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Kiting with back injuries? How bad is your back?

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Robsw6
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Re: Kiting with back injuries? How bad is YOUR back?

Postby Robsw6 » Sun Jun 13, 2021 11:02 pm

lindseym wrote:
Sun Jun 13, 2021 3:27 pm
This is what cured my lower back issues.

First, a few quick stats on me:
  • 160lbs and do about 80% of my riding on my 14m Rebel
  • I live in Tampa where the wind can be "feast or famine" which means when I ride, I'm out there for long periods
  • For 11 years, I've used oversized harnesses that were intentionally loose. Yes, they rode up but I got used to it.
The issue (i think)
Due to riding overpowered so much the harness would ride up causing an overuse of lumbar muscles. In the last few my age (47) is starting to do it's thing and it's gotten worse.

The cure
I drank the hardshell cool-aid and overnight switched from an oversized, super soft harness to a small hardshell harness. The next day I rode about 5 hours and had zero back pain. Not only that, but it's been gone ever since - which is crazy because it got so bad that I thought it was chronic. Turns out, it was just too much riding with a loose harness. Yes, I tried a variety of seats and even posted a review on here of different hybrids but they simply didn't work for me.

Now, I get it. We're all coded differently and what worked for me may not work for you. However, beyond this, here are a few other things I've done that have kept me in the game and feeling great.

1) Cold therapy - It's not too comfortable and people think I am crazy, but there's something miraculous about sitting in a tub of 40 degree water for a few minutes everyday. It's fantastic for post workout / kiting soreness and has significantly reduced my asthma and allergies. For more information, check out https://www.wimhofmethod.com/ (no affiliation, just someone who has benefited). Warning - cold therapy should be approached carefully and you should progressively build (start with cold showers and go from there). I started with showers but Tampa water is too warm so I converted a chest freezer into a cold plunge (google chest freezer cold plunge and get the e-book if you are interested).

2) DAILY Yoga routine - We are what we do on a daily basis. A DAILY yoga routine will change your life. It doesn't have to be intensive and in fact, my daily routine is only about 10 minutes. Then, about 2 times per week I will do a more intensive 1 hour session. The daily routine varies based on what I'm feeling but it typically consists of few sun sals, horse stance, some hip stretching (pigeon), seated forward folds, plow, IT band stretches, and some some core work (supermans, plank variations, and leg raises). Important - "how" we stretch is everything and all too often I see people rushing through poses. In Yoga teachers training, this is what I learned and it works great - when stretching go about 3/4 to the tension point, stop and take 5 breaths, and breath deep into the tension focusing on relaxing. Then, as your muscles relax, allow yourself to go a little further. Each stretching pose should be NO LESS than 5 breaths.

3) Targeted lower back exercises - So, I happened upon this video and it was the jackpot for me. I will typically do these exercises a few times per week but definitely after every kiting session and the next day too. See this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWmGArQBtFI&t=356s and go to 3:45 - this exercise really works !!)

4) Diet - Yes I said it...sorry gang but diet matters - ALOT. Check out the diets of Laird Hamilton and Kelly Slater. If we're talking about health and longevity, eating a bunch of pro-inflammatory foods will diminish your health and make pre-existing genetic conditions worse. Google "Rhonda Patrick epigenetics". She is making ground-breaking research on how our diet can positively (or negatively) influence our genes (basically showing how certain genes are switched off or turned on).

Diet is something I struggle with and sugar is my tobacco. So, during the day I only eat paleo (eggs in the morning and for lunch an avocado, sweet potato, and a green smoothie I make...nothing more). This made me more productive at work and I feel better. For dinner it's game on - Pizza, pasta, bread, and such but I'll also try and eat relatively clean stuff as well - grass fed ethically sourced beef, wild caught salmon, and other low mercury fish. Two to three times per year I'll do a cleanse where I will only drink smoothies for a 3 day period (it'll clean you out lol). All things in moderation, even moderation.

I think that about covers it. Apologies for the long post but everything here has had a profound impact on my life and I wanted to share. Be well everyone.
Lm
Great advice - I switch out Yoga for Kung Fu (same thing really?!) - diet is v important & take some BCAA aminos

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Re: Kiting with back injuries? How bad is your back?

Postby jumptheshark » Sun Jun 13, 2021 11:08 pm

Agreed.

Good content

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Re: Kiting with back injuries? How bad is your back?

Postby OzBungy » Mon Jun 14, 2021 2:19 am

Similar to an earlier poster, I found that seat harnesses aggravated my chronic lower back problems. All that torsion from the harness locked onto my hips was a bad thing.

I switched to a waist harness, and now a hard shell waist harness. The constant flexing and twisting has worked as perfect physiotherapy for my back and I have not had a significant problem in years. I do get a bit achey in the lower back if I go for a period without kiting.

One thing is you need to have excellent technique. Back straight. Hips forward. Knees slightly bent. Arms straight. Steer from the shoulders. Kite at 45 degrees. This is easier on your back and makes your riding much better. The harness almost never rides up and pulls back down as soon as you load the lines.

I have a couple of crushed vertebra in my upper back and a chronic lower back problem. My spinal surgeon said that the pain was not a sign of doing more damage. I should take pain killers and get on with it. This is consistent with modern back pain management principles. Use it or lose it. I very rarely need to use painkillers.

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Re: Kiting with back injuries? How bad is your back?

Postby elguapo » Mon Jun 14, 2021 3:36 am

this is not medical advice..


but i am saying after a jumped head1st into squating (like...doing it 5-6 days a week the 1st month).. the back problems that forced me to early retire from my career in my mid 30s simply disappeared.

the back problems were there since my teens.. but i surfed/kited regardless.

after strengthening the core i simply stopped noticing the back issues... and they never came back (knock on wood)

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Re: Kiting with back injuries? How bad is your back?

Postby vannibombonato » Mon Jun 14, 2021 9:12 am

I've suffered from lower back problems since early 20s.
I've experienced two "locks" that were so painful i had to be transported to the hospital. I literally could not breathe.

I would say that when those things happened i was in pretty good overall "apparent" shape (meaning i looked good). I then started doing some deep research on the topic, which is extremely common, as i came to the conclusion that it had the potential to heavily limit my life and i wanted do take action.

Now i am 42, and after 2 years of intensive training and yoga, i am from a muscular stand point in the best shape of my life. Virtually zero back pain, albeit i am fully aware that i am constantly "at risk".

If i had to list what has helped the most and my top learnings, these would be:
1) Definitely Yoga, done in a proper way and frequently, focusing on positions appropriate for the back problem (and avoiding others). "Yoga" is a very broad topic, and Yoga teachers are not all created equal. Do your research.
2) Overall core and muscle build up: i now have a very, very strong core/back muscles, i can plank for like 10+ minutes.
3) Being acutely aware of your movements, how to take weights, how to move, etc. It arrives to a point in which you basically don't even think about it anymore.
4) Warm up (which is NOT stretching) before physical activity. This is key, and more important as age grows.
5) Do listen to your body. Your back will probably start telling you when you are approaching a failure event. If it starts hurting, i can now run some routine exercises and stretches to "fix" it.

Now, obviously:
1) I am no medic and this is no medical advice.
2) If you have severe back pain do take exams to fully understand what is your "starting point" (i.e. hernia, disks problems, to what extent etc. Virtually everybody has them to some degrees).
3) Back surgery should be the last, last, last resort. The general advice for surgery is that it should be considered only after you did all of the above, and if the pain days are more than the pain free days.

In a nutshell, to anyone having back pain: - You are not alone!!, and - You can probably fix it with some hard work :-)

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Re: Kiting with back injuries? How bad is your back?

Postby xanpet » Mon Jun 14, 2021 11:12 am

Great topic,
I think a lot of kites struggling with pains....

I've been struggling with backpain for a few years now.
After doing this training for a few weeks (almost) every day ( i know it looks silly BUT) my backpain is for 80% gone.
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jumptheshark (Mon Jun 14, 2021 1:29 pm)
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Re: Kiting with back injuries? How bad is your back?

Postby iriejohn » Mon Jun 14, 2021 11:35 am

OzBungy wrote:
Mon Jun 14, 2021 2:19 am
Similar to an earlier poster, I found that seat harnesses aggravated my chronic lower back problems. All that torsion from the harness locked onto my hips was a bad thing.

I switched to a waist harness, and now a hard shell waist harness. The constant flexing and twisting has worked as perfect physiotherapy for my back and I have not had a significant problem in years.
Same for me. After decades of using seat harnesses and trying waist harnesses that wouldn't work for me, I tried a Mystic Majestic X hardshell waist harness. No more sore back when kiting, exactly the opposite of what I had been expecting.

viewtopic.php?t=2408437

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Re: Kiting with back injuries? How bad is your back?

Postby matth » Mon Jun 14, 2021 1:16 pm

iriejohn wrote:
Mon Jun 14, 2021 11:35 am
OzBungy wrote:
Mon Jun 14, 2021 2:19 am
Similar to an earlier poster, I found that seat harnesses aggravated my chronic lower back problems. All that torsion from the harness locked onto my hips was a bad thing.

I switched to a waist harness, and now a hard shell waist harness. The constant flexing and twisting has worked as perfect physiotherapy for my back and I have not had a significant problem in years.
Same for me. After decades of using seat harnesses and trying waist harnesses that wouldn't work for me, I tried a Mystic Majestic X hardshell waist harness. No more sore back when kiting, exactly the opposite of what I had been expecting.

viewtopic.php?t=2408437
I think maybe like shoes it's good to mix it up...Even the best orthopedic shoes will become uncomfortable if you wear them every day. You need to mix up the pressure points.

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Re: Kiting with back injuries? How bad is your back?

Postby jumptheshark » Mon Jun 14, 2021 1:29 pm

xanpet wrote:
Mon Jun 14, 2021 11:12 am
Great topic,
I think a lot of kites struggling with pains....

I've been struggling with backpain for a few years now.
After doing this training for a few weeks (almost) every day ( i know it looks silly BUT) my backpain is for 80% gone.
This guys work: Foundation Training is a super pragmatic approach to strengthening and coordinating not just our true core muscles, but our postural muscles as a whole.

Highly recommend not simply jumping into the random selection of workouts on Youtube, but starting from the beginning and learning the basics before putting the postures into a workout. Though not overly complex, there is a lot of activation and coordination that is not apparent on video.

His first book is a great starting point, but I also found subscribing to the website for a few months and starting at square one was really helpful.

I fully plan on getting certified to teach this.

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Re: Kiting with back injuries? How bad is your back?

Postby jumptheshark » Mon Jun 14, 2021 1:32 pm

matth wrote:
Mon Jun 14, 2021 1:16 pm
iriejohn wrote:
Mon Jun 14, 2021 11:35 am
OzBungy wrote:
Mon Jun 14, 2021 2:19 am
Similar to an earlier poster, I found that seat harnesses aggravated my chronic lower back problems. All that torsion from the harness locked onto my hips was a bad thing.

I switched to a waist harness, and now a hard shell waist harness. The constant flexing and twisting has worked as perfect physiotherapy for my back and I have not had a significant problem in years.
Same for me. After decades of using seat harnesses and trying waist harnesses that wouldn't work for me, I tried a Mystic Majestic X hardshell waist harness. No more sore back when kiting, exactly the opposite of what I had been expecting.

viewtopic.php?t=2408437
I think maybe like shoes it's good to mix it up...Even the best orthopedic shoes will become uncomfortable if you wear them every day. You need to mix up the pressure points.
I disagree with this. Your feet can get tired ad fussy in any footwear, but good support is good support and its a must for pretty much all of us who don't live a completely barefoot life.

Hard shell harness is a very good step in the evolution of our gear, find one that fits, ride in a decent stance, stay fit stay strong, recovery properly. But you don't have to play musical harnesses chasing comfort.


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