Baby Got Back...Pain

AGAIN.

After my adventure with sciatica a couple of weeks ago, things started looking up, and I've been back to my mostly-normal self. Then, today, after warming up (walking on the treadmill) and doing a few standard stretches that my body is used to by now, my lower back started to hurt again. It felt like something that could turn into sciatica, so after a few more minutes walking the treadmill, I found M. the Reasonable (maybe I'll change that to M. the Rock Star) and told him. Bless him--this is where he proves he's a rock star--he spent a few minutes helping me stretch. This helped a lot, so I carefully completed some of my assigned workout, doing three sets of 15 push-ups, pull-ups and back-step lunges. I was slow and deliberate, and while my back was a wee bit sore, I completed all three sets with no drama.

I did ten more minutes on the treadmill because walking really seems to help, then decided that was enough for now (M. had told me to complete my workout as I can, not all in one go). I got in my car--carefully--and drove to the grocery store on my way home. Where I proceeded to walk around stiffly, with my hand on my back, grumpily wishing everyone else in the store would just get out of my way. By the time I got home, my back was hurting again.

I don't know what I did--I'm so frustrated with my body and wishing I could figure out how to make it better. M. told me to keep stretching at home, and I suppose I'll do a lot of walking, too. I've given up on the idea of even trying to run today, and hope tomorrow I'll be able to go out and pound the pavement. In the meantime, I've got ice on my back and a lot of ibuprofen in my system...oh, and a two-and-a-half hour choir rehearsal I have to get through tonight...and two concerts this weekend. And a drive to Davis for both of those concerts tomorrow and Sunday.

My timing is impeccable.

So keep your fingers crossed that I figure out what's going on and start getting stronger soon. In all the time I've trained over the last three years, I've never been injured--how lucky is that? I guess it was bound to happen sometime, so let's just hope my body heals quickly, because this really, really sucks.