Back pain from motocross

Jak3
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11/11/2019 10:41am Edited Date/Time 5/9/2022 4:01pm
This last July at Cahuilla I over shot the big step-up they had in the back. The suspension bottomed out and it jarred my back so bad I didn't end up riding the rest of the day. I took the entire summer off, in hope it would get better and decided to try it out Glen Helen a few weeks ago. Back pain instantly came back after the first moto. It gets so bad I can barely pull myself up if laying flat on my back. I went to the chiropractor, they took x-rays and stated I have between Phase 2-3 disc degeneration at age 26. I've ridden my entire life and never had any issues until now. I was hoping someone has had a similar experience and could hopefully point me in the right direction to get help. I can't fathom the thought of giving up riding but that seems to be the only logical thing to do at this point.

Thanks!
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langhammx
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11/11/2019 10:51am
Jak3 wrote:
This last July at Cahuilla I over shot the big step-up they had in the back. The suspension bottomed out and it jarred my back so...
This last July at Cahuilla I over shot the big step-up they had in the back. The suspension bottomed out and it jarred my back so bad I didn't end up riding the rest of the day. I took the entire summer off, in hope it would get better and decided to try it out Glen Helen a few weeks ago. Back pain instantly came back after the first moto. It gets so bad I can barely pull myself up if laying flat on my back. I went to the chiropractor, they took x-rays and stated I have between Phase 2-3 disc degeneration at age 26. I've ridden my entire life and never had any issues until now. I was hoping someone has had a similar experience and could hopefully point me in the right direction to get help. I can't fathom the thought of giving up riding but that seems to be the only logical thing to do at this point.

Thanks!
You are the only one that can decide if you can or can’t ride anymore. BUT... I can tell you that there are many of us in here that are over 50 and have ridden our whole lives, with a bad back.
While I don’t know what your issues are, don’t rely on a chiropractor to give you medical advice. Go see a specialist and figure out a plan for rehab !
You’ll be fine, no need to panic
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ohiomotoxer
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11/11/2019 10:52am
I suggest you see a spine doctor. Unfortunately you will probably have to go through the normal hoops.
Physical therapy, injections before any operation.
You will need a CT scan, MRI and x rays for a specialist to make a determination.
Degeneration leads to numbness in buttox to left leg all the way to toes (sciatic nerve)
Or neck to middle finger.

Ive had 2 lumber and one cervical operation.
Dont wait if you have above said pain dont waste time with a chiro either
Good luck
2
Falcon
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11/11/2019 10:52am
Step 1: See some specialists.
Step 2: Don't take medical advice from people on Vital. Seat bouncing advice, proper sprocket bolt torque, or the number of jumps in a triple? Yeah, this is the place. Medical advice? See a doctor.

Good luck, though. Back pain sucks. I hope you can get it all healed up.
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ohiomotoxer
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11/11/2019 10:54am
Oh and everyone has some sort of degeneration.
Dont sweat that and especially info from a chiro, they are not spine experts.
Nerve pain and numbness is serious though.
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The Shop

ohiomotoxer
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11/11/2019 10:56am
Falcon wrote:
Step 1: See some specialists. Step 2: Don't take medical advice from people on Vital. Seat bouncing advice, proper sprocket bolt torque, or the number of...
Step 1: See some specialists.
Step 2: Don't take medical advice from people on Vital. Seat bouncing advice, proper sprocket bolt torque, or the number of jumps in a triple? Yeah, this is the place. Medical advice? See a doctor.

Good luck, though. Back pain sucks. I hope you can get it all healed up.
Im semi qualified on back pain
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paul walker
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Ottawa Lake, MI US
11/11/2019 10:59am
An MRI would be extremely helpful. It will give you a much better idea of what is causing your pain. You can then formulate a game plan ie. physical therapy, chiropractic, pain management (blocks and injections), oral medication etc.
Personally, I would avoid surgery unless everything else fails and you are incapacitated. Even then, don’t get surgery without the consensus of at least two reputable surgeons. At your age, time and conservative care will usually lead to some improvement.
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Jak3
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11/11/2019 11:01am Edited Date/Time 11/11/2019 11:02am
I have no idea why, but a spine specialist never crossed my mind. So glad I posted on here, already made an appointment with a local one for today.

Thanks for the positive input so far, you guys are rad!
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motoGleamer
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11/11/2019 11:02am
Chiropractors are not doctors and many of the things they do are not evidence based and some things they say/do are flat out dangerous and harmful. I would not trust a chiropractor to read an xray accurately nor is an xray the test you need.

Go see an actual physician spine specialist (either neurosurgery or ortho spine) and get a proper evaluation and you likely will need an MRI to fully assess what's going on. Dont fuck around with your back.
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Cortami79
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11/11/2019 11:31am
First try to get your back fixed. Can you do fitness exercises? Maybe strengthen your core? I ride with a kidney belt as well, helps a lot. You definitely need that one
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chump6784
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11/11/2019 11:33am
I was around 23 years old when a chiro told me I had the back of a 40 year old due to disc degeneration. At the time I started getting worried about what that would mean for the future but I'm now 35 and feel better than I did back then. All I did was start looking after myself better, dropped 10 kilograms, drank less beer and work out more. Working on your core will help stabilise your back and reduce problems associated with disc degeneration.

I still go to a chiro every now and then, last weekend I over jumped a new 100ft table top and tweaked my lower back. Got put back into place and a few days later the muscles have settled and I'm good to go
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UGOTBIT
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11/11/2019 12:06pm
Falcon wrote:
Step 1: See some specialists. Step 2: Don't take medical advice from people on Vital. Seat bouncing advice, proper sprocket bolt torque, or the number of...
Step 1: See some specialists.
Step 2: Don't take medical advice from people on Vital. Seat bouncing advice, proper sprocket bolt torque, or the number of jumps in a triple? Yeah, this is the place. Medical advice? See a doctor.

Good luck, though. Back pain sucks. I hope you can get it all healed up.
Im semi qualified on back pain [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2019/11/11/384379/s1200_2C337DA8_8004_4625_AC8B_2021880C394E.jpg[/img]
Im semi qualified on back pain
Thought I was in the bike build section with all that Ti!!!!!
Paw Paw 271
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Benton, LA US
11/11/2019 12:32pm Edited Date/Time 11/11/2019 12:33pm
I have had this issue for many years. The only real relief I get is from my inversion table. I use it daily and it keeps me going. I have had back shots and the doctors always want to operate on my back, but I don't want to be cut on. Many will not agree with this, but it does work. I am 72 years old and living proof of it ability to keep you riding.

Paw Paw
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Motox627!
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11/11/2019 12:41pm
I have had this issue for many years. The only real relief I get is from my inversion table. I use it daily and it keeps...
I have had this issue for many years. The only real relief I get is from my inversion table. I use it daily and it keeps me going. I have had back shots and the doctors always want to operate on my back, but I don't want to be cut on. Many will not agree with this, but it does work. I am 72 years old and living proof of it ability to keep you riding.

Paw Paw
I would agree with Paw Paw on this! I got an inversion table after i was diagnosed with Cervical Spinal Stenosis (after over jumping a jump and landing super hard) and it makes a world of difference. Granted my injury is in my neck and causes my left arm to go numb, I've also noticed it helps with back pain a lot! Use it for 5-10 minutes when i get up in the morning and then 5-10 minutes when i get home from work before exercising. We bought ours new, but you can find them all over craigslist for cheap.

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flymoto
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GB
11/11/2019 2:21pm
Yes, you’ll be able to carry on riding. I herniated 2 discs badly 2.5 years ago now, after going to dr and chiros I took it out myself as they all did nothing for
Me. First look up dr Stuart mcgills big 3. The most respected man when it comes to back pain. Do his exercises 3 times per day. Also focus on your hip hinge, and every day to day movements that you don’t think of. Just imagine your herniated or damaged disc to be a scab, you can rest loads, do no exercises but bend down the wrong way and ride your db without good posture and a strong core and you have picked that scab. Now it’s bleeding and it will never heal if you keep repeating this. Also focus on working on your core strength, kettle bell swings, light deadlifts, single leg deadlifts. You need a strong posterior chain, then make sure your back is strong too. You’ll feel so much better too. Don’t go running, if you want to do cardio, cycle or go on the rower. It’s difficult, and your back will probably never be the same. If you need inspiration read Stuart McGill and Brian carolls book about his sever back injuries and how he comes back to compete at world level thanks to McGill. Good luck!
flymoto
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11/11/2019 2:22pm
Also I forgot, as said inversion table, I saw a real difference when I used
It for 10 mins 3 times per day.
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lostboy819
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11/11/2019 2:30pm
I have a inversion table that has done wonders for my back.

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foreman52
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11/11/2019 2:47pm
I almost had to hang the boots up a few years ago for the same reason. Went to chiro, acupuncture, and massage, but didn’t help much. Got a CT scan and MRI and the findings were very minimal.

I took it upon myself to start going to the gym regularly for an entire season and had no idea what would happen in the spring when I got back on the bike. Luckily for me this helped me enjoy riding my bike and day to day life again. I got caught in a rut of not going to the gym for a few weeks and instantly noticed how tight my back would get.

I owe so much credit to this video here. Especially the stretch at 5:20. I do this usually twice a day.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0xxBys41Lt4
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Jak3
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11/11/2019 2:52pm
I have an MRI scheduled for tomorrow morning. Thanks again everyone 👍
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50dippin
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Los Angeles, CA US
11/11/2019 2:59pm
Chiro is waste of time and money. As others have said I would see a real doctor and see if there is actually a problem with your back, if they don't find much then the problem is how you move.

Check these guys out on their website or Instagram. They have helped a lot of people fix their shit.

https://moveu.com/
2
ctbale
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Gustavus, AK US
11/11/2019 3:03pm
Yup, you did the right thing. My insurance company made my specialist put me thru PT before paying for my MRI. Made no sense, they paid 4k in pt to avoid paying for a $2k MRI. Be interesting to see what the radiologist's interpretation of the MRI imaging is. Then you can make a plan. Like said before, I would do core strengthening to the max (if appropriate) before surgery.
aees
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US
11/11/2019 3:05pm
1. Get an MRI
2. Strengthen your core
3. Ride with kidney belt.
2
kage173
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TX US
11/11/2019 3:52pm
I was 27 the first time I was diagnosed with disc degeneration (from jumping out of airplanes) and then again when I was 33 (from riding motorcycles), which is when I had surgery and it's been fine ever since.

First of all, ignore 90% of what you find in researching this problem. The vast majority of this field is for fat people and old people whose discs have been ground down over many years. This is NOT what you have and the recommendations for that problem will not help you. You had a specific point in time in which it burst, it didn't degenerate over a long period.

The first time it happened to me, I just let it heal on it's own. But, like you described, it would be fine as long as I didn't do anything, then every now and then I would get active and BOOM, I could barely move.

The second time, I decided to do something about it and I found out about this minimally invasive procedure called Microdiscectomy
https://www.spine-health.com/video/microdiscectomy-surgery-video-a-spin…

I had this procedure done at Methodist Hospital in Houston, TX (one of the top in the US) by Dr. Blackburn who performs this exact procedure on NASA astronauts. They pop their discs when they reenter the atmosphere and gravity compresses their spine.

Bro, I had the surgery in the morning and I walked out of the hospital that night. I have been fine for the last 7 years. I ride every weekend, I can lift weights again. I'm fine.

You will find that there are 2 general directions people go - Orthopedic surgeons or Neurosurgeons. Obviously, I went with neurosurgeon and that is what I recommend.



5
js451
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11/11/2019 4:02pm
Strengthen your core and look up some somatic yoga exercises on YouTube.
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kpiper
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AZ US
11/11/2019 4:04pm Edited Date/Time 11/11/2019 4:18pm
While it is possible you have something 'really wrong' don't trust MRI results and doctors that make a mint doing back fusion. You are so young you really need to try rehabbing yourself before life changing back surgery.

1) Do Ab Ripper X every day. Find it on Youtube. Get your core into SUPER shape and it will solve a lot of your problems. This is a never ending thing for the rest of your life.
2) Inversion table.
3) Don't go jogging anymore. Don't lift heavy things. Don't just bend over to pick up things.
4) DO stand up a LOT more when you ride. Try not to sit much.
5) Ride with one or even two kidney belts that you pull very tight. Never ride without one.
6) Do hip flexor exercises daily...for the rest of your life.

Many times MRI's show issues that are not really the root cause of your problems. I have ridden for 40 years with back issues. No surgery so you can do it. Just takes some work. Ask yourself how badly you want to stay riding?

Yes, these are great to do also...

https://youtu.be/2_e4I-brfqs
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captmoto
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Rancho Cucamonga, CA US
11/11/2019 4:38pm
All good info here. The best advice is don't cut until you are practically bed ridden. When you fuse, the discs above and below are carrying extra load so you must use caution after a fusion. The PT and core strengthening takes time and what you put in, you get out. You are still young and probably pretty healthy so you may see sooner results than someone in their 40s or 50s. I get flare ups and sometimes the only thing to do is rest and ice. That is the patience part. Just don't give in completely to the pain. Get it manageable and keep up the stretches and exercises. Good luck.
ohiomotoxer
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Cleveland, OH US
11/11/2019 5:04pm

I agree with trying to do core training but when you cannot put on your own sox and need help getting up exercise is impossible until the main cause is repaired.

Glad you could get an MRI but a CT scan should have also been ordered.

Let us know the results.
blaze 57
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Inchelium, WA US
11/11/2019 9:37pm


I had fusion surgery in Sept. I had no choice. I fell off a water tank and landed on my right leg. The result was a fractured spine causing my L-5 to lean up against the main nerve cord

I had pain in both legs but what was weird I had zero back pain. When I woke up from surgery all the pain in my legs was gone and still so today.

I plan on going back to racing next summer. I ride in the 60-70 yr old vet classes.
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nch209
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NoVa, VA US
11/12/2019 1:28am
38 here and herniated and bulged discs as seen on a MRI. Laying on the table for the 30 min of the MRI was the most excruciating thing I have ever tolerated. Literally crawled off the table when it was done and fell to the ground, damn near crying. It was brutal.

Herniation was hitting the sciatica and putting pain to my toes, but luckily no numbness or a dropped foot. Made it worse by cranking on it with a foam roller, and finally ponied up for a nice inversion table and PT until MRI results came back. Neurosurgeon was shocked at how well I self recovered, and I even declined the spinal shot. Inversion table has worked wonders, and even doing simple things like loading the dishwasher I take my time and bend way down with my knees instead of bending my back. As soon as pain starts to hit, I will drop to the ground and do a modified pushup pushing my pelvis into the ground for relief and to push it back in.

I have issues from time to time, and the doc still want to do a microdiscetomy, but I am holding off until things get worse. I have rode a few practice days and not only held my own, but didnt feel like a cripple afterwards. I am not a newbie to surgeries, but I am new to getting back work done, and frankly it scares me...
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11/12/2019 3:05am
This is the best thread on vital. I have spinal problems and even though I stretch every day to maintain my back health I’m not doing enough and this is a wake up call.
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aees
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US
11/12/2019 3:13am
This is the best thread on vital. I have spinal problems and even though I stretch every day to maintain my back health I’m not doing...
This is the best thread on vital. I have spinal problems and even though I stretch every day to maintain my back health I’m not doing enough and this is a wake up call.
Only thing that keeps my herniated discs in place In my neck and back is strength training.

Deadlifts, plank, Good mornings, back extensions + stomach exercise. If I had to pick one, deadlifts it is.

Anything that is moving your back up and down is ok, side to side like stretching by moving with your hands above the head and also moving body from left to right will kill your back or give you a crossover.
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