I've been dealing with back spasms over the past few days (since last Friday I think), and then it felt like I had a pinched nerve or something in my lower back, so it has been extremely painful to change positions from sitting to standing, though walking around isn't too painful. Even getting out of bed generally means rolling out of bed. This happened to me back around 2010, and then I had a flare-up while living in Vancouver. In both cases, I did end up going to a chiropractor, and that seemed to solve things, though obviously temporarily. I actually biked past a chiropractor's office on Queen East on the weekend, and I wonder if I will end up going there or see if there is a place closer to me.
Somewhat surprisingly, I was able to go swimming on Sat., and then at the gym I tried to use the back extension machine and then the equipment that helps stretch the spine. In the short term, it just felt worse. Anyway, we'll just see how things develop, but it's definitely worrying.
Interestingly, biking doesn't seem to impact me too much, and in my mind at least the minor stretching you need to do (to keep vigilant and look left and right to avoid being hit by a car!) loosens things up a bit. At any rate, I was able to bike last Thurs. through Sat. (including a trip downtown to see Marty Supreme at Market Square), and it looks like I might be able to bike to work on Tuesday, before the weather gets bad again. I probably would not consider biking to work in Jan. or Feb. if the TTC wasn't so unreliable. And maybe 10 or 20 years from now with climate change, biking in winter won't be abnormal, though I am not sure I plan on going to work, particularly to a downtown location, on a daily basis 20 years from now. (And I definitely wouldn't if I am still having occasional, but severe, back pain.) I guess I'll see how it all unfolds...
No comments:
Post a Comment