Back injuries... and motocross

Chris,
Had the same exact problem from being rear ended at work about 8 years ago. Worst pain I have ever been in my life. Had surgery went back to work the next week when the doctor wanted me to talk 2 to 3 months off. I am in sales and on a 100% commission, got to keep the family fed. It took a good year to get back to a normal. I can do everything I did before, still have some pain on rainy days. good luck but you should be fine the body will heal and a good attitude goes a long way in that process. Good luck

I don't mean to dismiss anyone's back pain. But as someone that has disintegrated a vertebrae myself and has also broken in the neighborhood of 20 bones, I'm telling you 60% of the problem is attitude, personality, exercise, and drug dependency.

The pain pills get such a hold of you that you start to feel every creak in your body like it's the worst thing ever. I've been there. At some point you have to just deal with a lot of pain with a smile on your face and begin moving your body again and trying to live your life without drugs. In time you will be surprised how much better you will feel. The human body has an amazing ability to work around issues and to keep going.

Good Luck guys!

I'm trying to stay positive. My pain is manageable now, and I don't want pain killers for it (though a muscle relaxer or something would be nice on the rougher days to help with sleep). I'm going to work on core strength and every possible avenue to avoid surgery. I'll beat this.

Yes, a positive attitude goes a long way. Plus listening to your back goes a long way too. I've had sciatica too and it just blows and seemed to come out of no where, but it hasn't been back (excuse the pun!) for 20 years.

Some stuff that's worked for me is after a hard ride or landscaping the yard, whatever don't think that meds will help too much. Yes, they will mask the pain, but those don't fix a pinched nerve or a tight muscle/spasm. Do I use them? Sure, but not to continue any activity when my back hurts, only to help with the pain AFTER the activity.

Stretching? Works for some people, but I'm not a good stretcher...meaning I know my technique's wrong even if you tell me the right way to do it. So for me, I'll start any physical activity slow, get warmed up, then start to go 90-95% (whatever it is...moto, wakeboarding, mountain biking, landscaping...etc.)

But, for me listening to my back has been the most effective. If it's really bothering this 47 year old, I won't even bother lining up for the 2nd moto. I've done that in the past and it just takes too damn long to recover from it. Same can be said if I have a pulled neck muscle...don't mess with that one either. I'd rather put it on the trailer and ride next week rather than waiting 4 weeks...in pain.