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Sea Kayaks Techniques Bulletin Board
Paddling with a bad back
Posted By: Jay Doorly
Date: Wednesday, 10 November 2004, at 12:37 a.m.
I thought I was doing the right thing for my achey breaky back. Paddling with extended torso twist builds strength and flexibility, and my back always felt better when I paddled, it was always the next day my back hurt. Guess that was the endorfin affect (the pain killing and feeling of well being from chemicals exuded while exercizing rigorously).
So, one day it hurts too much to work and I stay in bed for a few days. But it doesn't get any better. Kick it up a notch and find a Chiropractic Physician specializing in Sports Medicine. I got Spondalolysthesis (sp?) which is usually characterized by fractures in the lowest vertabrea, but in my case I wore out the bone interfaces that keep the spine aligned. Vertabrea L4 has slipped 1/2 inch out of alignment with the L5 vertabrea below it. And that puts a pinch on some nerve bundles wired to my legs. A herniated disk or sciatica have the same symptoms of intermitten pain, weakness, numbness. And, I have lost 2 inches in height. I have begun week two of a ten week therapy to repair the disk alignment problem. I'm doing very well and my docter predicts I'll be back on my mountain bike in 2 weeks. Then he said... NO KAYAKING, the worst thing in the world for a bad back is twisting!
Of coarse, my primary goal in posting this is to illicit broad based empathy for my plight (Boo Hoo). Secondly, I am wondering if any kayakers have suffered similar and recovered? Thirdly, I had planned to build a kayak this winter but am now considering building it with a special pivoting seat; instead of twisting the torso the rotation would come from leg pumping acting on the pivoting seat. As a matter of fact my thinking on this continues to attaching a pump to the oscillating seat and building a 20" wide S&G SOT (of sorts) Did we get to ludicrous speed yet?.
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