Yoga

I joined the local ymca today. I plan to do it all.

if you volly you will get free membership, I got free membership (about 400$ a year) at the PG Y by leading beginner mtnbike classes

I don't know if it's just me, but really concentrating on mobilizing and stretching my hip flexors made a ton of difference as far as back pain. This stretch really helped me with undoing years of cycling without stretching enough and sitting in chairs for university.

http://www.mobilitywod.com/2010/08/dont-go-in-pain-cave.html

Also the typical "samson" stretch but really concentrate on squeezing your butt to keep your pelvis neutral and just work the extension of your hip. You can also give yourself some extra psoas love by sticking the arm on the side you're working over your head and ever so slightly leaning to one side. when it feels like something is gnawing on your guts you're doing it right.

cycling does carnage on your hip flexors. getting the hips mobile is KEY to ensuring you are stretched properly and not doing damage to your back while riding.

James from MTB Strength actually has done a VERY good stretching video specifically for bikers. His website is full of wonderful stuff too.
http://vimeo.com/4418343

A massive ordeal. Glad you came out the other end.

Some good advice. How did you go about getting an MRI? Isn't there a huge waiting list for that sort of thing?

Depends what they find.

If they find nothing wrong, it rules out a lot of scenarios and allows physio/sports med dr's to narrow the list of things down and develop a treatment plan.

if they do find things, depending on the severity you can either elect to have surgery or not.
you might be quick to rule out surgery now, but if you wake up paralyzed like i did because your disc ruptures and damages your chord you might think differently. You're not THAT old, so surgery can be pretty simple. 6 week recovery and you're back to normal. Problem is the longer you wait generally the more complicated things become.

All of this is a discussion you can have during a neuro consult, but if it were me, knowing what i know now about the consequences of not listening to my body, i would at least get the imaging so i know what is wrong (or find out there is in fact no major issue).

I suffered from chronic back pain for 28 months. I've had a sore back my whole life but i always chalked it up to the abuse i did to my body biking. The chronic pain began when i started getting shooting nerve pain down my sciatic nerve in my butt to the back of my left knee. Going from sitting to standing was dreadful. I put up with it for over 2 years, seeing every kind of doctor under the sun.

After 23 months i finally got an MRI. We learned it wasn't in fact an issue in my butt, it was a bulged disc in my lower back impinging on the nerve. I put off surgery however and developed a plan with doctors.
I woke up in February 2011 one morning paralyzed from just below my belly button down. My disc had fully ruptured in my sleep and in the process had damaged my spinal cord.

I basically had no option but to have emergency spinal surgery to repair the damage.
After 6 months of rehab im back to 100%, have zero back pain, and have a new appreciation for life.
Back pain is the worst kind of pain ever. I would never wish it on my worst enemy. It effects every facet of your life, and you're like a bear with a thorn in its paw. I had forgotten what pain free actually felt like.

If it were me, i'd get the MRI and then make the determination based on the results before just ruling it out altogether.

cycling does carnage on your hip flexors. getting the hips mobile is KEY to ensuring you are stretched properly and not doing damage to your back while riding.

James from MTB Strength actually has done a VERY good stretching video specifically for bikers. His website is full of wonderful stuff too.
http://vimeo.com/4418343

I got one of these at Interbike last year and it works magic on hips, quads and IT bands. thestick.com

Cam, if you ever get tired of the flex in that stick, try this one:

http://www.pro-tecathletics.com/57038/586624/Massage/Pro--Tec-Roller-Massager.html

I have it and I LOVE it. Really lets you work the muscles.

Did my first yoga class tonight. Eye opening! Totally fun. Definitely planning to make it a habit.

Did my first yoga class tonight. Eye opening!

yeah it will make you ask the burning questions in life … what does the rest of that tattoo look like , is she wearing a thong or g-string ?

just bumping this old thread. 
I have had a pretty involved yoga practice for the past 1.5 years. Last fall I completed my 200hr teacher training as a means to really get my body+mind tuned up. I usually practice power flow when I am on my own, or if in a class its almost always a hot yoga class. In the city I usually hit up Moksha or One, pretty much as they are the closest to my house or summer work. 
A few months ago I had a leg injury, pretty well mentally destroyed me, maisonneuve fracture, surgery blah blah... I had lost touch of my practice completely. Now, in the past 2+ weeks I have been practicing everyday and my mind and body feel awesome. I left class yesterday and jumped on my bike with my dog for a ride around the city. First time on my bike in 4 months. 

All I can say, is the results have been tremendous, one of the more profound practices I have introduced into my life. Anytime anyone wants to practice, i'm happy to lead a class. Its a practice worth sharing!

as my favorite Yoga teach points out it ain't them willowy gals in the lulu-lemon outfits that needs the Yoga its them stiff old fucks

YMMV but I'm finding that if do Manyoga once a week it keeps me out of the physio or chiro office

nothing holly wood so you don't have to put your big toe behind yer ear... just a proper stretching regimen

I found the yoga thing too expensive, and a bit too zen and snobby for me. (Y yoga for example, no offense). Im not a noob, had multiple yoga instructor girlfriends over the years so I have been doing yoga for ages.

Then I started going to oxygen on lonsdale. Way cheaper, way more chill. Great

Yes it really does wonders.

i was talking to a chiropracter last week sounded like  a very business oriented dude (drove a nice audi) and he told me he ran a studio in conjunction with his practise, he did some yoga but he didn't actualy teach.

I made a crack about some yoga teachers being flakey and he said  " yeah RMT's are too "

Posted by: Brocklanders

I found the yoga thing too expensive, and a bit too zen and snobby for me. 

Then I started going to oxygen on lonsdale. Way cheaper, way more chill. Great

That was my feeling until I found a rad studio that worked for me, and that broke the ice. I did also come to the realization that part of the snobbery was my own ego. 

Ive heard good things about oxygen. One yoga downtown is $10 drop in. And my monthly with moksha is $80-90 depending on factors. But the infrared power classes sound at oxygen sound excellent. Sounds like its worth a check out.

Posted by: skidrc

Posted by: Brocklanders

I found the yoga thing too expensive, and a bit too zen and snobby for me. 

Then I started going to oxygen on lonsdale. Way cheaper, way more chill. Great

That was my feeling until I found a rad studio that worked for me, and that broke the ice. I did also come to the realization that part of the snobbery was my own ego. 

Ive heard good things about oxygen. One yoga downtown is $10 drop in. And my monthly with moksha is $80-90 depending on factors. But the infrared power classes sound at oxygen sound excellent. Sounds like its worth a check out.

Good point about the ego thing. Although I lived in kits for a number of years and it really was a pretty snobby scene. 

Oxygen has promo pass sales 20 classes for 200-220 bux good for a year.  Super great value. Other drop ins are usually 20 bux at least..... Who can afford yoga after the mtb expenses?

Posted by: Brocklanders

Posted by: skidrc

. Other drop ins are usually 20 bux at least..... Who can afford yoga after the mtb expenses?

Its 15$ up here

so if yer backs too fucked up to ride yer bike

yoga can help

or if you were doing the yoga

it might not BE fucked up

maybe you can't afford to not do yoga

Did beer yoga today, about 14 people doing yoga in a micro brewery

is  it happening down south?