lower back pain from skating
 

My wife is a beginner skater who is pushing a bit too hard to become an
expert... so she has developed major pain in the lower back after
skiing during the New Years. It goes away when she is warmed up and
skiing, but it always comes back when she is done. Anything like this
happenned to anyone? My experience shows that physical therapists don't
know much about XC skating here in NYC area... so I dont' really know
where to look.

wrote:

My wife is a beginner skater who is pushing a bit too hard to become
an
expert... so she has developed major pain in the lower back after
skiing during the New Years. It goes away when she is warmed up and
skiing, but it always comes back when she is done. Anything like this
happenned to anyone?

One cause of at least minor lower back pain could be a simple case of
tight butt muscles which could hopefully be quickly remedied with
serious and conscientious stretching.

The culprit of some lower back pain is weakness of those small
oblique(?) back muscles. An exercise that some people have found
helpful is simple (but a bit idiotic): get down on your hands and
knees, extend opposite arm and leg, repeat, switch, repear, repeat.
5x10 increased up to 10x20 or 4x50.
Preferably twice a day.


Anders

On 23 Jan 2005 17:58:23 -0800, wrote:

My wife is a beginner skater who is pushing a bit too hard to become an
expert... so she has developed major pain in the lower back after
skiing during the New Years. It goes away when she is warmed up and
skiing, but it always comes back when she is done. Anything like this
happenned to anyone? My experience shows that physical therapists don't
know much about XC skating here in NYC area... so I dont' really know
where to look.

This isn't exactly about your question, but the last time I got back
pain from sports, a key part of my getting better was taking care of
my back *all* the time, not just in the sport. In particular, I got a
pad to use behind my lower back in my office chair, to help ensure
that I was sitting in a good position at work. And I used a thick hat
in the seat of the car right under the small of my back to do the same
while driving.

This helped a lot -- I wasn't finishing working out and then putting
myself in a position that was unhealthy for hours -- esp in the car
driving home from skiing.

JT

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A GOOD PT does not need to know about skiing to help. Mine has never
skied, but always fixes my problems. I show him the motions and he
sees what's wrong. I say keep looking for a good PT. They are hard to
find, but well worth it.

Rob Bradlee

--- wrote:

My wife is a beginner skater who is pushing a bit too hard to become
an
expert... so she has developed major pain in the lower back after
skiing during the New Years. It goes away when she is warmed up and
skiing, but it always comes back when she is done. Anything like this
happenned to anyone? My experience shows that physical therapists
don't
know much about XC skating here in NYC area... so I dont' really know
where to look.








=====
Rob Bradlee
Java, C++, Perl, XML, OOAD, Linux, and Unix Training

"Anders" wrote in message
oups.com...

wrote:

My wife is a beginner skater who is pushing a bit too hard to become
an
expert... so she has developed major pain in the lower back after
skiing during the New Years. It goes away when she is warmed up and
skiing, but it always comes back when she is done. Anything like this
happenned to anyone?
....
Anders

My daughter got severe lower back pain from rowing. Her psysiotherapist
found that her upper back muscles were very stiff. The lack of flexibility
from the upper area forced the lower back muscles to compensate, eventually
leading to lower back pain. Most of the treatments were aimed at
"mobilising" the upper back. It took her two months of bi-weekly treatments
to be able to row again. To prevent new back pain she now sees, once a
month, a physiotherapist trained in Global Postural Re-Education (aka GPR;
you should do a google on this). She also takes the time to stretch every
day.

BarryT

i would suggest she cease skiing until she feels fine again. also look
for other reasons for her pain and exclude those.
the important thing is to keep this from progressing into something
bigger.
if she does not improve or gets worse she needs to see a doctor or
equivalent.
how soon you make that decision would depend on what else is going on
including her personal medical history which obviously no one on this
BB has access to.
so - i think the moral is - do not get medical advice from a nordic
skiing BB. call your doctor.
sorry.

"Anders" wrote in message
oups.com...

wrote:

My wife is a beginner skater who is pushing a bit too hard to become
an
expert... so she has developed major pain in the lower back after
skiing during the New Years. It goes away when she is warmed up and
skiing, but it always comes back when she is done. Anything like this
happenned to anyone?
....
Anders

(repost; my newsserver is behaving stragely)
My daughter got severe lower back pain from rowing. Her psysiotherapist
found that her upper back muscles were very stiff. The lack of flexibility
from the upper area forced the lower back muscles to compensate, eventually
leading to lower back pain. Most of the treatments were aimed at
"mobilising" the upper back. It took her two months of bi-weekly treatments
to be able to row again. To prevent new back pain she now sees, once a
month, a physiotherapist trained in Global Postural Re-Education (aka GPR;
you should do a google on this). She also takes the time to stretch every
day.

BarryT

I've always believed that a doctor or PT familiar with the sports that
are causing my injuries would be more likely to give good help than ones
who aren't familiar. That assumes you are choosing help blind and that
familiarity doesn't necessarily mean having done it. For example, I've
got bad wrist tendonitis, and the specialist I've seen here in the TC is
a helicopter-drop downhiller and the PT doesn't nordic ski, but is
mother of two college team level kids. My experience between LA and the
Twin Cities with orthopods/PTs confirms that re cross country skiing and
other sports, although it always surprises me how many people in the TC
have never x-c skied and don't know anything about it.

Gene

Rob Bradlee wrote:

A GOOD PT does not need to know about skiing to help. Mine has never
skied, but always fixes my problems. I show him the motions and he
sees what's wrong. I say keep looking for a good PT. They are hard to
find, but well worth it.

Rob Bradlee

--- wrote:

My wife is a beginner skater who is pushing a bit too hard to become
an
expert... so she has developed major pain in the lower back after
skiing during the New Years. It goes away when she is warmed up and
skiing, but it always comes back when she is done. Anything like this
happenned to anyone? My experience shows that physical therapists
don't
know much about XC skating here in NYC area... so I dont' really know
where to look.







=====
Rob Bradlee
Java, C++, Perl, XML, OOAD, Linux, and Unix Training

If this were classical skiing, I'd suggest incomplete weight shift is
the problem. In skating, I haven't seen anything written. First
guesses would be tight muscles, muscle imbalance and technique problems,
but could other medical issues be involved?

GG

wrote:

My wife is a beginner skater who is pushing a bit too hard to become an
expert... so she has developed major pain in the lower back after
skiing during the New Years. It goes away when she is warmed up and
skiing, but it always comes back when she is done. Anything like this
happenned to anyone? My experience shows that physical therapists don't
know much about XC skating here in NYC area... so I dont' really know
where to look.