Back trouble

[wez]

Following on from a couple of the old threads 'back trouble' and 'subluxations' i have found an article that describes the back condition that i suffer from and apparently according to some German research it is very common amongst javelin throwers so might be worth having a look if it effects you too. It is particularly interesting to me because it explains how such a lower back problem can cause knockon effects in the upper spine. This is a constant issue for me.

orthoinfo.aaos.org/fact/thr_report.cfm?Thread_ID=155&topcategory=Spin

Anyway as i have metioned before i can manage the problem by regular stretching and excessive ammounts of core stability exercise and i always wear a supportive belt for throwing and weight lifting.

[slinger]

ooooh back problems eh??? do i not like those! ;D

[robyn2012]

Yeah that sounds like what I have!! I find that when my lower back hurts my upper left hand side hurts aswell!!! It sometimes felt like I have been winded and I would get horrible bursts of flame. Also the physio did say about my hamstrings being too tight, probably because of all the gym work I do! So I have been balancing it out gym and mobility and so far I have had no problems, I even don't wear my back belt anymore.

[Administrator]

Right guys - anyone have some "quick fix" advice for me? I have a very tight lower back and think it is purely muscular (from deadlifting at the weekend without using my legs).

I'm now breaking my promise again and throwing this weekend in the Jubilee Cup and need to loosen my lower back of as quickly as I can.

I intend to rest completely until Sunday but what would people suggest to help loosen the muscles - massage, heat? I'm sure I remember reading that drawing more blood to the lower back muscles can make the problem worse but don't know a great deal on the subject.

[wez]

well Jimbo first up the problem of drawing blood into the area causing inflamation is probably only relevant for a few hours after exercise. To loosen off the following day or so have a hot soaking bath for about 30mins or longer and then go for a bit of a walk so your muscles and joints loosen up and then some proper static stretching exercises. Including glutes, lower back and spinal flexsion stuff laying over a medball. You are a mental SOB and i hope you are rewarded for this fact ;D

[jeremy]

Jimbo, are you at Kingston, if so then you need to rest until Monday. If not good luck wherever you are!!!!!

Our rub a dub guy said: "sit in an armchair, well into the back of it, grab a pillow across your guts, lean forward and squeeze itfor 10 seconds, then relax, repeat for 20 seconds and relax, then 30 etc, so you're in the chair doing this for about half an hour."

Wez's method works well too. Plus you get to play with your ducks and loafer!

;D ;D

[Administrator]

Thanks for the ideas guys.

Jeremy - I'm at at Copthall Barnet this weekend - anyone else there?

Hopefully I'll be nice and loose by then!

[Patience]

I do wish they'd stop playing arond with the cup timetable. The men's has changed from Jav to Hammer and back to Jav. It's hard to keep up and I hope no one turns up with the wrong athletes.

Hope the back holds up though.

[robyn2012]

OMG!!!! Pilates is soooooooo good for the back! my back feels really good! All the exercises we did! the instructor also mentioned how being in the corect positions for each exercise is vital, as if you are not in the right position then this can really affect how you perform and do the exercise! Honestly it is a dream come true!!! My back feels so good!

[interestedparty]

First of all, hello to all the Javclub. I am not a javelin thrower, hence "interested party" , however I am a thrower and I also help coach some young javelin throwers who are improving very rapidly.

I am looking for some advise or information on the effectiveness of treatments for disc bulges. The nature of your event makes you particularly susceptible to these type of injury and I was hoping there may be some of you who have experienced similar problems yourselves.

I have been informed today, following an MRI scan last week, that I have two bulging discs in the lumbar/sacral region. Owing to my age and the high levels of training I do when fit we want to avoid anything surgical or hugely invasive. I have, therefore, been advised of an injection/series of injections as an alternative. I was wondering if anyone has had this or any other treatment and would be willing to share their experiences so to further my understanding as there is only so much you can ascertain from reading medical literature.

[wez]

I'm not really sure what 'disc bulges' are but to my mind injections are surely a way of relieving the symptoms of back pain rather than preventing the cause of it. If you are able to train without advancing the damage to your back then the best course of action would probably be to try to increase your core stability and conditioning partuicularly in the lumbar/abdominal and trunk area with an additional focus on improving your posture in all athletic and everyday activities.

Maybe the best thing would be to get along to a good sports physio with your MRI results and ask them what they can recommend for you.

[slinger]

hey chaps! - is chaps a unisex term???

anyway! ;D

yeah, i have had experiences of this or similar to this.

at easter 2002 i hurt my back and for the first 12 months i tried a number things - i first visited a physio and everything we did there helped in alleviating some discomfort but never getting rid of the actual problem, we then decided to try accupuncture, this was a funny thing for me as some sessions i'd go away maybe a little bit better but more often made it worse and certainly didn't do anything in the long run, i then tried a osteopath and again no real improvement only alleviating things for maybe a day or so, i threw during 2002 but after it i packed it in and wasn't going to throw again...............in the summer of 2003 we decided none of the above was really helping and my back was getting worse, i had to take quite a lot of time off work - i couldn't wash a car, i couldn't stand and do the washing up for very long and i couldn't sleep for more than 5 hours at a single time - well i could but my back would spasm and the lower right handside would go soild and i'd be bent crooked to the side and doing anything would put me in agony.........SO, we went private to see a specialist and they said an MRI scan would be needed - the resluts were something like a couple of the discs were very worn from overuse from one disc in particular there was a slight bulge and was compressing against some nerve [it did say the nerve, but i honestly can't remember what they called it] also from the bulge was a tear in the disc and this would release some fluid and that would inflame the area.

i was then advised to have a or a series if needed of steroidal epidural injection which i went ahead with, this was july 2003 now and i'll explain what the injections were like.......you have to lie on your front with your kegs pulled right down, pillows under your waist with your backside in the air! and initially you get a local aenisthetic, which is good as the steroidal injection needle is a big 'un! - you can't see it though as you are facing the wrong way!!!! - it's only till after you ask to see it you go OMG! hehehe anyway you don't feel the needle as you are numb, but you do feel it when the steroid is pumped into you - it's a very strange feeling actually, they pump it in about 3 times and with each time the feeling gets stronger and stronger - it's a feeling of pressure building in your legs and tbh it knocks the wind out of you and you can't breathe - apparently each time you go for them you might need more and more so the pressure would get mega and if i'm honest it's a feeling that in some ways you want it again as it's a feeling that you'd never have experienced before yet at the same time it is quite an uncomfortable one.....even more so if they up the dosage.

well this injection didn't do anything for my individual situation tbh and so i left it at that and thought my back was always going to be the same and not improve, at this time i was pretty down tbh.

after not throwing in 2003 i realised how much i did miss it that at a discus national squad i met john trower again and we decided that after Xmas we'd have another little go at throwing javelins again and so after Xmas i began to train and throw as and when my back felt ok to do so.......i was still struggling alot at this time btw, i had to have days off sick at work and still had to be very careful about what i did everyday as to to set my back into spasm, but i really wanted to compete. I did 4 comps that year and decided that i couldn't do it again and retired from throwing - AGAIN! as my back was getting worse the more i tried to train and all the driving to comps made my back very sore that it'd take the whole next week to recover.

2005 and 2006 were pretty much spent learning how to manage my back - so no lie ins on sunday mornings, no mucking about playing footie with mates - basically being very careful about what i did.......this was perhaps the worst time in my life really as from one day to the next i had no idea how my back would be and it ruled my life, always being scared to do anything incase it set my back off, i can honestly say at this time in my life i had actually forgotten what it was like to wake up and go through a whole day pain free and feel as though my back was normal again..........late 2006 i started to see a massuer and at first she just made it real sore and i kept going anyway and eventually i found i could sleep maybe a little bit longer at night without feat of my back going into spasm and that i could do a little bit more other things, i then randomly decided to lose some bodyweight in maybe january/february of this year and begin a little bit of core work and the overall effect has been a revelation for me and i then once again decided to begin throwing again in late march/ the beginning of april in a view to showing the group i coach one or two little bits and pieces and then all of a sudden i am doing comps like javfest and the intercounties.

so for me the key was a few things all working togther, i think each would have helped if i only did the one, but all three at the same time has i'm sure had a culmartive effect on my back.

i'm not saying my back is 100% it isn't and i still need to go for weekly massage and keep the weight off and do more core work, especially if i want to continue within this sport and not hurt it again and make life what it was a few years ago.

i hope that has helped a little bit!

[ryanjav]

I have an athlete with two sprained vertebrae in his lower back. It only affects javelin and puts him in agony, yet he can throw all other implements.
Does anyone have any advice on rectifying this ?

[Caroline]

First of all make sure that the diagnosis is correct. Not sure how you can sprain a vertibrae as its a bone! Backs are tricky things as my friend Slinger will no doubt agree.

Then, assuming its not a disc issue that needs further investigation, rest, rest and more rest! Chiropractors can help alleviate some of the pain - but make sure you find a good one!

However.... I would start with a proper diagnosis first and foremost.... sports clinics are a good place to start, maybe via a referral from the doctor. It's a lengthy process, but unless properly diagnosed could lead to a long long layoff.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news... one of my group ( a talented National Squad hammer thrower) has missed all of this season, and is still waiting for full diagnosis after his MRI scan. His aching back suddenly got a lot worse when he lifted wrongly - the diagnosis was 2 bulging discs, and now we wait what they are going to do for him.

[wez]

I agree, you need to play it safe and do not let themv train with any high impact atall unitl its either gone away or you have a proper diagnosis.