I don’t THINK I’m injured…
…but my low back was super-tight by the beginning of October. It had been tense for a while, but after sleeping in the back of my van for a month, I couldn't ignore it anymore.
Doesn't feel like nerve pain from a disc thing. And it's not how my low back used to spasm before I started doing yoga -- haven't felt anything like that in over 10 years. It's out to the sides, away from the spine and the erector muscles.
Mostly it'd make me feel weak every time I fold forward -- I do that THOUSANDS of times a year with all of the yoga classes, so that’s a hassle.
I’d get to about 20 degrees above horizontal and a deep tension would set in. It’d let go, just below halfway down. It took my breath away. I’d have to brace everything hard and bend my knees deep to get through. Same thing on the way back up.
My working hypothesis is that my “core strength” is out of balance. That's including all the muscles between the rib cage and pelvis as "core." I’m not weak -- my hip flexors and low back get worked plenty -- but I've never done a lot to target the abdomen.
SO, I bought this used exercise bench thing for $40. I've tried out a couple dozen oddball exercises. Now I’m blasting the hell out of my midsection from a bunch of different angles. It's helped -- now I can hinge just fine.
Then again, the fact that I’m sore in a whole bunch of new places might just be distracting me from my original problem. Dunno for sure. Figure I'll keep this up, see how it goes after another 4-6 weeks.
It's much more satisfying than just resting and hoping things improve on their own.
Anyway, this is NOT a serious problem, I know. But it's funny how a low-level, niggling thing can affect your life and your thinking. It won't kill you, it won't break you, but it sure can consume a lot of mental energy as you go through your day.
How many little things have you resigned yourself to accepting? Persistent aches, pains, irritations, "eh, I'm getting old," etc.? It's so easy to let your body accumulate little insults that you never get around to addressing, little "rock in your shoe" problems.
It feels more dignified to tough things out and not complain, at least. It's easy to be too busy to deal with little things. But when there IS a rock in your shoe, eventually you're going to want to sit down and figure how to get it out.
I hope your persistent irritations are MINIMAL...