Back pain is not fun

I have been having back spasms on and off ever since that difficult 12-hour overnight journey from Maui to SF, SF to Boston. I feel the need to blame the back spasms on the flight, since it was so horrible and cramped and uncomfortable. I don't understand why for the same length and the same distance (and did I mention that it was OVERNIGHT) we had to change in San Francisco from a nice, roomy 777 to something tiny, cramped, and horrible. I was squeezed in the middle seat and I could not get comfortable. Every time I fell asleep I woke up immediately due to random pain or numbness or cramping in some part of my body.

Two days later, as I was wrestling with a spin bike to raise the seat - SNAP! My back went out. Holy *&%$!, it was painful! I really should have gone straight home. That's what any sane person (read: non-cyclist) would have done. But I keep thinking that I am an athlete, so I got on the bike and began the class. It hurt so much at first, but then settled down to a dull ache after a while. Probably the endorphins kicked in and I didn't feel it so much.

The next day I could hardly walk. I had to take a day off work and go to the physical therapist. After a propitious spinal crack, the acute pain was gone and I felt lot better. I thought I was going to be fine, so I went back to my normal activities.

The next week it happened again (but not as acutely), and it has repeated for the past two weeks. There's a pattern here. Every Thursday or Friday, my back goes out. It's unlikely it's still fallout from the flight. Rather, I think that it's being aggravated by my activities. The most likely culprit is lifting weights on Wednesdays.

So I will stop doing lower body weights and see what happens. Hopefully that will make the difference.

On Saturday I went to my first Rolfing session, which was extremely helpful, but also quite painful. Hopefully it will help get my back into alignment and stable again. It was strange but nice to have a weekend day off the bike, and I felt awfully guilty about it.

Sunday I did a 40 mile ride with Janet and Christine. I met them in Lexington Center and we did a 27.5 mile loop from there into Lincoln, Sudbury & Wayland. For those who are interested, here's the route: http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/ma/lexington/736421705155.

The good news is that cycling doesn't aggravate the back spasms. Unfortunately what does aggravate it is lifting and twisting. So it's difficult for me to carry around the laundry basket, pick up either of our (15 lb) cats, or take the vacuum cleaner up and down the stairs. (The kitten only weighs 8-9 lbs, so he's still fair game.)

Regrettably, the advanced, aspiring-teacher yoga class that I have been meaning to attend has been out of the question. On the two Fridays when the class was scheduled, I was having the worst pain. I'm almost wondering if my body is trying to sabotage me. Perhaps it's implying that I'm not ready for it yet and that I have more work to do before I start.

The next class is the first Friday in March and I'm going to do all I can to protect my back and get to 100% again so that I can finally go. I also intend to practice holding headstand and shoulder-stand for 3-5 minutes at a time. It's a course requirement, and while I'm "pretty sure" that I can do it, it would be better to "know" that I can do it.

I really do hope I can get the back spasms under control. It's difficult to feel somewhat impaired, but I'm grateful that it's not stopping me from cycling. As I have been looking forward to spring and being able to spend more time outside on my bike, I was recently reminded that it's only a few weeks until Daylight Savings Time begins, which means that it will be increasingly warmer and lighter and the racing will start again!