherwise going away. I saw a good Chiropractor during the initial phases of this, and the relief I got was very, very, temporary.
If you don't improve, start being the squeaky wheel, and get the MRI.
There are lots of tools in the toolkit for these problems, educate yourself about them while you are waiting for the results of the xrays, and understand the risk/potential benefits of all of them so that you can act in your own best interests.
Feel free to send me an email at the address in my profile if I can ever be of help to you, then make a note here that you did email, cause I don't check it as often as I should.
Best of luck...
Old     (tcluv85)      Join Date: Jan 2004       08-23-2007, 2:47 PM Reply   
About a week ago, I twisted myself up pretty good on a toeside w2w. So I went to the chiropractor. He took an xray and saw that the spaces between my vertabres have little 'cushion' left in them. He has put me on a disc rehydration table three times a week and adjustments three times a week. It is getting better, but man is it hard to stay off the water this long (8 days until this morning). I tried to wakeboard this morning on glass and it wasn't too bad then, but I am paying for it now.

The other thing that has made a difference is not walking barefoot. He explained shoes provide cushion. So I am wearing extra comfy slippers around my hardwood floors these days. Seems to be helping some.


Greg - Good luck with your xray results. Do your research, but remember you can find pros and cons of chiropractor care. I have grown up and see the results of chiropractor care that is why I choose that route. No one is putting a knife into my back...NO WAY.
Old     (sam8)      Join Date: Dec 2004       08-23-2007, 3:27 PM Reply   
bsflower;

I felt EXACTLY the same way,"No surgery, no way"...
After the third time I passed out due to stabbing pain in my spine, which left me with no feeling in my left leg from the hip to knee, and with a cut on my forehead where it hit the coffee table as I was headed to the floor, I re-evaluated my options.
When I got on the operating table, there was no living disc tissue at either level, and L4-5 was in the intial stages of fusing itself. Self fusion of the vertabre is considered irreversable by some of the top surgeons, and they won't do anything. They guy who worked on me is considered by lots of folks to be #1 on the west coast, James F. Zucherman, he is at St. Mary's Hospital Spine Center in San Francisco.
I guess what I am trying to say is pain can change everything. After three years of fighting it, I changed my mind.
There is an artifical fluid being tested that purports to mimic the living disc tissue in some respects. I think that is going to be he next big thing.
Once the discs have gone away, without intervention the load on the adjoining tissue is increased dramatically, causing them to deteriorate ahead of the natural ageing process. I wear custom built orthodic inserts in my shoes; have for years and only wear New Balance shoes.


Good luck to you too, one thing is certain ya can't imagine living with this shiznit unless you've lived it You obviously have.
I wouldn't wish it on anyone...
Old     (wakehype)      Join Date: Dec 2002       08-23-2007, 3:36 PM Reply   
I am four months post-op from an artificial disk implant at the L4-L5 and still experience alot of pain and weakness. Try to take care of you're back before it takes care of you, so to speak...
Old     (gene3x)      Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Dallas , TX       08-23-2007, 7:42 PM Reply   
Surgery is the only way to go if you have a great surgeon. I have had 3 discectomies (1 lamonectomy) and felt 100% after everyone.
I do have to say I have some leg tingles after riding the Dallaswakeboarding tournament this weekend. Usually if I lay off for awhile the tingling will go away.
Old     (greg_smith)      Join Date: Sep 2006       08-24-2007, 9:46 AM Reply   
Another update:

Ok so I went in to see the physio therapist today and now know exactly what's wrong. He narrowed it down pretty quick. I have an inflammed joint at the L5 and some tight muscles surrounding it. So I was extremely relieved to hear its not a disc problem. He did a bit of the ultrasound on my back and had me do some exercises for my: hamstrings, abs(upper and lower), and of course lower back. After the first session today, my back is already feeling better. The physio therapist says I'll be back on the water within a couple of weeks. I will do everything I can to speed up the process. He gave me exercises to do on my own time.

Aside from all this, I've learned a few more interesting facts that you all may be interested to know.

1. After the age of 22, the discs in your back start to degenerate (meaning dehydrate).

2. Coffee and Alcohol slow down the healing process of sore muscles. Eat plenty of greens! They say that eating protein WONT help the recovery process but I mean... your muscles are made up of protein strands. When you go to the gym, your breaking down your muscles. You take protein to repair these muscles and help them grow back bigger than they were before. So my point is... they say it wont help but.. it can't hurt right? Taking your vitamins, proteins and eating healthy can only do you good and speed up the recovery process.

3. Increasing core strength will allow your muscles to take most of the compression when wakeboarding. (instead of your spine)

4. If you have a disc problem, your back is generally more sore in the morning. (which was not my case)

5. X-Rays do NOT show buldging discs or disc problems (as Army_Dad said). They only show the spaces between the verebrae. They also may reveal Arthritis.


Thanks again everyone for the advice!! My season's not done yet.
Old     (wakeslife)      Join Date: Jul 2005       08-24-2007, 11:45 AM Reply   
Greg thats the same exact scenario I was in except my inflammed joint was a bit lower down the spine. You'll be good to go in no time, but I do reccomend easing back into the riding and not taking anything huge out into the flats right away. I have found riding wake to wake to be way easier on the back.
Old     (liquidmx)      Join Date: Jun 2005       08-24-2007, 11:59 AM Reply   
Greg, can you indulge us in explaining/taking pics of the excersizes your doing. I am always on the lookout for better ways to stregthen/stretch/rebuild any part of my body.

For that matter, I think it would be cool to get a listing of wakeboard specific workouts, stretches etc. When I have a moment I will try and post some for knees and ankles (since thats all I have, lol)


Thanks.
Old     (eubanks01)      Join Date: Jun 2001       08-24-2007, 12:13 PM Reply   
Off topic...but on.

I have lower back pain as well. I was wondering if anyone had insight as to why when I set up in bed every morning my back (or disks or something) all pop as I bend forward. it's not a bad sounding pop like twisting your neck or really twisting your back...but almost just alleviating the stiffness or air trapped there. This has only been happening for a year or so and only does this when I first wake up.

Thanks.
Old     (greg_smith)      Join Date: Sep 2006       08-24-2007, 1:49 PM Reply   
Roddyrod, yeah I am goin to ease myself into it for sure. Gonna just get back on the board and do no tricks to see how it feels first. Maybe some surface stuff. But I'm gonna take the next few days off. Maybe get out there Monday.

Matt, I have no pics but... he has me doing 4 exercises. You lay on your back for all of them. There are half-cruches for the upper abs.

Um, there is one where you lay on your back and pull your knees to your chest which I believe is for lower back.

There is one for lower abs where you put your hand flat down on the ground under your back. You arch your back, if your back touches your hand, you need to arch your back more. You pull your knee in towards your chest and extend your leg as much as possible. This one is kind of weird.

There is another one for you hamstrings where you pull your leg into your chest using both hands on your hamstring. You then extend your leg.

I think I got those right. We'll see how correct I remember these the next time I go into the physio therapist. He may say im doin something slight off but thats the gest of them.



Eubanks, I would go have that checked out by a physio therapist. They know a lot more than doctors. That may lead to arthritis one day or something else. Who knows. Go take care of it.
Old     (eubanks01)      Join Date: Jun 2001       08-24-2007, 2:36 PM Reply   
Cool, thanks.

Have any of you guys tried inversion tables? I used one for a little bit and it seemed to alleviate some of the pain. I only had a demo for one month though.

I do a fair amount of core stuff and my back still hurts a lot. Maybe I'm not doing enough...who knows. Sitting down all day long doing a desk job is just going to screw me up I feel like no mater what I can. I can go work out for 2 hours to strengthen those muscles but I'm still sitting still for 8 hours a day.
Old     (birdman73)      Join Date: Aug 2007       08-25-2007, 10:08 AM Reply   
I wear a Nevin lifevest with built in lumbar support. Works great.
Old     (greg_smith)      Join Date: Sep 2006       08-28-2007, 10:11 PM Reply   
Got back on the water yesterday! Felt pretty good but man did i fall out of shape quickly. Very sore! haha.
Old     (ilikebeaverandboats)      Join Date: Jul 2007       09-03-2007, 3:02 PM Reply   
greg, lucky! im still not allowed to do ANYTHING with my back. maby another month and they said i could start again, he REALLY frowned upon wakeboarding along with just about everything else i do (basicly everything fun haha)

stay safe man!

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