Well.....end of the road, maybe?

[Alan H]

I'm afraid I may be looking at the end of my throwing career.

After the 19 hours in the car to drive to-from the Ventura Games, it took me a month to mostly recover. I've had pain in my legs, "odd sensations" in delicate parts that won't be named, and numbness and pain in the bottom of my right foot.

I didn't lift or throw for a month, and got back into the gym two weeks ago. The light weights-many reps lifting seemed to help and I actually felt almost normal as of last Saturday. I had slept in an awkward position on the previous Thursday night and woke to a huge area of numbness over the top and side of my left leg, but Friday and Saturday came and I felt good. I then drove down to visit Piper George on Sunday and do some coaching/light throwing with Games newbie, Robbin. I tossed LWFD probably a dozen-15 times, and did some work with a smallish caber.

The next morning I had pain and numbness in my quadriceps, especially down the left side. This got worse during the day. Sitting through a terminally awful concert on Sunday afternoon, in hard church pews aggravated the situation. I was not a happy camper, as Joan will tell you. By bedtime, after two tylenol and a long, hot shower I woke up to minor discomfort on Monday morning.

Upshot is, throwing hurts, and not in a good way. It s not a muscle-ache way, it's a "compressed nerves" and *Real* damage sort of way. I know that I have some stenosis (closing of the opening in the spine where the spinal nerves exit) in L4. If I don't throw, and keep up some light lifting and exercise, I seem to be pretty much fine for now. But throwing is NOT helping. I'm having to consider the possibility that I should stop throwing. It's that or back surgery, and I'm *EXTREMELY* loathe to take on back surgery unless I absolutely have no other options.

So what I think I'm going to do is just lift light in the gym through the winter and not pick up a Highland weight or a stone or a caber until the end of February. I'll try it a few times in February. If I still have pain and numbness, then I toss in the towel and keep the great memories I have of two seasons Heavy Athletics. If I HAVE to exit the stage, I know I did it on a high point, having turned the caber 3x...3, 12:00 turns at Ventura, winning the 50+ Masters Division at Ventura.... breaking 83 feet in the light hammer, and making myself into a consistently 40+ foot LWFD thrower.

I had hoped to throw for one more season. Then again, when I started all this, it was 'cause Tim C came up to me one night at a Nor Cal Beer and Kilts night and said "Want to try this out at the Woodland Games?". I said, "sure, why not"... I didn't start this assuming I'd be doing it for a decade. Well, one Games turned into a whole season, interrupted by some health issues at the end. One season turned into two seasons and a slough of Personal Records. So if I HAVE to bail out and not throw my third season, well..it kinda sucks, but worse things could happen. I had planned to stop after this season, anyway and get back to music.

I'm not happy about this, but if the choice is throwing or back surgery, well that's a no-brainer.

Time to start practicing with the band!

[McMurdo]

Alan
All the best with the back, I know what a back injury can be like, take care of yourself thats the most important thing.

[Alan H]

Alan
All the best with the back, I know what a back injury can be like, take care of yourself thats the most important thing.

thanks....

Something else I forgot to mention is that I'm sailing this winter with a good friend, Bob on his boat, doing the Midwinter series. I'll be sailing with Piper George on his boat, which is a sistership to the boat I sailed to Hawaii last summer. So I'll be keeping in touch with the sport that I've been so deeply involved with, for nearly 20 years.

After doing the TransPac, it's pretty typical for racers to come back to a pretty huge dose of depression. We've all been so focused on the race for so long, some of us for many years, that when it's over we're sort of goal-less. It takes a driven kind of person to put together the kind of concerted effort it takes to do a Singlehanded TransPac, and that kind of person doesn't do well living without Big Goals.

For me, the Heavy Athletics were there, to provide me with goals, and my "down" from the Singlehanded TransPac was relatively minor and only lasted a month. I can tell you stories of guys whose depressions lasted for months and months, who had a really rough time re-integrating their lives post-race. I haven't had that problem, in large part because of the goals I had with the Athletics.

So I'm grateful for that.

Anyway, onwards and upwards....

[Sheep In Wolf's Clothing]

Upshot is, throwing hurts, and not in a good way. It s not a muscle-ache way, it's a "compressed nerves" and *Real* damage sort of way. I know that I have some stenosis (closing of the opening in the spine where the spinal nerves exit) in L4.

I have spinal stenosis in 4 of my discs( as well as a few other problems) ..it’s not fun sometimes. Good luck with what ever you choose to do. In the meantime, keep sewing!!
Best wishes,
Sara

[TimC]

We will miss your encouragement and friendship on the pitch. Just get well....

-Tim

[Jack Daw]

Alan H, I can empathize given similar back problems. I have 5 bulging disks and stenosis. I will tell you that regular exercise in and out of the gym has kept me pain free and away from surgery. But, I've had to give up jogging for the boring eliptical machine and I can no longer bear heavy weight loads on my back. Even with that limitation, I can still lift gym weights with accommodations. I know you may have to give up the Highland athletics, but it ain't over til it's over. Keep fighting the good fight.

[Ryan Nielson]

Definately don't be doing any throwing for a long time. But to say your done with it forever who really knows. I have had a L5 herniated disc, nerve pain down the leg into my calf and foot, stopped lifting weights for about 6 months or so was in extreme constant pain and was able to come back this was several years ago and I'm now on the verge of deadlifting 600lbs. now. Yet the doctor told me i'd never be able to lift weights again. I never had surgery and most people I know have come back from some really bad back problems without surgery. Of course everyone's different and your case may be much worse than mine ever was. Of course I'm just a guy on the internet not a real doctor.

[Alan H]

While I think this is probably the last call, you never know. If I take it really easy and do other stuff for a while...go easy on the gym and stay fit (and lose 30 pounds) February may be a w hole different story. We'll see!

[jgorley]

I whish you the best! My wife has gone through 2 back surgeries before age 30. I understand the issues. Just because you may not be throwing doesn't mean you can't be part of the games. You could always become an SAAA judge! We always need judges and volunteers to mark, measure and keep score. Most importantly, take care of your back! You will be miserable without it!!

James

[GDub]

This might sound crazy to some, but I know it to be true from experience--take up a Tai Chi practice. Tai Chi is, in my humble opinion, the best exercise on the planet for healing and strengthening joints, ligaments, etc... There are LOTS of Bay Area practitioners so finding a teacher and a style you like shouldn't be too difficult. I prefer Yang Style, but YMMV.

After 3 - 6 months of regular practice (about 15 minutes a day once you learn a simplified routine and some warm up and cool down exercises) you'll start experiencing a skip in your step that you thought you had lost. I guarantee it.

Surgery should be your LAST choice.

OK, I'll shut up now.