by Colin Aina
In case you were curious of what that picture was from Part 1, that's a lateral MRI image of my lumber spine and sacrum (tailbone) from July. Below is an X-ray from June. You can see that my first three lumbar vertebrae reveal some interesting stuff. You can notice that the spaces in between a few of the vertebrae are almost non-existent. There is supposed to be a noticeable space which looks dark and a bit cloudy in between the vertebrae, indicating healthy discs. Over time, the eventual pull of gravity lends itself to general compression on these discs. External factors such as injury, trauma and BMI and will also expedite this wear.
As you read this, you are more than likely recalling an incident when you "tweaked", "strained" or my favorite- "BLEW OUT"(??) your back.
In September 2016, I did such a thing while training. I can't recall exactly what I did, but my back was sore for a few days. On almost a daily basis, when my sacrum feels a bit off, I can self-adjust it back into a proper position while rotating my torso to the right. I'm rewarded with a light "pop" indicating that it's back to where it's supposed to be. After this incident, I wasn't able to self- adjust. I did the usual treatment route of acupuncture, chiropractic adjustments and massage which helped to relieve a majority of the pain I was experiencing. I was also curious as to what was going on in my spine and sought out getting an X-ray. Prior to doing so, I was still unable to get things to adjust for the previous 2 months. Ironically, I was waiting in the exam room after the X-ray, and while trying to adjust it for the millionth time, it finally happened. The sound echoed the room and a rush of relief filled my body.
That first X-ray showed some interesting stuff; the Physician noticed a small notch on my L-4 vertebrae and he also alluded that I may actually have a very small extra vertebrae at the base of my tailbone! According to my parents, when I was born I had a "tail". It is not uncommon for a newborn to have a protruding tailbone and there is evidence that this condition lends itself to an above-average range of motion in the lumbar spine.
Over the last 4 years I've gotten heavily into cycling, and a loss of back strength has also ensued. The main reasons for this are that I've been replacing my normal 4-5 days/week of strength work (a routine I've had for over 15 years) with a few more days on the bike. Frankly, it's another excuse for me to get outdoors! This reason is compounded by the fact that biking places zero load upon the axial skeleton- WTF does that mean?? WELL..... there are two aspects of the skeleton: The Axial- comprised of the spine and pelvic girdle, and the Appendicular- comprised of the appendages. In order to grow bone and create total body strength, load must be placed upon the spine. We get this loading normally from gravity on a daily basis which is why being active and not sitting is key. Strength training only magnifies these benefits as we age, and doing so curbs the onset of osteopenia and osteoporosis.
Another reason for weakness is the postural position needed to be on the bike. Being that I have long legs/ arms and a short torso, it took some time for my muscles to become used to a biking position. My back muscles had to become less rigid and strong in order to gain the mobility needed for biking. One needs to spend the time to get the fit of their bike almost perfect to ensure comfort and optimal performance and control of the bike.
Last March I spent a weekend climbing in the Adirondacks, NY. The second day, me and the boys went on the hunt for a climb called White Fang. We spent a few frustrating hours bushwhacking, as the beta to get to the this climb was spotty. I didn't bring my snowshoes so I was post-holing up to my knees (a few times to my torso) for 2 hrs (!!!). I also slipped on the ice while crossing the street on the way to the trail and landed on my left knee while carrying a 35 lbs pack. During this time, I was also prepping for a 60 mile gravel/road race with the kids from my cycling team. I started to notice a crunchiness in my left knee and I was certain that I had possibly torn my meniscus. Riding was do-able but walking, functioning was getting a bit tough. I got a massage which relieved the knee pain (it was most likely an acute case of bursitis or an aggravated tendon). I completed the race without issue.
A few weeks later I started to notice a rather new type of back pain I hadn't experienced before. Accompanied by tight cramping in the outside of my right leg, I also had some mild discomfort in the usual area of my sacrum. The next month I did all I could to remedy the issue by getting massaged (Kaela-Rose Getile FTW!), seeing Dr. Ron for adjustments, working on some light strength and mobility, and going to acupuncture. I saw Dr. Gao of Acupuncture & Chiropractic Clinic in South Attleboro. I'd been there before but never actually met him. Like me, he's also a strength and conditioning specialist, chiropractor, yogi and competitive dragon boat racer. This guy gets it. Within 2 minutes of looking at me he asked if I had been doing enough front squats and or glute, hamstring and lumbar strength- NOPE! He asked if I did yoga. I responded that I don't. "Good" he remarked. "With the mobility that you've got in your spine I would stray away from it, if at all some basic flow movements". I started to add some more squats (duh) to my daily routine and got a little bit of relief.
Although I was feeling better and riding didn't bother me, I really wanted to know what was going on deep inside of me. I decided to see a spine specialist at University Orthopedics. I got the X-ray and was seen by Dr. Robertson's PA. It was quite a comical introduction actually. She too was a college track athlete and looked familiar to me. She then went on to say, "Well.. I have your X-ray here and I had to double check to make sure I had the right patient and not that of a seventy year old." We chatted a bit about my history and how the X-ray reveals some interesting things. She showed me the screen and I literally laughed out loud at what I saw.