30 y.o. guy, had run intervals on Tuesday, the next day felt mild pain in the low back,
my wife helped me with packing the bike case and clothes to Kona as it was painful for me to bend.
The airport and plane experience was ok.
Today in the morning woke up, had a nice walk to Safeway, and all the fun stuff happened there:
severe lower back pain, almost fell on the ground, barely got to the Uber, the kind driver dropped groceries to my condo while I laid on the grass and crawled to the room 20 minutes later.
Spend an hour at home 99% of my poses were causing pain, took me 10 min to get down to Uber to the hospital, spent there 3 hours, prescribed hydrocodone (Norco) and lidocaine patches to help with the muscle pain.
Right now (6 hours later) about 80% of the poses are causing pain. Laying with a laptop on the bed is okayish.
Never had those issues before.
Understand that my race possible wonât happen (though thereâs a hope), already have a slot for 2023 so not really depressed, though I imagined my first day on the island kinda different.
Did anyone experience similar things several days before the race? How did it go? How did you treat that? Did you race?
30 y.o. guy, had run intervals on Tuesday, the next day felt mild pain in the low back,
my wife helped me with packing the bike case and clothes to Kona as it was painful for me to bend.
The airport and plane experience was ok.
Today in the morning woke up, had a nice walk to Safeway, and all the fun stuff happened there:
severe lower back pain, almost fell on the ground, barely got to the Uber, the kind driver dropped groceries to my condo while I laid on the grass and crawled to the room 20 minutes later.
Spend an hour at home 99% of my poses were causing pain, took me 10 min to get down to Uber to the hospital, spent there 3 hours, prescribed hydrocodone (Norco) and lidocaine patches to help with the muscle pain.
Right now (6 hours later) about 80% of the poses are causing pain. Laying with a laptop on the bed is okayish.
Never had those issues before.
Understand that my race possible wonât happen (though thereâs a hope), already have a slot for 2023 so not really depressed, though I imagined my first day on the island kinda different.
Did anyone experience similar things several days before the race? How did it go? How did you treat that? Did you race?
Thank you.
I had a game of rugby on the Saturday and flew out for a holiday the day after, got to the resort and had sudden and extreme back pain. All I could is limp from the room to the pool. I was prescribed painkillers, muscle relaxants and anti-inflammatories. I had Xrays and there was nothing going on. It felt like I had some serious back injury. After 5 days or so I was good to go and back running, pretty much fully recovered after being virtually incapacitated for 5 days. i never found out what had happened, but Iâm guessing some kind of muscle spasm after sitting on a plane for 6 hours? But yours happened before the flight? It might still be a spasm rather than being any kind of serious injury?.
YouââŹâ˘re a tad dehydrated and obviously a bit stressed- those combined your muscles are going to cramp and not relax. If you can- LMNT or NUUN with water and get yourself prolly hydrated ASAP.
YouââŹâ˘re stoked but so nervous at the same time. Try to honestly relax and keep gently moving. YouââŹâ˘re race is fine and you didnââŹâ˘t have any acute injury - this is a stress injury of sorts and guaranteed your body is trying to heal itself right now. Best thing to do is get in the ocean water and just move and walk- you will be fine. Set your mind right.
Get those electrolytes in ok? And guaranteed youââŹâ˘re a bit stressed ðŸâ˘ÂðŸ¼âĄĂ°Ĺ¸âĹðŸÂž
Are you experiencing any numbness or loss of sensation in your lower extremities? Bowel and bladder activity normal? What all tests/scans did the hospital perform?
I threw my back out two weeks before my first race at Kona picking up a weight . Locked up. Bought a cheap back brace at Wal Mart and did the race in it (several sideway stares in the transition tents). Problematic in the aero position but got through the race. DonââŹâ˘t know if that helps but it worked for me. Got a MRI later and I had a herniated disc. Took 3 months of back exercises to get it back to normal. Brutal.
Thatâs nice to hear! 5 days is kinda on the edge, though.
Yeah, before the flight - possible some spasm, but not sure what caused it. Lifting weights (grocery bags 3 days ago).
I have to admit - during last month I often skipped strength training and focused mostly on bike/run. The current condition probably the consequence of that.
STILLfast13, thank you for the kind words! Your positive attitude helps a lot. Already hydrating.
Parkland, legs are fine, all the activities are also fine, thanks.
The ER staff asked me the same questions, watched me suffering and bending when going from a seat to a wheelchair and then to a bed, asked me to try to lift my legs when lying.
Told to monitor the situation, come back again if things get worse (sensation loss/numbness).
dnfkona2000, wow, that sucks. Thank you for your story.
Dang dude. As a 34 year old whoââŹâ˘s had back issue for years you could be in for a long haul.
Could it be a pinched nerve? Any pain or numbness in your legs? It may be masked by the back pain.
I hang myself from a brace over my door frame to take pressure off my lower back. A couple minutes at a time. This usually does the trick. Massaging always makes it worse.
Good luck.
where exactly is the pain? severe pain is pretty atypical in a young healthy guy, if youâre lucky you have a small kidney stone that could pass on itâs own. If thatâs the case then you should be good to go for the raceâŚanything else is dicey.
I vent with a bad back for several years. Went to doctors, chiropractors, fysioterapi. But on one really bad episode, on my way to a acupuncturists, i felt tightness in my ILIOPSOAS. Then I thought, maybe that is my problem. After 5 says of stretching, i was good to go again. And since then, i can keep the pain away,so i dont need to lay in bed.
Did the hospital give you any ideas as to a diagnosis?
Did they do any blood tests or scans?
It is really hard to offer decent advice online, because by its very nature back pain has a number of potential causes and offering medical advice online is fraught with danger and risks.
There is plenty of time between now and the race for a) something minor to resolve of its own accord, if managed appropriately, and you can get to the start line with a slightly different taper than planned or b) for something less minor/more race impacting to declare itself.
You cannot do too much to change the outcomes for either a or b, apart from making the recovery from something that falls in the âaâ group worse by trying to do too much (or also, by doing absolutely nothing).
I have had similar symptoms not sure if the cause is the same. Could it be SI joint? Google SI joint release those basic exercises are magic for me. There are videos of a series of holds that are a profession that have worked for me. One reminds me of skydiving. I thought it was going to hurt like hell but felt so good. Once again that was for me not sure if it is your cause
Happened to me 7 years ago. Day before 70.3 race was washing my bike and reached to get water hose and back locked up. Hurt to bend or sit. Went to pool to make sure I could still swim and was able to once I struggled to get in pool. Laid on heating pad all day, took ibuprofen, no help. Morning of race was still the same. Swim was actually canceled and turned into Du. I could still run if i stayed upright. Went to race director and told him I would need help getting bike shoes on and off and putting running shoes on. Once on bike in TT position I was ok, but any bump was hell. Had my best power average on bike and fastest 13.1 run to that point. (IââŹâ˘m sure canceled swim helped). Ended up 4th overall, so keep a positive attitude and hopefully youââŹâ˘ll be ok. ItââŹâ˘s not like youââŹâ˘re going to lose fitness in a few days.
I have slight scoliosis and have had random and ongoing back issues forever. I can be fine for months and then one day I just wake up and canât bend over for the next 2 weeks. Sometimes traveling for races can make it worse because I might be sleeping on a airbnb bed that is too soft. One time I work up the morning of a IM having tweaked something for the millionth time. I still competed and did well. There is hope for you. Donât get too down on yourself because thatâs the worst thing you can do right now.
My suggestions based on my own experiences:
(1) KT tape is your best friend. A few pieces across the back can surprisingly add a decent amount of support.,
(2) Donât attempt to run. You donât need the pounding right now. However, you also donât want to just sit there and let everything tighten. So, try to get out for a easy swim if the water isnât too rough or a easy bikeâŚjust to stretch out. Depending on your bike position, a few miles in aero may actually help those specific muscles. Just be super careful in traffic because coming in and out of aero may be hard. Maybe ride on a trainer if you can find one.,
(3) On race day, consider swapping out your tri kit for a separate bike kit and run outfit. Will you lose a little time in transition? sure. But, the extra padding on you sit bones (provided by bibs on the bike) may make thing so much more comfortable for you. Also considering ditching the carbon plated shoes for your daily trainers with a bit more cushion.
(4) Stay positive and plan your week like you have every intention of racing and kicking ass. Once race morning adrenaline kicks in, you may be surprised by how great you feel.
When I was swim coaching something like this happened every taper time before JOâs, SR nationals, or the Oly trials. I mean every single time. Still happens from time to time still.
Nothing you can do but hydrate, chill out, nap, walking may help if you can ambulate, read books, watch movies, more napping maybe get a massage
YouââŹâ˘re a tad dehydrated and obviously a bit stressed- those combined your muscles are going to cramp and not relax. If you can- LMNT or NUUN with water and get yourself prolly hydrated ASAP.
YouââŹâ˘re stoked but so nervous at the same time. Try to honestly relax and keep gently moving. YouââŹâ˘re race is fine and you didnââŹâ˘t have any acute injury - this is a stress injury of sorts and guaranteed your body is trying to heal itself right now. Best thing to do is get in the ocean water and just move and walk- you will be fine. Set your mind right.
Get those electrolytes in ok? And guaranteed youââŹâ˘re a bit stressed ðŸâ˘ÂðŸ¼âĄĂ°Ĺ¸âĹðŸÂž
This is all the thoughts I had. Pre race stress can definitely manifest as back pain (which can be nearly debilitating). Iâd suggest that maybe you should also smoke a joint, but thereâs that pesky issue about it being a banned substance re:competition.
This happened to be in my first few years of racing. The week of my race my legs would totally lock up. Like could not even walk. Usually my quads and glutes. One race was awful and had to push through and stretch every 15 minutes to get my glutes working then another race it righted itself on its own. Could never figure out if there was something going on or just my body shutting itself down to repair itself. Thankfully it has not happened since! (knock on wood)
I am constantly dealing with low back pain and have compiled a short list of things that seem to produce more or less immediate short-term to medium-term relief.
Advil or other NSAIDs, including sometimes in combination with a muscle relaxant like flexrol (cyclobenzaprine). Note, flexrol makes me drowsy, even the 5mg smallest dose. Great for taking the night before an event, but Iâve never tried it in the morning before an event and wouldnât recommend it.
heating pad (the kind you can buy at CVS for $20)
core exercises, in particular planks with twists and knee to elbow raises. I also like knee raises while in those apparatuses that let you support your weight with your forearms while your legs dangle
I call this âdanglingâ, basically you bend frontwards over a solid edge (like back of a couch or chair) and use that to put pressure on your psoas muscle regions. I dangle for 2-5 minutes like this.
Rolling my hip flexors, IT band, etc. on a tennis ball. I think the hip and the low back are tightly connected, so tension in one causes tension in the other.
Typically a combination of the above gives me relief enough to pursue whatever activity I had planned on doing. Good luck in Kona!
Replying again to my own post because I did not read the OP (stupid me). What you have sounds exactly like what I experienced before being diagnosed with a herniated L4-L5 disc. The debilitating pain in any position is what reminded me of what I had. That pain does fade for a while, but be forewarned, I was encouraged not to bike for 4-6 weeks and to do PT for core strength during that time. I was advised to walk as much as possible and run if pain tolerated it. Same advice for swim, though I would be concerned about a mass start or anything that could cause you to unexpectedly be forced into an uncomfortable position. I took the advice and have not had any significant flare ups other than the generalized low back pain that I already experienced before the herniated disc. My suggestions above are how I treat this general pain.
Joking aside. Big race approachingâŚElevated mental stress, probably a bit anxiousâŚour nervous systems (including nerves in the low back area) will get a bit more sensitive. Therefore, smaller niggles can pose as greater pain/limitations. âOh crap, what if I canât raceâ, âI canât believe this is happeningâ. All those fears, worries, etc have a neurological and chemical reaction in the nervous system.
Best thing now is to do some calming things. GENTLE yoga (donât overstretch), keep moving a bit to keep blood flowing. Focus on some deep breathing/relaxation with lights off, eyes closed.