Back Pain

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FBI

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Hi all, was just looking for some advice. Was in the nets, a week ago and tried bowling full tilt a few deliveries, which was a bit silly considering the short run up available. I felt a twinge in the lower right side of my back (I am a left handed bowler). I'd go as far to say as the pain originates in the upper right glute and then concentrates in the lower back. Knowing this as a season-ruining injury from about five years ago - I decided to rest it and miss out on nets for two weeks.

I'm now in the first week of rest and my back is really starting to seize up on me and is stiff now in the lower and middle part of the back. Is this a sign that the back is healing or does it mean it is deteriorating?

Thanks...
 
Also, I've heard to train the core to avoid back pain. Is this the wrong time to start that? Must all physical training stop until I'm fit to bowl again?

One more thing. The back pain was not nearly this bad, the day after the session, or during the session when I was bowling half tilt after twinging my back.
 
Hi FBI,

Hard to say without seeing you, always best to get this sort of thing checked out by the GP. How do you feel your action is playing out? Has it changed any recently? When you get a chance, try to post a video.

As for the here and now, you really need to stretch the back... slowly roll down to touch your toes. Do you remember the stretch where you reach out to the four corners?

You can train the core now but do not do anything that causes pain... baby steps to begin with.
 
Thanks for the quick reply. I don't remember the four corner stretch but I will look it up.

I don't think I can post a video of the action (because I'm not netting), but it seems the same as it always was (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7lFd4tdw6k). I tried to go 'full tilt' for a few balls which involves a slightly different action and that is what really twinged it, but it was definitely hurting a bit before that. Basically, I did this injury when in Year Eight and it meant I bowled in significant pain and at around 40mph (I was such an idiot) but then it just went away and has only just come back now. It was nowhere near the peak of the pain when I was netting last, but I panicked so I reduced the pace as soon as I felt something in that danger area and vowed to take a couple weeks off.

Sorry, I'm desperate to know...is it feasible that the stiffness that has suddenly arisen in my back (a week after my last net session) is a sign that it is healing or does it definitely signal deterioration. Heck, when I was injured in Year Eight, I don't even remember any pain whatsoever when not bowling.

As for touching my toes, I've never ever been able to get anywhere near my toes. Heck, now that I have a few weeks out of playing cricket I might try to stretch out the hamstrings more and really try to limber up.
 
I don't mean to sound rude, but gross mobility deficits - especially in your hips - is going to make diagnosing the cause of back pain over the internet near on impossible (even for someone with a biomechanics/ rehab background like Liz) and make giving too much advise kind of dangerous.

See a doctor. Get referred to someone like Liz. Be 1000000000000000% compliant. Get better quicker (quickest?).
 
Regarding the roll down and touch your toes, is that with locked legs and standing up? Or do you allows the knees to bend/is this a stretch lying down?

MV, there is a physio just off campus from me. However, I'd imagine the whole thing would be rather expensive and so want to wait a week to see if it does heal by itself. It is not alien for me to have back stiffness, just not this bad.
 
Go see a doctor right away. No point waiting a while to see if it will get better as it mostly likely won't. Backs are something you don't mess around with as you use them a lot, especially in cricket.

Get it checked out as quick as possible.
 
Ok, I'll book an appointment with a campus doctor. My ankle has been playing up too so I can get that checked as well.
 
Knowing your issues quite well FBI, I would hope it was your action. If you are sure this has not changed at all, I would get yourself checked as soon as possible. If it is a case of physio, you can be referred by the GP on the NHS.

Let us know what the GP says.
 
I'm seeing a physio in London because I'm back there over the weekend. Then I have an appointment with a campus GP on Monday, so hopefully it will be evident what is wrong and what I should do. Sorry, I hope I'm not overplaying this. I can move around and stuff, but the prospect of bowling any sort of medium pace while my back is line this is an alien one.
 
Saw a guy in a clinic to take a look at my back and my left ankle (which has deteriorated recently, can't really walk down stairs or run without discomfort). He made a readjustment to my lower back, he said the [something beginning with 's'] had fallen and so my pelvis wasn't properly aligned or something. Basically, he traces everything down to the fact that I don't walk properly and am flat footed. I cannot remember the term, but my feet do not point straight when I walk and there are no real arches to the side - he recommended some inner soles for the shoes (known as orthotics, I believe) and said to rotate the ankles for two minutes, twice a day and to work on strengthening the back and core starting in the next few days (he said I'd be sore from the treatment for a day)
 
My ankle was getting better from the morning before I saw the osteopath. It seems to have continued along this path and is getting better. I haven't tried running on it, but I can walk with next to no discomfort. The sensitivity around the instep side ankle bone (which has been there for a year or two) is still there. Dare I say it, that has got a little better, but if a cricket ball hit me there with any sort of speed whatsoever, I will definitely be down on the ground in a flash.

The inner soles are okay, I used to wear them when I was younger when the NHS provided tailor-made ones for me. They take some getting used to and I can feel them on the instep of my left foot, which is the one which hurts and the one which walks the most unusually. The general back stiffness has worn away but the danger area (right lower back side) still is not 100%. If anything the pain is now lower, in the right glute area rather than the back - I don't know if that is mere soreness from the treatment (which as far as I am aware, involved straightening up some sort of muscles near the pelvis) or whether the injury is still there. He said the soreness would be gone in a day, but I had the treatment on Friday and can definitely feel something.

Currently, I've just been rotating the ankles and stretching out my hamstrings a bit, as they appear to be the source of most back injuries, from what I can gather. He told me to definitely not rest the back, but keep strengthening the core - but I'm unsure if I should start while it is still sore...

I have an appointment with a campus GP later today (its free, might as well take advantage) and will tell him the whole story and ask him to check if anything is still wrong. Good money is that the osteopath, who specialises in this sort of thing, will have provided the more informed opinion though.
 
It all sounds very promising FBI. I wouldn't worry too much about the discomfort at the moment; it is possible that the piriformis is reacting to the orthotics. However, if pain starts to radiate up or down, you will need to go back to the osteo or get the campus doc to refer you to a physio.

It should be fine for you to work the core but stop if you feel 'pain'. Keep stretching the back and hamstrings though. I find guys can stretch their hamstrings easier in a hot(ish) bath; sitting with outstretched legs and lowing the torso to the legs.

Keep us informed :).
 
Well. Quite annoyed. This injury really is frustrating. I'm going to give nets a go on Friday, but it is unlikely that I will be able to bowl properly. I've been working on this workout. Today was my third time doing this workout. I did it twice last week. It says to alternate with workout b but I don't know where to find workout b in the pdf (http://www.pitchvision.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/harrowdrive_turbulence_training_4-week_bww.pdf).

Sample Workout Structure
• Here’s how a sample workout looks:
Bodyweight Warm-up Circuit 2x’s (this should take you less than 5 minutes)
• Bodyweight Squat – 10 reps
• Plank – 20 seconds
• Pushup or Kneeling Pushup – 6 reps
Turbulence Training Strength Workout (ex. Beginner Workout A)
1A) Lying Hip Extension (8 reps)
no rest – go directly to:
1B) Plank (15 seconds)
Rest 30 seconds.
Repeat this cycle 2 more times for a total of 3 supersets.
2A) Prisoner Squat (12 reps)
no rest – go directly to:
2B) Bird Dog (5 reps)
Rest 30 seconds.
Repeat this cycle 2 more times for a total of 3 supersets.
3A) Kneeling Pushup (8 reps)
no rest – go directly to:
3B) Side Plank (5 seconds)
Rest 30 seconds.
Repeat this cycle 2 more times for a total of 3 supersets.
4A) Band Pull (15 reps)
no rest – go directly to:
4B) Ab Curl-up (15 reps)
Rest 30 seconds.
Repeat this cycle 2 more times for a total of 3 supersets.
Click to expand...

I warm up fine. I can do the first superset okay and the second one (although the prisoner squats, on the way down, there is a click to the outside of my right knee) is fine too. The third one is where the difficulty arises. I can only do five kneeling pushups and then my wrists start hurting, which does not sound right. I can do a side plank with my right arm but on my left side, no chance - maybe this is due to my ankle, I dunno. I don't have a band either, so superset four is a bit tricky, but I perform the 45 ab curl ups too, with 30s inbetween. For my failings to complete this, I have added some more stuff - I am doing the standard quad stretch for 2x30s for each leg. Also doing the hamstring stretch where you have a leg rested in a high table and lean forward slightly for 2x30s for each leg too. I also completed level 1 on all the stretches on kspine.net which was recommended by a campus GP.

EDIT: Found Workout B. Will do Workout B in two days. Will do interval running tomorrow.
 
I have to say, I don't really like kneeling push ups. They look harmless but there is far more that can go wrong with them. I would rather do fewer full push ups. If you have problems with the wrists, then perform them on a clenched fist, with your wrists locked.

As for the side plank, you should not be pushing down on your ankles. If you find you are staying up by doing this and also pushing down on your arm, you are not working the right muscles... it is all about lifting the hips up.

Keep up the good work M
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I'll go for the fewer full push ups then and attempt with a clenched fist. Regarding interval running training, do you recommend the 20 minute programme in the pdf document or a set of 2x6 50 metre sprints (with walk back for recovery and one minute in between sets), which would maybe be more cricket specific.
 
Ok. I've got a net session tomorrow. They've said it is pretty much compulsory for first years who want to get into the uni team. I'm going to give it a go. If the back goes again, it would be a shame, but it'd mean that my four week rest (as opposed to four week strengthening work, which is what I could have done) accomplished nothing and so it wouldn't be so bad...

Just btw. Liz, I get really terrible back stiffness sometimes. I saw a doctor and he said my back mobility was poor at the best of times and that it is partially due to a quite pronounced curvature in the spine. Any ways I could try to improve mobility, especially on days where I wake up and I can barely move because bowling full on those days is near impossible.
 
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