![\"beast_thumb\"](\"https:\/\/blog.brianschiff.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/beast_thumb.jpg\" "\\"beast_thumb\\"")
<\/p>\nSo, for Labor Day 2010, I decided to take my family to Kings Island.\u00a0 I have always been a fan of thrill rides and it has been well over a decade since I had been to Kings Island.\u00a0 It was also before I have experienced more than one bout of sciatica.<\/p>\n
My nieces live nearby and they agrred to watch my sons for a brief time while my wife and I headed off to ride some of the bigger rides.\u00a0 I insisted we ride the Beast – a coaster classic by any standards.\u00a0 It is the world’s longest wood coaster and lots of fun.<\/p>\n
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What I failed to remember was just how much jarring and abuse the good ol’ Beast could inflict on one’s body in those tiny little cars.\u00a0 After 4 minutes of fun, it all came back to me.\u00a0 For those who don’t know, I have been training for a marathon and admittedly after most 19 plus mile runs (I did one on Sunday) my back is stiff for a day or two.<\/p>\n
Perhaps riding the Beast (and the Racers too at my wife’s insistence) the day after a long run was not such a wise move.\u00a0 \ud83d\ude42\u00a0 I woke up this morning with what I term “old man back.”\u00a0 Now while that may sound funny, to anyone who has experienced it, you know\u00a0how\u00a0unpleasant it is.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I crawled out of bed and managed to teach a boot camp class at 5:30 AM without incident.\u00a0 Beyond the stiffness, my day has been marked by difficulty bending forward and lots of ice.\u00a0 I am not complaining as much as I am telling you that as we get older (unfortunately I mean older than age 30) our shock absorption qualities in the spine begin to decline.<\/p>\n
You see, our discs\u00a0between the vertebrae act as a cushion and help prevent injury.\u00a0 But, as we age, they naturally begin to degenerate in our thirties (degenerative disc disease – bummer).\u00a0 \u00a0This ultimately means we are more vulnerable to harmful forces and stress on the spine.\u00a0 Ever wonder why those signs warn you not to ride if you have neck or back pain?\u00a0<\/p>\n
It is likely the sudden torque, twists, turns and bumps that may leave you feeling rough then next day.\u00a0 Am I saying not to ride?\u00a0 NO!!\u00a0 I love coasters.\u00a0 I will be back at it again in the near future.\u00a0 What I am saying is know your own personal situation and if you have some past back issues like me, be prepared to endure “old man back” for a few days as you hit the theme parks.<\/p>\n
I will be over it in a day or so.\u00a0 As a matter fo fact I ran 4 miles today with no pain.\u00a0 Some keys to spinal fitness are:<\/p>\n
In the end, if you have a flare-up, then use ice and let pain guide your movements.\u00a0 One last tip: stick to the steel coasters for a smoother ride!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
So, for Labor Day 2010, I decided to take my family to Kings Island.\u00a0 I have always been a fan of thrill rides and it has been well over a decade since I had been to Kings Island.\u00a0 It was also before I have experienced more than one bout of sciatica. My nieces live nearby […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,7,27],"tags":[116,117],"class_list":["post-714","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health","category-injury-prevention","category-low-back","tag-low-back-pain","tag-sciatica"],"yoast_head":"\n