My back just went 'ping'

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jonny jeez

Legendary Member
Auntie Helen said:
I imagine your son's girlfriend (why the capital G?) isn't also called "bad girl", "poodles", "naughty doggie", "oy!", "no!" and the various other forms of nomenclature from which Lucy suffers.

dont be too sure, have you met aperitif's sons G-girlfirend;)
 

rich p

ridiculous old lush
Location
Brighton
Aperitif said:
G - because that is her entitlement in the eyes of Rob, my son. I have, on occasions scratched her behind the ears, in order to attract the attention of her Mother. (Cap. M) :biggrin:

Cripes. Ape in son's GF's Mum love quadrilateral:ohmy::ohmy::ohmy:
 

Crankarm

Guru
Location
Nr Cambridge
Auntie Helen said:
Was putting milk in the fridge, bending down to pick the 4 pint carton off the floor and swivelling to raise it up to a high shelf in our fridge. Ping.

Am now hobbling about. No cycling for me today. Ouch!

(I think it's a pulled muscle rather than anything skeletal, but I am walking around regally like a lady with a box of eggs on her head).

Sorry to read of your discomfort AH. A tip - is to use the edge of a stair to massage the affected area of your back. I have done this when I have got stiffness/pain in my lower back. Sit on the lower stairs and push your lower back - side, middle, lower vertebrae ect. onto the carpeted stair edge gently massaging using your legs and arms to support your weight. It is f'kin brilliant as you can massage exactly where you want as forcefully or as lightly as you desire. You can place the edge of the carpeted stair between individual vertebrae and then massage the muscles around it by using your legs and arms to direct your weight. You can work up or down the lower part of your back bringing relief. Plus you can turn side on to massge your lower back side muscles. Very very satisfying. Once finished I always feel like new.

Also with your back squarely against the stair lifting slightly your opposite leg to the direction you twist, gently do a few twists to crack your back as well. This brings considerable relief IME "freeing" up the lower back and muscles which can get very stiff.

Also standing squarely, slowly rotating your hips clockwise and counter clocksie as if you are wiping the inside of a bucket or Mr Whippy having a crap helps, but the above stair massage is by far the most effective IME. Keep your stomach muscles tense and breath in though. Far better than any chiropractor or physiotherapist that I have visited in the past for my back when I was knocked off the bike years ago.

Obviously the above is opinion and does not consititute formal medical advice. It however works very well for me on the occasions I use the techiques in my stretching regime.

Hope you get better soon whether you use the above tips or not.
 

Arch

Married to Night Train
Location
Salford, UK
Crankarm said:
Sorry to read of your discomfort AH. A tip - is to use the edge of a stair to massage the affected area of your back. I have done this when I have got stiffness/pain in my lower back. Sit on the lower stairs and push your lower back - side, middle, lower vertebrae ect. onto the carpeted stair edge gently massaging using your legs and arms to support your weight. It is f'kin brilliant as you can massage exactly where you want as forcefully or as lightly as you desire. Once finished I always feel like new.

Also with your back squarely against the stair lifting slightly your opposite leg to the direction you twist, gently do a few twists to crack your back as well. This brings considerable relief IME "freeing" up the lower back and muscles which can get very stiff.

Also standing squarely, slowly rotating your hips clockwise and counter clocksie as if you are wiping the inside of a bucket or Mr Whippy having a crap helps, but the above stair massage is by far the most effective IME. Keep your stomach muscles tense and breath in though. Far better than any chiropractor or physiotherapist that I have visited in the past for my back when I was knocked off the bike years ago.

I read these tips with interest, having a very stiff back at the mo due to the job. Alas, I don't have any stairs of my own, and I fear trying such exercises out on the uncarpeted unheated communal stairs might a) attract attention and :sad: not help so much... Ho hum.... I'll have to try the Mr Whippy one....

Helen, all the best, hope it settles down soon. These days, I bend like an old lady, with a fair bit of grunting thrown in....
 
OP
OP
Auntie Helen

Auntie Helen

Ich bin Powerfrau!
All loosening up nicely now I've spent a couple of hours in bed with a good book and a couple of cups of tea.

The thing that struck me in the moment when my back went 'ping' was, "I'm getting older, this sort of thing is likely to happen now." A rather sobering thought.

Snowing a lot here now so I imagine we're mostly housebound for a few more days - plenty of time to relax and drink more tea and for it all to get better again.
 

Saddle bum

Über Member
Location
Kent
I could pop round and give you quick rub down with a copy of "The Sporting Life".
 

Ian H

Ancient randonneur
I did similar a few years ago. It was embarrassing, having to ask for help in a shop, and once having an old lady take pity on me and carry my shopping to the car.
A sports physio sorted it out and there's been no recurrence. NHS physio was pretty useless.
 

XmisterIS

Purveyor of fine nonsense
Auntie H - I knackered my back when I was 16, it is always giving me jip and will be the thing that puts me in a mobility scooter when I get old and decrepid! It means I can't ride a bike with dropped handlebars.

I have found that Iyenga Yoga and Pilates are the answer - when I don't do them, I seize up like an old man! The trick is to keep one's back flexible and supple and keep the core muscles of the torso strong.
 
OP
OP
Auntie Helen

Auntie Helen

Ich bin Powerfrau!
I did yoga several years ago for about 15 minutes daily and it was brilliant!

Had a fairly bad night's sleep as it's hard to turn over with painful side muscle but I've dosed myself with paracetamol this morning and am feeling much more the thing now (although I shall go back to bed in a bit where it's warm and where someone plies me with tea).

This is just one of those things one gets when ageing. However, I do wonder if it's something to do with NOT cycling much this year, having done 33 miles per day all last year.
 

ASC1951

Guru
Location
Yorkshire
Auntie Helen said:
The thing that struck me in the moment when my back went 'ping' was, "I'm getting older, this sort of thing is likely to happen now."
I'm afraid it is. The milk-hurling is almost certainly the occasion rather than the cause. I find I need constant maintenance just to stop these thing happening.

People who get most of their exercise from cycling often develop stiff backs, particularly if they have desk jobs. I try to mix it with regular swimming and running (well, jogging), but if that isn't convenient for you it's worth doing daily or at least weekly stretching such as yoga or Pilates.
 
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