Owww! My Back@!

Hi guys,

I have been playing disc since I was fairly young and love the sport. I have steadily been moving up the ranks and love to play all the time. My problem is that recently my back has began getting hurt way to frequently. I will hurt it, wait a few weeks, play for a week or so, and then hurt it again. It is something of a muscle pull. It is in my lower back on my backhand throwing hand side. Anyways I am none the less bummed out that I cant play right now. I throw fairly hard but like I said I have been playing since I was young and I have developed a pretty good form. I try to stretch before every time I play. I even have been going to the gym to lose some pounds that I'm sure is not good for my back to be starting and stopping into motion.
My question is if any of you have had any back issues and if there were any simple things you did that relieved the problem. Or possibly what kind of weight training stuff could strengthen that lower back area other then sit ups and those reverse back up things :) Anyways. Thanks to everyone for any hints they might have. To be honest the sport can be pretty demanding on your body with all the twisting and stopping so quickly so be careful all. Hopefully I will be better by St. Patties Day :)
Have a good day everyone,
-DHop-

[Bill]

I'm an RHBH and have scar tissue built up between my right shoulder blade and spine that flares up quite a lot after I play even a casual round. Last year it was bad enough that I was on a program alternating weeks between a chiropractor and massage therapy but that got $$. It did work however but now a year later its happening again the more I throw, so Im thinking of trying acupuncture since I have a neighbor who does it professionally.
The other thing that helps besides a really thorough stretch is yoga-- my gf will work thru a routine with me the night before a tourney and has put together a series of postures that work the core and legs (so I'm throwing more with the strength in my legs than just with back rotation) that help immensely. Here's a link to most stretches and step-by-step walk thru
http://www.santosha.com/asanas/

[J. C. Cannon]

derek,
are you still out there?.... how is the back doing?..... what did you find out, or how did you over come it?

[Rescue]

Well I've since had to retire do to a decade of abusing my back. So first off. A back injury requires 6 to 8 weeks to heal. EVEN if the pain and tightness has stopped long ago. Now it's a fine line with rehab, because you don't want to rest it to much. Ice worked for me big time, but I also streched and walked as much as I could without increasing the pain. Core strengthening is key as well as being flexable. So the two things that made a big impact for me was Pilates and Yoga. If you can afford it. Go to a Pilates studio, because they have the Reformer machines. If you can't, I understand there are Pilates instuctional videos out there. If you have health coverage. You might be able to get P.T. or a script for a sports rehab. place. The thing that really sucks. If you know the term "muscle memory" Well, it applies to muscle injuries as well. So if you don't take care of it. That strain will continue to happen.
The thing with me, is that the injury is why I ended up playing disc golf. I use to be a ball golf junkie, but had to give it up because of the back. So I learned how to play without twisting at the waist for the most part when I first found disc golf. I can't throw it a country mile, but just know. It is still poss. to play with a bad back. You just have to find the "trigger" that sets it off. For me it's twisting. For you it might be something else? Find the trigger and then adjust your game if need be.
Good Luck!

[Bruce Brakel]

Back in the mid-nineties my back doctor told me that he could fix my back as often as I hurt it, but the problem was that my muscle structure was all out of balance from throwing right handed all the time. He suggested I take a lot of practice throws left handed to balance out my muscles. Obviously he was insane.

In 2004 I hurt my elbow and had to throw lefty for most of a year. During that time my back problems magically disappeared. The more I throw lefty, the more they stay disappeared too.

[RJH]

I feel your pain. I hurt my lower back playing softball and roofing, and was sent to physical therapy. I found that my back strain and subsequent spasms were due to my lack of flexibility.

Your hamstring flexibility is directly related to back tightness. So, stretch your hamstrings everyday until you can easily touch your toes after a minute or two of trying. I couldn't even come close after hurting my back, but if you keep up with it you will get there. My PT told me I had some of the least flexible hamstrings she had ever encountered, and I considered myself to be in pretty good shape and athletic.

The other thing I found that has helped my flexibility and also to strengthen my lower back is an exercise called Cats & Camels. Its a series of 2 stretches where you are bent over on your hands and knees. The Cat is when you raise your back up like a cat does, and the Camel is when you dip your lower back, sticking you ass out and your head up. The Camel is the one where you really concentrate on contracting your lower back muscles and can direct your upper body to target each side of your lower back. I'm sure you can find these stretches on the internet. I do these specific stretches in private before heading out to the course...unless you don't care about people looking at you and wondering what the hell you're smoking.

[AK Discer]

I'll have to try some of what was mentioned here as my back has hurt a few times. I don't think that I'm in the same league as far as chronic back pain, but my back does flair up from time to time....usually when I've played 60+ holes.

[Rob Peil]

I screwed up my back last Friday. I'm definitely going to try some of the stretches and other advise given in this thread. Thanks guys.

[CBass]

I hurt my back muscles somehow and the main thing that helped it to feel better was to get out and throw. Lying around will actually make things worse. From the msn.com front page today:

5. Don't pamper your bad back

Even if you're hunched over in agony, taking to your bed will only make a bad back worse. The latest research shows that bed rest weakens back muscles and prolongs the suffering. Married men may suffer more than single men because of all the pampering. I used to love milking the care from Lisa, but the best solution is to get up, take a pain reliever, and be a soldier.