Okay, so i'm posting more threads this week than in the past 6 months it seems!

About a month ago, i pulled a muscle in my left lumbar region. Didn't know i had done it b/c i have never pulled a muscle before. So i messed it up really bad the same week throwing a sit spin (i just thought the muscle was tight! oops!). So, i laid off for about 2 weeks and it was doing much better. Originally it was so painful i couldn't even climb steps/lift my knee.

well, i returned to skating gradually,but have found out that the spins and some jumps aggravate it. Went to Dr. today for bronchitis and asked him about the muscle, too and he said do NOT skate until ALL pain is gone.

Is there anythingto speed healing up? How do i know when fully recovered? It seems the spins are the only real tell tale on this beast. I am in pain tonight, but i am not having any problem lifting leg. Any tips on getting better faster? Thanks!

aside from pain do you have any tingling sensation or any pain radiating down your leg (always need to rule out any disc issues), in any case it would prob. be a good idea to see a good sports medicine doctor to check it out, he/she may refer you to PT, if so, ask him/her for a recommendation and you'd definately want a PT who is skilled with doing manual work (ie: massage, tissue work etc.).

feel good!

No, no numbness, just mainly strained right now. We have a PT in our SS class and i have put a call into him with questions. I am thinking about massage therapy? Any tips on that?

I sprained my lower back last year and when the pain didn't go away, I went to the doctor, who prescribed an NSAID and told me to apply heat. The combination worked wonders and I haven't had any pain since.

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What is an NSID?

NSAID = Non Steroidal Anti Inflamatory Drug

Ibuprofen is the most common traditional NSAID. Motrin is just brand name ibuprofen. Celebrex is a COX-2 inhibitor, which is another type of NSAID.

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Back pain and me....well at times it is a constant companion. But, enough of my dramatics. I have been to PT, done and still do take ibuprofin meds (Advil, Motrin, all of the NSAIDS) But the best remedy and fastest recovery has been visiting a certified A.R.T. person. I had mentioned it in a prior thread- Active Release Technique. It speeds up the recovery when I've injured myself and helps to prevent further injury.

I always seem to injure the lower lumbar while doing spins also. All the twisting I suppose. And the sit or back sit.

I do agree with the others. If the pain persists see a doctor/ orthopedist. They would probably recomend an MRI to determine the cause. But again, if it persists.

What is it with everyone pulling their backs this year?

I pulled the lower left lumbar in January that kept me off the ice for three weeks. (Then the flu had me down for another three, but that's another story.)

I pulled mine reaching into the fridge for a jar of pickles. You can't warm up or stretch for that! It kept me crippled for MUCH longer than any previous back pull.

I STILL noticed a twinge yesterday after skating. I take NSAIDs daily for arthritis (bad toes, long story), so I can't improve the situation there.

Thankfully, it's just a twinge and it's mostly gone today.

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Bill Schneider

How does one look up a certified A.R.T person in the yellow pages?

Hi miraclegro! Go to www.activereleasetechnique.com. Click on 'contact us' then on lower left click on 'official ART web site' to find a provider.

If you live in New York I go to a great one here.

I strained my back early this fall, and finally saw a chiropractor when it wouldn't go away (I was still skating on it). She did some massage, but gave me some stretching exercises to do, and recommended heat, especially those heat patches that you stick on and wear all day. She said not to stop skating, but don't overdo it. She said inactivity is bad too, because the muscles will tighten up even more. The stretches she recommended were hamstring stretches, hip flexor stretches (lunges) and gluteus (sp?) stretches, where you sit and cross one foot over the other knee and lean forward with a flat back. Between the stretches and the heat packs, I was better within a week, and back to skating full force. Unfortunately, every time I think I am all better, I lift something really heavy and hurt it again!

THAT IS SO WEIRD!

For the first time ever, I pulled a back muscle about 2 weeks ago. Except the pain put me in the ER passed-out.

I started with Chriopractic but found that PT is doing the most good for me right now as I am competing next weekend.....

So much for the layback and catch-foot camel..........

Anyway, PT has me doing stretches only for right now. No lay-backs or anything that would put pressure on the sore spot. However I did manage just some straight camels that didn't seem to hurt at all. Sit-spins didn't hurt either, so I'm limited, but not too limited.