Back Pain

Discussion in 'Injuries' started by JChen99, Jul 30, 2002.

  1. JChen99

    JChen99 Regular Member

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    Well, I got this back pain that I've been having for quite a while(since February if I dont remember wrong) and it's been on and off.

    I went to my family doctor and asked if I needed to go see a phisiotherapist/chiropractor or not and he told me no. His diagnostics were that it's probably muscle related and suggest I do lots of "back stretching exercises" instead.

    It went away completely (for about 2 weeks) I went to the gym everyday to workout during those 2 weeks but did not do any exercises witht the back, and as of 2 weeks ago when I stopped going to the gym, it came back again after an excessive baseline smashing game (I was arching my back a lot to give me the angle i needed).

    The pain only occurs when i bend my back past about 45 degrees and only when I'm not playing (well, i guess i dont feel pain when I'm too into a game :D )

    It's not too painful by my standards but then according to a lotta pplz I can take a LOT of pain (more than "normal" people. ie: hacksaw my finger and just saying "ou" wwhile the blood is dripping everywhere)

    I'm thinking it's probably the spine (because that's where it hurts), should i go directly to a chiropractor/phisiotherapist or just listen to my family doctor and continue doing "back streching ecercises?"

    Thx lots in advance!
     
  2. |R|S

    |R|S Regular Member

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    i dont think there is any of us in the forum who is a full qualified doctor...
    go figure!
     
  3. adelina76

    adelina76 Regular Member

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    I definitely you should at least see a Physio! :) The quicker, the better. It is not good to leave any injuries (or potential injuries) unattended and if you are injured, it is very important to treat and "nip it in the bud" in the early stages of the injury than later.

    Also, I was just wondering, how do you bend your back so much for smashes JChen? Are you sure you are executing them correctly, I know you jump up and maybe bend a little in order to build the momentum before your smash (like holding a spring back before letting it go..) but to bend it the way you do sounds like perhaps a different problem..i.e timing of the stroke/smash.

    Please be careful that you are not bending backwards too much in order to smash the shuttle. The shuttle should be in front of you and above your head when you smash it. So if you find u are bending too much backwards, u need to move quicker into position so that you're smashing from behind the shuttle, and not in front (by trying to bend awkwardly backwards to hit it). Doh, hard to explain..but I hope u get my drift.

    As for back exercise..only do it as a warm up and/or cool down routine, but NOT as a strenghtening, back muscle building/conditioning routine. This is because if indeed your back is injured, putting any weight or pressure on it would only make the situation worst, i.e inflame your injury further. Get your back checked out first before proceeding with any heavy back exercise :) [Btw, I teach aerobics and we did courses on body conditioning, function and fitness safety etc]

    A
     
    #3 adelina76, Jul 30, 2002
    Last edited: Jul 30, 2002
  4. Cheung

    Cheung Moderator

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    If it doesn't bother you that much, I'd say do the back stretching exercises and don't bend so much when playing. Then you won't experience the pain.

    If you say, then you won;t be able to reach so many shots, then the solution is to be faster with your footwork and balance.
     
  5. txyu

    txyu Regular Member

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    Go get 2nd 3rd, etc opinions. Some doctors don't like physio and chiro's when it could be the best route for you.
    If you think it's sports related, then go see a sports therapist.
    They could tell you the same thing, they might not.
    In the mean time, take it easy.
     
  6. badrad

    badrad Regular Member

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    1 - go get a second opinion.
    2 - rest
    3 - strengthen and condition exercises
    4 - fix your footwork, form and stroke

    especially for #4 - your footwork is missing, so you are compensating with your body. you have a slightly longer torso, and i have seen you try to use this to your advantage to compensate for your poor footwork. when you approach the net, you are extending your upper body too low to reach the average net shot (not to say in an extreme situation). your jump smash technique is also very strenuous, and not smooth, so everytime you land you create a great deal of shock on your spine.

    we will be starting back up the program in September. do 1-3 until then, the other coaches and I will work with you then.
     
  7. JChen99

    JChen99 Regular Member

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    )
    Well, I have taken your suggestion and start at the basics. I have kept on the ground for my smashes mostly(except for those that are cleared WAY high, but then sometimes I still dont jump... an improvement ei?:D ) and yes, I have been working on my footwork this summer... wut a surprise huh?;) ) and I have found ways that allow me to get netshots without bending over so much (but it works only sometimes ><) you can check up on it when you come back to coaching :p

    I will go get more opinions from other doctors. Thanks Lots! :)
     
  8. plaYer

    plaYer Regular Member

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    I have had recurring back pain for the last 3 years and you **really** need to see a doctor as it's one of the worst places to injure yourself. For me, it's a herniated disc and something i have to live with since i can't get surgery done right now.

    You should definitely stretch before playing but also do a LOT of ab work. the stronger your abs, the more they'll be able to compensate for a weak back. Any good sports therapist will tell you good exercises to rehab your lower back as well. Start slow and build those muscles.

    Do reverse pushups and spinal extensions (after consulting a doctor of course), to stretch and strengthen your spine. once your back is back in shape, you'll be surprised at how much faster and easier you'll move. Since it's part of your "core" muscle set, having a powerful back will also allow you to transfer power better from your lower body to your upper body.

    good luck
    plaYer
     
  9. Californian

    Californian Regular Member

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    I fully agree that you should get a second or even third opinion, and, if possible, go to a sports clinic where they are more familiar with sports-related injuries. GPs can differ widely in how they interpret symptoms and what they prescribe. If you're not satisfied with one doctor's opinion, pursue it further.

    This goes for any medical condition or problem. We all need to take an active role in finding a resolution to our medical problems. Only we know what we are feeling in our own bodies. Don't settle for an unsatisfactory answer because you think doctors know it all. People have died because they blindly trusted their doctors.

    I lived with occasional back pain for years. I went to various doctors at my HMO. They took X-rays and told me this and that and prescribed motrin and sent me home. I kept trying different doctors until I saw one who told me of a class for people with back pain where they learned how to alleviate it through excercises and ergonomics. Since applying what I learned in that class, I've had hardly any problems in the years since. The class was offered by the HMO where I had been going for years, but no other doctor had told me about it. Go figure!
     
  10. JChen99

    JChen99 Regular Member

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    Thx Pplz

    goin to see a phisio this thursday. Hopefully it's nothing too serious.
    BTW... also getting my shoulder checked... more pain ><
     
  11. badrad

    badrad Regular Member

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    let's take a physical inventory

    so currently you have the following problems:

    recurring backpain
    shoulder pain
    and from another post - right toe blisters

    some of this looks like it is from the training program on sunday nights over in coquitlam. you really need to take another look at all your techniques currently - footwork and strokes. the fact that you are doing more drills, if the technique is wrong, you will cause yourself more damage and pain than benefits from the extended training. please have one of those coaches take a look at how you are doing the drills, before you simply go ahead and do hundreds of them.

    with proper stroking you should experience no pain at all. pain in stroking is if you are either doing something incorrect, or you have damaged the muscle prior to training, in which case you should rest the muscle before continuing to reduce chance of further damage. any time you experience pain, your body is trying to tell you something is wrong.

    as for blisters on the feet, these would occur, but not often in the little toe. you might also want to check if the shoe is too snug (ie. pointed) with could also be the culprit. check your footwork in your lunge.
     
  12. JChen99

    JChen99 Regular Member

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    Re: let's take a physical inventory

    actually... there's more to that... but most of it isn't badminton related i think

    and the shoulder pain, it usually dont occur when during play, only after i stop doing a long drill. O well, I guess I'll wait til thrusday when i go see the phisioptherapist to find out
     
  13. badrad

    badrad Regular Member

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    pain versus fatigue

    after a long drill, you may experience fatique or if a rather hard anaerobic session, a burning in the muscles. pain may be sharp or dull, but you should be able to distinquish the difference between a pain the is from tiredness versus something damaged. hope it is just tiredness. :D
     
  14. JChen99

    JChen99 Regular Member

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    Just came back from Physio

    my physiotherapist told me that the muscle on the right of my spine (third one up) is not powerful enough to support my spine and so when i arch back it sags in and that's why i feel the pain. She taught me a series of exercises (4 i think) that increase the power of my lower back and abdominal muscles

    However, I am still not clear on how this could be. Dont the muscles that support the spine run verticle???
     
  15. jwu

    jwu Regular Member

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    rather than starting a new thread, figure I just join myself onto the end of this thread. Last thursday, I heard something pop as I landed from a jump. Not wanting to stop playing, I continue through the rest of the night without feeling much discomfort. However, the next day I woke up and now I find myself unable to bend my waist forward. Also having some trouble walking. Been doing some stretching and rubbing on the hurt area. Pretty sure it's muscle problem so I am probably just gonna rest it. Reading this thread definitely helps. Anyway, I am temporarily out of the playing fields until my back recovers. :(
     
  16. Xuser

    Xuser Regular Member

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    I see most people concentrate on the injured area. You might want to check somewhere else which might have caused your back to hurt.

    Here's what happened to me last night which might help some of you. It was a back pain but not exactly in the middle of the back but more at the lower back and a bit to the right. What happened was I had to lay down on my back, pull my right thigh towards my torso slowly and stretched. I can feel my back when I did that. It certainly felt better and I was able to play better withbout anymore pain. My 2cents.
     
  17. JChen99

    JChen99 Regular Member

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    OK... i Kinda got rid of the back pain now... here's how I did it

    First of all, I dont arc so much back when I'm executing my jumpsmashes ne more, I tend to rely more on the waist and arm/shoulder once again

    Second... WORK OUT!! I've been to the gym for the past month, and I've seen improvements on all aspects of my play, faster steeper smashes(they were SLOW as hell before) easier lifts/clears, ABILITY TO PLAY WITH A 2U RACKET for 4 hrs straight!( I didn't use to be able to do this beleive it or not!), bigger shoulders, forearms the size of my arms, increased bust size!! (hehe... the good way... I dont do roids) and! most important of all! NO MORE BACK PAIN!!! :D
     
  18. txyu

    txyu Regular Member

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    A little off topic but JChen, you wouldn't happen to be going to the Kelowna Open would ya???
     
  19. bigredlemon

    bigredlemon Regular Member

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    Re: Just came back from Physio

    After you said that the pain went away after you started doing exercise but came back when you stopped even though u didn't work your back, that was my first though. That's why cross training with different sports is important to most athletes. It's very easy to develop frequently-used muscles to the point where the rest of your body can no longer fully support its strength.

    If you are very serious about badminton, I think playing basketball could be more beneifical than simply running around the gym every day. Playing 2-on-2 basketball would use similar muscle groups but not the exact same ones in the same amounts, so you can better avoid injury as well as becoming more fit.
     
  20. JChen99

    JChen99 Regular Member

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    no i will not be... skill's not up there yet! ^^"
     

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