Injuries and the desired jalop experience

"Grindintosecond" (Grindintosecond) 01/12/2014 at 12:00 • Filed to: None

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So. Back sprain. fuck this. The problem is when we all turn 40 and then get a back sprain of some kind and then look in the driveway and just give up on the day. Driving a Mazda3 manual to get bagels with my almost 5 daughter was such a world of hurt. It wasn't shooting sheer pain from slipped disc pinched nerve stuff but it was very close. Lifting the left foot to clutch the thing was wincing. I tried to use as few gears as possible around town. 1st to 3rd or 2nd to 4th worked very well as long as I didn't have to be there fast. Turning left hurt and you can learn a lot about how supportive your seats really are when your lumbar muscles are all screwed up. THe next part, the Olympic getting in/out of your car with back injuries event was not going smoothly. Picking up my left leg with my right arm solved alot of problems there.

the point is, that our dream cars or 'drivers cars' we all love are great to use but if you get hurt, or perhaps have a permanent injury now like some unfortunate guys do, then that perfect car can be about un-usuable. With some of the cars I see people having on here, driving to work would be impossible for me. However if it was an SUV or truck I would not have a problem at all. That's a potential predicament. Hopefully in a few days the back is good enough.

Carry on. Tylenol intake is up 1,000%

ttyymmnn > Grindintosecond 01/12/2014 at 12:06

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I've had a couple of debilitating back spasms in my life. The first, about 5 years ago, left me on the floor for a number of hours until I finally called an ambulance to take me to the hospital. The second one happened when I sneezed. What I learned was that while Ibuprofen and muscled relaxers help, the best help was simply keeping moving. I have a chair that I can get into and out of, and it hurts getting up and down. But I know the pain will stop, so I just go for it. For me, just keeping moving was the best medicine. And driving our van, because it's an automatic, and is high enough off the ground to into and out of easily. Good luck.

V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me! > Grindintosecond 01/12/2014 at 12:22

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Best thing I ever did for my back? I incorporated barbell squats into my workout routine. For years I had always done leg press machines and leg curls and whatnot — never doing free weight barbell squats.....

I tweaked my back pretty bad in a car accident in 2010 (not the first time either) and had enough. It took about a year before it was pointed out to me that squats may help.

You don't have go bananas either. Especially in the beginning.

Good luck!

Grindintosecond > V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me! 01/12/2014 at 12:30

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Absolutely. It's amazing what shape you can be in just using your own body weight. I'm getting serious on the bicycle so squats with free weights on the side, lunges forward, and sideways especially, do alot ofr the lower back. a few planks and some free weight side rows (while leaning forward against the bench) can all be done in 15 minutes every day....that all helps but this was just a freak incident of lifting something too heavy at a wrong angle by accident and not even knowing it was too heavy....it felt light enough. but that afternoon....damn. so in a few days it should get better but I fear driving this morning might have set me back a day....I guess the wife's SUV i will use this week.

V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me! > Grindintosecond 01/12/2014 at 12:36

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Oh believe me I know. Did the same thing about 3 months ago. Picked something up wrong...... I think that keeping active helps immensely with recuperation time though.

Grindintosecond > V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me! 01/12/2014 at 12:47

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yeah you hare that all the time about injured drivers. "His superior physical fitness aids his recovery..."

JGrabowMSt > Grindintosecond 01/12/2014 at 12:52

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Do yoga. I never have the time, but the ladyfriend and I will eventually have a workout day where this will be part of it. I have a bad back, but good muscle control from cycling and working out in past years. You need it.

Grindintosecond > JGrabowMSt 01/12/2014 at 13:12

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I saw that video. that guy is friggin awesome! those are the stretches i did on the floor the other ay. the wive does Yoga and it always helps when i feel tight.

Simplify, then add beer > Grindintosecond 01/12/2014 at 18:16

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Back pains. The one time it sucks having a manual.

SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza > Grindintosecond 01/12/2014 at 22:29

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My wife suffered a terrible back injury 2.5 years ago. At the time she was DDing a '96 Mustang GT 5spd. I took over driving that car and she started driving our '05 Monte Carlo. Finally the mustang gave up on us and we went to look for a new car. We ended up settling for another automatic with the sport shift feature. It is certainly not the same as a manual, but when you have to compromise, you could do worse.

Now she drives our Subaru and I am back in the Monte Carlo, really miss the sport shift, and miss a proper manual even more. Can't wait for this car to give up, her back has improved since surgery and therapy and she can manage a manual again.