If loin cloths could speak...
I never used to get injured. I could ride all day on hardly any water or food, under the Australian sun with nary a squirt of sunscreen, drink four beers directly after and then go and DJ and dance til the wee hours of the next morning without stretching or any form of ‘warming down’. To me, warming up was the modus operandi.
This pattern, while not exactly the norm, got me through to at least my mid 40s. In fact, some of my best form on the bike (and on the dancefloor) occurred in the first five years of my fifth decade. The second half was not as concentrated on racing and consequently any training––and I use that term loosely––I would do would be haphazard in its structure and goals were something I’d see watching the football on the telly. Beer was still the hydrant of choice and the term “I really should start stretching” became a mantra, an of-repeated, more often ignored, horrible, desperate mantra.
Now in my early 50s, the time to put that mantra into service is hard to ignore. Just sitting here, in my ergonomic office chair, at my real proper desk with the keyboard at the right height and everything, my back aches like that of a 50 year old Cyclist. My shoulders are rolled forward and my neck is lost in a shrug that threatens to swallow my head whole. My right arm goes numb every few minutes, which of course elicits the darkest of thoughts; “Is this a heart attack?” “Am I having a stroke?” If so, I wish they’d just hurry up and get it over with.
Curiously, mountain biking seemed to be less painful on my back/arm in the time I’ve had this injury. Leaning over the bars on the road bike means the first twenty minutes are spent trying to stretch the arm, irony of ironies, and dangling it and shaking it to null the numbness. I look like a fucking tool. Something had to give, and two weeks ago I did what no man ever does: I went to the doctor. Thinking the heart attack scenario was the most likely, he quickly shut down that theory with an ECG and some X-Rays. Narrowing of the C6/7 discs and foraminal encroachment was the diagnosis. At least it had a name now, not just “fuck my shoulder hurts/my arm is numb” that I’m sure colleagues were getting sick of.
The upside is I get to go to the chiropractor twice a week. How is that an upside? Well, she’s French for a start. And after only a couple of visits, things are getting better. I haven’t been able to ride for a couple of weeks, compounded by a weekend riding some of the burliest trails in the country and crashing my brains out following a World Cup downhiller down a trail that he built and wasn’t really a trail. Result, a trip over the bars, a hug of a tree and a rack of toasted ribs, which served to take my attention off the arm at least.
While I don’t have the services of a team of masseurs, stretchers, manipulators and fluffers and plain weird dudes grabbing random bits like old mate on the rack in the lead photo, I’m more aware that as one gets on in years, especially these ones that start with a 5, there is a greater need to do the body maintenance that one should have been doing decades ago. Because if there are to be any more decades of riding, it just has to be. And I hear there may be some French women who do yoga…
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Actually they entered the spine through my throat and literally pulled out the old worn discs and replaced with 2 artificial ones. Amazing what can be done with a little titanium and some duct tape. I would hope and would bet you are nowhere near that level. My case was pretty severe and even injections or PT was no longer an option.
I will say my recovery consisted of a heavy helping of motiVation from the Velominati site. Which got me back to doing my first race within 6 months. As much as it pains you to do so, I think a good bit of rest may sometimes be the best solution. I tried quite a few options before had to go for the surgery. Glad to share any of my experiences if it helps.
All I know is a French woman doing yoga on my spine makes it all worthwhile!!
@salsiccione
That's some heavy stuff! Pulling your spine out through your throat, sounds like a David Lynch film. Glad you are back to full Vitness, I shouldn't be out too long I hope. Definitely no cobbles this Spring I think.
53 myself. About 6 years ago I tore the left Quadratus lumborum and spent two weeks rolling out of bed onto the floor, pulling on my pants while lying on the floor and crawling up the walls in order to stand up. More diligent with the stretching and massage since then, but that didn't stop a very stiff back for a month over Xmas 2014. Just recovering from that when I was hit by a car (on my way to first race in two months).
That sounds like a pissing contest, but it's not meant to be. After an enforced 3.5 months off the bike (Grade 3 PCL, thanks Mr SMIDSY) I rediscovered the love for it. Hard riding (and even more diligence) since then and I'm now hitting PBs and near-PBs on a bunch of climbs and intervals.
The point of this is meant to be - take a break, get motivated, look after yourself, come back stronger.
After 50 you need to know your limits and slow down to smell the roses. When you get chicked, just suck on her wheels and enjoy the view.
Familiar with a bunch of those symptoms having displaced a vertebrae when I was 24 (Rugby). Apparently you could see it sticking out of my back. Looking back I was fortunate not to damage any nerves. Visit the Chiropractor monthly or I seize. Near 40 years on I do wonder about the state of the discs around there. Some form of pain just a fact of life, weird where it can spring up.
@Salsiccione
there should be!
Interesting and well-written article, @brett. It has convinced me to get my shoulder pain / discomfort / numbness (which has been slowly creeping down my arm, side and leg) checked out once and for all. Cheers
Just turned 48 and touch wood back and knees have been in great shape since I stopped playing in goal ten years ago. My VMH has recently gone back to yoga after a few years break and embarrassed me into a 'mobility off' the other night where she kicked my arse.
Im in the same boat as many on this thread where I fear starting something that I won't be able to ride without doing. I'm probably in denial but right now I feel like I'm getting away with it.
I'm very motivated to stretch/roll/get sports massages/do strength work as often as I can because I get niggly pains in my knees if I don't. I haven't been cycling that long, relatively, so I wonder if in some way they are 'growing pains' as my joints get used to the amount of cycling I'm doing.
I've always been really paranoid about knees since I developed a chronic knee problem in my early 20's. I used to do a lot of running and mountain biking and it got so severe that if I went biking I couldn't drive the next day because I couldn't bend and straighten my knee to press the clutch without agonising pain.
The solution? A huge number of one legged-squats with a weighted rucksack, morning and night, for three months. It was hard but it worked a miracle and that problem went away for good.