At the moment I feel about as strong as I ever have, I'm never going to be slim but I about the right size for my build and although my fitness could be better I still feel good in myself.
Back in the summer I was mucking out a shed I'd used to keep sick sheep and lambs in during the spring when I was lambing. Whilst doing this I picked up too much on my muck fork and as I twisted to chuck it in the bucket of the tractor I felt my back twinge. This really knocked the wind out of my sails, for the next week or so it really slowed me down, everything was harder, I was hanging doors at work and I found lifting them difficult.
This cleared up but then a couple of weeks ago I was loading out bricks on the the scaffold and had the same thing happen. It's better now but I've decided to get my back looked at.
I always worry that I could have structural problems from a fall I had a few years ago (you can read about that here) and at 33 I need to use my back for a while longer yet so I decided to get it checked out properly by a chiropractor.
We went through my history and he looked at my back and he thinks that my pelvis is out of line by about 3/4 of an inch, something that could cause me problems later on but it was probably caused by a fall or a knock.
It's not going to stop me doing anything now but I am going to go through a course of treatments before it becomes a problem. There's always an element of doubt on anything like this as it's not something I can see, hopefully a few visits should start to put things back in line where they should be and I'll have no future problems. The downside of this was I had a treatment today and then was told afterwards I couldn't climb a ladder! I was gutted as I have so much to do on this roof, but I can get back up there tomorrow!
I lead a very active life. I am constantly using my body and there's not many nights where I don't fall straight to sleep from being physically tired, so I want to make sure I look after it and deal with things before they become a problem, although I should have done this sooner!
Do you look after yourself?
What are you proactive about when it comes to health?
I hurt my back a couple of years ago, it was the first time I had back issues, I had a course of treatment and have never looked back. I was shocked how quickly a bad back impacts on my life, and would never ignore any back pain.
ReplyDeleteMartin had back problems after climbing Everest, he went to get it check out after a period of no improvement and he has knocked his pelvis out of line, 8 years on and occasionally he has problems, he has regular visits to his back man and has regular back exercise to do, we have had two episodes were he has been laid up unable to do anything, like you he has a very physical job.
ReplyDeleteYou be careful Kev, especially on the roof. I sound like my mum there.
ReplyDeleteI do all of my exercises for my leg, although the physio made me cry yesterday. I think he knew he pushed my leg to far as he rushed off and got a SHO and they gave me injections so they could push it back properly. My knee is the size of a football today.
Other than that, I take folic acid and vitamin D to help me sleep as have a little bit of a problem with insomnia.
Health is first priority. You mustn't ignore/postpone. Everything else we do is based on that. Hope your chiro can get you re-aligned and then exercises for you to keep it there. Take care.
ReplyDeleteMy hubby fractured his spine in a rock climb when he was a teenager. He is retired now but over the last 30 years he has often been in agony and I have actually seen his spine go into spasm!! My gentle advice is listen to your body and try not to over stretch etc., once these problems occur they seem to stay with you. Love Andie xxx
ReplyDeleteGoes with the territory Kev. This kind of work breaks your body. Thirty five years of it and I am all worn out. My lower back just went out for the umpteenth time about three weeks ago when I started my last floor install project. (pix on the blog) I was kneeling down to measure something and it was like a knife stab in the lower back. Had to say off the job for six days dosing myself with Meloxycam and laying flat on my back to recover. I could not even lean over the sink to brush my teeth. Had to wear a brace to get the job finished. And then there is the pinched nerve in my neck that makes my shoulder feel like its been hit by a baseball bat and my arm tingle like the worst funny bone wack ever. Looks like surgery is the only solution for that one. If I were a horse, you'd be licking me of the back of a stamp right now.
ReplyDeleteI hurt my back 17 years a go and it still gives me trouble. Best advice I can give you is wear a vest in winter and make sure you get changed straight away when you get wet through. Other wise your back pain will develop into arthritis and prevent you from working. I take Buplex tablets which are ant-inflammatory and you can buy them over the counter. Best wishes Kev.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you would benefit from wearing a back support belt when you now you are going to be putting stress on your back.
ReplyDeleteMy back has hurt virtually every day since I hit a dead furrow while harrowing plowed ground sometime in the last century. Best thing I ever did was buy an air-ride seat for the one piece of farm equipment I spend the most time in. Also, I avoid standing on concrete.
ReplyDeleteKev, I worked in healthcare for 36 years, all that pt lifting totally messed up my back leaving me with 6 bulging disks and chronic pain.Lots of pain meds, surgeries and treatments. A real mess. Three years ago I started swimming, weaned myself off all meds, got serious about walking often and slowly built my back muscles up in good shape. I still have weight loss to conquer but our farm life, our diet, (raw milk, no processed foods, grass fed meat,no pop) is changing that too. So yes, at 57, I am taking better care of myself than ever. It's a long process but worth it.
ReplyDeleteP.S. I'll never give up coffee, Guinness or my birthday shot of Jameson. I'm no saint!
I worked for a while cutting stone. We cut and installed huge fireplaces, arched doorways, windows, etc. The bravado involved with lifting huge weights had a terrible effect on my back, and I am now in almost permanent pain. My own fault, and I'm now paying the price.
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