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[RC] Back pain - Julie FullerI'm gonna weigh in here too.....I am 43, and blew two discs when I was 17 (working in a nursing home, poor lifting techniques) The discs are the first two above the sacrum. I was in constant pain for years, until the discs degenerated completely, and the vertabrae fused. I was about 30 when that finally happened. I was lucky enough to have an awesome chiropractor during that time, or I swear I'd be in a wheel chair now. So I know all about back pain, and how debilitating it is, even if it's not much of a problem now (Knock on wood) Several years ago, (and Linda, please make note of this. I'm not saying this is your problem, but it was sure helpful to me.) I began having trouble with my hips. Horrible burning pain that seemed to be in the socket, and was particularly bad when I did a lot of walking. BUT the pain would completely stop if I stopped moving. I began taking MSM (I've ALWAYS taken lots of vitamins/minerals) and that helped, but walking long distances still hurt. Several months ago, the pain had gotten to the point where I could not sleep. Nothing seemed to help. One night in particular, after having ridden my pony for an hour, bareback at a walk in the pasture, I was in such agony I honestly considered shooting myself (Why else do you keep a pistol by the bed! *grin*) After a sleepless night, and a handful of Advil, I got a bit of sleep, and did a bunch of research online. This is what I discovered.... and Bruce, please correct me if my explanation isn't close. There is a muscle, called the piriformis muscle, that runs from the sacrum to the top of the hip joint. It's reffered to as "the riders muscle" in some articles. In some people, the sciatic nerve runs through this muscle, in some, it runs between it, and the pelvis. In any case, if it gets overly tight, it puts pressure on the sciatic nerve. This can occur if the inner thigh muscles get tight, pulling the piriforis tight as well. In order to correct this, there are a couple of specific stretches to do. I'll include links to a couple of articles which demonstrate. They aren't hard to do at all, and since I have been doing them, I have been completely pain free. (In my hips anyway, my head still hurts from all the research!) http://www.eqwest.co.uk/Factsheets/Factsheets/physio.htm http://www.horsemagazine.com/CLINIC/Fitness/part2/lisa_part2.html And Bruce, I second everyone's thoughts. You can go on and on, filling our heads with knowledge about our backs, no one is gonna complain! Julie =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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