YOUR back is probably sore right now as you sip your morning coffee or cuppa and excitedly flick past this article to the back pages, scanning for pictures of yourself exploding out of the swim leg or striding past fellow ironmen onward to glory.
But you hardly notice it, it’s just another day-to-day burden; something to put up with, like the odd dog poo on the beach. You decide to forget it; you move on and push it to the back of your mind where it dwells, relatively silently, maybe you will pop a couple of paracetamol tonight if you can’t get to sleep.
You hate to admit it but some days it gets the better of you. You have to crawl out of bed and slowly straighten, you spend the day with a half grimace on your normally flawless face, and your partner, if feeling brave, might mutter something about you being grumpier than usual.
Maybe there’s a little clunk, or a stabbing pain when you twist, or just that deep ache that won’t go away no matter how hard you try to ignore it as you polish your new medallion and hang your lycra out to dry.
Sadly back pain is a common affliction for both young and old, males and females, it doesn’t discriminate. Up to 80 per cent of Australians will experience back pain at some stage, and 10 per cent will experience significant disability. That’s a lot of people.
Unfortunately a new episode of back pain will often lead to the development of chronic back pain, so how to avoid this?
Firstly- see your doctor, it is important to find out why your back is sore so the cause can be treated. There are lots of anatomical structures and several diseases that could be causing your pain.
Secondly- keep your body and your back moving, resting doesn’t help in most circumstances. Returning to gentle exercise will reduce both your current pain and the chances of your acute pain becoming chronic. See a physiotherapist.
Thirdly- don’t rely on medications. Pain-killers, particularly codeine based analgesics, can increase the sensitivity of the nerves in your back and eventually make the pain worse.
Lastly- maintain a positive mindset towards your pain. Acknowledge it rather than ignore it, be proactive to fix it early, and be confident that you will succeed.
So after the weekend bask in the warmth of your accomplishment but tomorrow look after your back so you can back it up and go back-to-back when you come back for the 2016 Sunsmart Ironman.
