cranky old dude

Out of commission for a while. The 1/2 to 3/4 inches of sleet was
great fun to ride home in, but followed by freezing rain, snow
made for a real mess cleaning out the driveway. Scrape & shovel, scrape
& shovel...not too much at once as it's very wet snow on top of a
thick layer of frozen sleet. Almost done, just a few more feet to go,
OOOOWWWWWW! There went my lower back. Sharp pain from the
right hip to the spine. The rest of Saturday in bed, all of Sunday in
bed, Monday I'll call the Doc. .......I miss the bike already.

Beverly

What a bummer, Cranky. I hope the healing time is short and you can get back on the bike soon.

I have granddaughters who live next door and they're responsible for shoveling the snow. The only thing I need to do is remind them occasionally that it needs to be done

stapfam

Had the sudden pain from gentle gardening occasionally so Know what you are going through. Daft thing is that there is no warning so you don't get the warning sign to stop.

Only one thing for it and that is rest- but how do you get a back like that comfortable?

One thing to try if you think you could manage it---- Get on the bike and sit.

I know that sounds daft- but when I do have the back problem- Once I get over the initial shock of the pain- Stretching out over the bars is the most comfortable position for me. I have even gone on rides when stil recovering from the Pain- and the worst bit of the ride was when we stopped. Just getting off the bike and sitting in a chair was murder.

dbg

So I've had 7 or 8 back episodes, a few so bad I wanted to stop living. I've concluded that the best thing for it is to keep moving. My worst episodes always came after days of mostly motionless rest. It was like they just inflamed much worse for having not moved anything. Maybe I'm getting better at recovering but these days after a flare up I purposely sleep on the couch for a few nights where I toss around a little and roll onto the floor (hands and knees) a few times and even get up to walk painfully around i bit. I purposely avoid more than 2 hours of motionless sleep and during the day I force my self to try to move normally.

It has worked very well.

Yen

Put some of that snow/sleet in a plastic bag and put it on your back... ice and rest, ice and rest.

Been there, done that (different circumstances) and still paying for it 30 years later. I'm finally getting PT for my back now.

Hope your back will be much better very soon!

The Smokester

Dude, Tough luck. Get better soon.

Digital Gee

I feel your pain, indeed. Been there, done that, although not from shoveling snow. Heal quick, my friend. Heal quick!

Louis

Maybe you should get Beverly's granddaughters to shovel your driveway from now on.

I hope you feel better soon.

MObiker

Cranky,
It may not be much help right now but I used to get back pain a lot like yours two or three times a year. I was miserable for days trying to get straightened back up.
I now have a stretching routine I do every morning religiously and haven't had a back episode for over a year. Knock on wood !!
Not sure the stretch is the whole reason but I think it is good preventative medicine.

Beverly

They mow grass, too

They've learned to do things right the first time, too. The last thing they want is "Mamaw" out there giving them lessons on how to trim, weed, etc

Bud Bent

Dang, sorry to hear that, cranky. I didn't have a great weekend, either. Six weeks after my surgery, I finally came off light duty status Friday, exactly one week before chemotherapy is likely to slow me down again. So, I have one week to give it all I want, and what happens? I was taking a curve a bit too fast on my bike Saturday, hit something, and was on my left side instantly. It was the first time in almost two years that I've gone down at speed, and left me with some deep road rash on my hip, forearm, and thumb. Oh well......

stapfam

That'll give the Nurses something to talk about. Some maniac biker who fell off- Whats the betting they ask if its a Harley or a YamaHondUki.

ang1sgt

Lenny,

Sorry to hear about that! I had the same on my drive too, but Mine is on a Hill! Thank goodness for one 4 WD and the car with traction control.

Bought 3 bags of rock salt the other night and put 75 lbs on the driveway. Next morning there was ONE spot about 6 inches round that was clear. That's where I spilled the salt by mistake. I used my long handled lawn edger to break up most of it, and then my big pusher to get it off the drive and onto the grass. My back is twinging today, but I'll take it easy.

6 more weeks of this? I need to shoot me a groundhog! LOL!

cranky old dude

Finally back to work tonight. Back is sore but should be
O.K. if I'm carefull. Hoping to get back on the Trek 820
aka "The Beast" on Saturday for a trial run, if that goes
well it'll be back to daily rides and commuting again.

Thanks to you all for the kind thoughts, and Bud, good luck
with that Chemo.

bkaapcke

The best money I ever spent was for a home 'Rowing Machine'. It reqally keeps low back and Abs in tone. Since I got toned up, I haven't had a single back problem. I really don't miss them. Check with your doctor first. bk

fthomas

Guys! Be careful!

Cranky, it has been a long time since I had a back episode. Hope you get to feeling better.
Bud Bent - wow, I hate that when it happens. I had my wreck today. Be careful and take care!

Louis

< WC Fields once said that rowing machines are worthless. He bought one, and according to him, it sunk as soon as he put it in the river.