pulled back muscle

[Dan Michler]

tonight i pulled a muscle in the center to lower part of my back while shooting a long putt.  has anybody ever had this type of injury?  how long does it take to heal?  it hurts like a bastard.

[Guest]

you wuss...



you'll probably have to be in a body cast for 3 months!

do some hot cold hot cold, and take some time off, take it easy - should be fine in a week, if you're not i'd see a docta  

[D]

^

<3 train

[Jon Brakel]

tonight i pulled a muscle in the center to lower part of my back while shooting a long putt.  has anybody ever had this type of injury?  how long does it take to heal?  it hurts like a bastard.

Usually back injuries have very little to do with what you are doing right at the moment of the first pain. It is usually something that has built up gradually. I used to get really bad muscle injuries in my back about once a year until I started to do stretching exercises for my back 2-3 times per day. The exercises I do are simple and I can show you what I do once your back gets better, if you want me to. I personally think that human backs weren't engineered very well and are prone to these types of injuries.

[D]

engineer a better back then!

we are incredible

[mirth]

the human spine was never designed for upright mobility...

[Bruce Brakel]

I was designed for Upper Nobility and somehow got stuck in the working class.

Advice from the King of Bad Backs:

If the pain shoots into the butt or down a leg, it is a serious problem not to be ignored.  Never mask back pain with pain relievers.  Go find an osteopath who graduated from Mich State Univ Osteopathic College who studied muscle energy under Fred Mitchell if a week of rest does not take care of it.  I know there is at least one in Chicago somewhere.  

[shawn]

I get those same pains...  I can throw hard all day, but if I practice putting too much I can feel it...  I feel it more with the straddle putt.

Like Bruce was saying, down your leg pain (hamstring area)... take a break and stretch a lot.  Make sure your hamstring is not tight.  I got one of those pilates balance balls to help strengthen my lower back and it seems to be helping..  

[Chainmeister]

Dan

bending, flexion, is bad for backs.  There is a lot of bending in disc golf so you have to be careful. Extension (backward bending)exercises are very helpful.  If you have the ball that Shawn has,kneel in front of the ball and put your hands on it. Then roll the ball towards you and stretch up extending your back.  You can also sit on the ball and then lean back again extending your back.  No ball?  lay on the floor on your stomach. Just laying there is good.  if you have more motion, you can press up with your arms to bring your head and upper body up while your pelvis is still on the floor.  In yoga they call this the cobra. It extends the back.  Another approach is to stand  and put your hands on your hips or behind.  Bend back while gently pressing on your backside.  Another exercise that sounds  silly but really works is to stand straight and squeez your cheeks together. You can do this while waiting for the train or waiting in line. Try this periodically through the day and before throwing.  Advil and Aleve will help reduce inflammation.  If you have stronger symptoms in the legs or are so tight that you can't do the above, you better see a doctor.  Backs are funny animals.  Each person and each back is different. You may heal in a few days or you may be plagued for a while.

I hope you feel better.  Good luck.

[Mike Clark]

Like Bruce said if the pain is a shooting pain running into your legs you need to go see a doctor. You probably have a pinched nerve. I am not even going to try to spell the name of the nerve, starts with an "S" I think. Backs are very tricky. I have been living with back problems from falling when I was a roofer. Backs are big pieces of sh*t. Once it feels better I can also so you some streches and exercises that I do on a daily basis. The Swiss Ball looks really gay. But it is one of the best things ever for exercising. Develops great core stability(abs and back) and balance.

Hope you feel better!

[Mitch]

A good Chiropractor can also do alot of good, I used to have a chronic problem that is now practically gone. They can perform a treatment that consists of electrical stimulation and ultra-sound. It feels great and loosens up the muscles.
Along with Ibuprofen and some rest, expect at least a week. No golf or lifting.

[Dan Michler]

thanks guys.  no shooting pain through the legs or anything, but still hurts quite a bit today.  it feels like a pulled muscle that is located at about my mid-to-lower back on the left side.  no plans to see the doctor unless the pain doesn't start to decrease within a week.  i hate going to the doctor and without a woman to make me go i will prolly just let myself die before going    

[mirth]

Ah, I know that pain well.... Whenever my back acts up, sleeping on the floor helps as does lying on the floor with my feet up on a chair (knees bent, calves lying flat on the chair seat)

[Adrian Gutierrez jr.]

When your back heals you can use deadlifts as an exercise to strengthen that part of your back, stretching would help alot too. I used to get pains there all the time when throwing until I started deadlifting.

[tree]

So, Dan-How is your back?

Alternating heat and ice helps to decrease the swelling without impairing healing. If you do all cold packs, the injured tissue can't get a good enough blood supply to heal. Once you feel better, do some range of motion exercises to stretch out before and after you play disc golf and at least 1 time  per day.

[Dan Michler]

its stiff but doesn't hurt that much any more.  i just got back from playing for a couple hours this morning.   i'll be fine.  i'm surprised how quick it healed cuz it really hurt alot wednedsay and i didn't think i'd be playing for at least a week or 2.  i guess its good to be young, but i will definitely start to stretch more each day.

[tree]

Once you feel better, do some range of motion exercises to stretch out before and after you play disc golf and at least 1 time  per day.

Dan-I wanted to clarify my advice from the other day: It is better to slowly gear up to throwing long drives, to prevent injury. When you get to a course, throw some discs at 25% power, then 50%, 75%, etc. Work your way up to full power to let the muscles know what will be expected of them. Stretching muscles before you use them can stress the muscles. Once you are done for the day, do some thorough stretching of all of your muscles as a cool down. You're too young for a bad back!

I'm glad to hear you are feeling better.