Relative Something

Yesterday was another warm and sunny February day in Minnesota! I achieved my goal of getting out and doing a little cycling, but not before being totally surprised by a sudden twinge in my lower back. I was standing flat-footed and pulling a shirt on over my head, with one arm up in the air when I felt, *ping!* It literally felt like a disk burst and my spine compressed. Could it really be that obviously palpable? Seriously, there was a sensation of suddenly being shorter, or like I had just landed a little jump off of a step. I definitely and immediately recognized the location and tenor of the pain as similar to what led me to seek treatment back in May of last year. Doctors diagnosed me as experiencing the initial onset of degenerative disk disease.

The one blessing I have been graced by thus far is that I have not been having any pain down my legs. If there is a bulge, it doesn’t appear to be pressing on a nerve yet. Other than a dull ache in my lower back, I felt fine. It may have been an unwise decision, but I was getting dressed to go biking, so I decided to carry out my plan. If it was uncomfortable to ride, I could always turn back.

The crushed limestone trail that I chose to explore was about 30-40% snow-packed. Most of the areas on either side of the spots with snow were pretty muddy, so I was meandering all across the width of the trail, trying to pick the least messy route. Still, it was a very pleasant outing, my back didn’t really bother me, and I exchanged friendly greetings with the many other folks who were out enjoying the nice weather. I stopped by my brother-in-law’s house and had a nice visit with my nephew, Alec.

By the time I neared home, I was grateful for the early planning I had done to check the wind direction. I used that to determine which way I would head out and rode into the wind at the start, while I was fresh, so that it would be at my back upon my return. After 15 miles, I was ready to be done, because my body was tired. I have not ridden a bike for many months and my legs were not used to this level of exercise. My butt was not used to a saddle, either. Equally noticeable to my leg fatigue, the muscles in my shoulders and neck were telling me they were ready to be done.

Now the pain in my back is not so obvious, because it is mixed in with a lot of tired and stiff muscles. Before I showered after my ride, I made sure to do all of the exercises that were prescribed to me during the therapy for my back pain last summer. Guess who is going to get back (get it, “back”) into a routine of a therapeutic half-hour walk everyday again?