Motonomics: Back to Basics
By Jeremy Galvin
Woke up one
morning in March of 2012 with an unusually stiff back. Went downstairs to make
breakfast for my father and myself. We were standing by the counter in the
kitchen when I felt the most painful electrical shock feeling shoot from my
lower back, all the way down the back of my legs. The sensation was extremely
painful and my legs gave out from underneath me. Luckily my dad was standing
next to me and caught me or I would have hit the ground. I had never known what
it felt like to have my lower back muscles lock up like that and then fail. I
had a new understanding of what my massage therapy clients could be possibly be
feeling when they talked about back pain and their “back going out.”
I was now one of
the many, introduced to the world of chronic back pain. I had injured my back 9
years earlier in Hawaii, but had managed to keep it healthy with adequate
exercise and body movement over the years. The injury had finally caught up
with me and had forced me pay attention even more closely to my lower back.
Of the few
thoughts that went through my mind (besides how do I get my low back muscles to
calm down) was how I going to ride my motorcycle to work tomorrow? The pain was
so intense at the time, in my mind I was faced with idea of maybe not be able
to ride a motorcycle short term, long term or never again. Having no health
insurance at the time, I had return to the alternative ideas and tools I have
used to treat and help my clients.
A few minutes later,
I was lying on my back on the kitchen floor beginning the healing process with
all the modalities that I have studied and practiced the throughout the years:
Massage Therapy, Reiki, Cryotherapy (icing) breath work, Yoga, mindfulness,
Kinesiology, anatomy, and even a little martial training. When you are lying
flat on your back on the floor in pain, you are forced to listen to what your
body is telling you right now. It’s a time re-set to go back to basics.
After about an
hour on the floor, I made my way slowly back to my feet and went outside to lie
in the sun. The sun helped too. By the end of the second day, I was slowly
returning to my upright life. Took a 20-minute motorcycle ride to see how my
back felt on the bike. It hurt a bit, but the ride let me know I was on the
right track and I would probably be able to ride again.
Fast forward to
the present. My back is feeling much better, doing more yoga, and breath work.
Also paying closer attention to strengthening my Abs and stretching my lower
back and glut muscles. Have been working with the idea of helping others get
who are injured get back onto their motorcycles as well. I have unfortunately
watched a lot of folks sell their motorcycles because of frustration with
chronic pain.
I have recently been
working with my friend John who is a motorcycle and car mechanic. John is also
a motorcycle enthusiast and is experiencing pain and discomfort while riding
after a certain length of time. Old injuries and patterns in his body are
preventing him from riding for his motorcycle for transportation and enjoyment.
John and I have been looking at the concepts of body mechanics, massage
therapy, stretching exercises and motorcycle ergonomics to try and address his
discomfort. We took 3 different motorcycles sitting stationary and looked at
each of our body positions on each bike. From different angles we noticed how
our feet sat on the pegs, the relationship of the hands arms and shoulders to
the handlebars, head/neck position, eye position, knee position, and the arch
of the back. Taking all of these ideas into account plus body mechanics off the
bike, we currently looking decreasing John’s pain and discomfort on and off his
motorcycle.
Looking at these
ideas has also gotten me to think about my own ergonomics on my two motorcycles
to improve my riding comfort. I made a few small changes to each and already
noticed quite a difference in comfort. The Suzuki DR 650 got a new seat with a
gel insert. The old BMW got a small windshield and a sheepskin seat cover for the
seat. With the technology out there, you really don’t have to suffer on your
bike. Adding things to your bike can become pricey, but the old question of how
much is your health and sanity worth comes into play in my mind.
So for all of us
out there who ride and suffer with some sort of pain or discomfort, there is
hope. First, educate yourself about your own injury. Do research on what it is
you may have and how others have addressed these injuries. Talk to many
different professionals: Doctors, body-workers, Physicals Therapists. Don’t
limit your body and recovery to just one idea. There are many options out there
rather than sitting on the couch assuming that the worst-case scenario has to
be your scenario. Second, realizing that small gradual steps maybe the way you
have to go. You may have to challenge your body with small movements and
achievements on a daily basis. Finally, be patient with your own recovery. The
body is an amazing machine, but sometimes recovery is a slow process. Most of
us want to be better now and back into our routine as soon as possible, but
healing can take time. You may have to be reasonable with your goals based on
the severity of your injuries. So stay hopeful, smile and take care of that
body. It’s the only one you got!
