BackpackerPT.com – give me ideas!!

[Jennifer Mitol]

Hey all – I'm working on that long-overdue post on back pain for backpackers (there may need to be a few installments because it's such a complicated condition) but I've identified that my lack of posting is generally because I lack inspiration……… So – ask me some questions! What kinds of things would you like me to write about or discuss, or provide general conditioning/recovery advice for, etc. Perhaps this will help me actually post more stuff……. thanks!

[Jerry Adams]

A couple times my back has gotten sore, like from sledge hammering. When I moved any muscle in my body, there was a twinge of pain in my back. I almost cancelled a backpack trip but went anyway. It seemed like carrying a backpack actually helped and my back pain wasn't a problem. That makes no sense because carrying a backpack should make my back pain worse?

[Richard May]

… like I just learned that my feet grow as I age (now 41). A little more info on why, what to be cautious of and backpacker considerations would be cool. I did find some things when I poked around the web but a backpackers' perspective may give additional insight. … wet feet. What's OK and what isn't. By using running shoes in wet terrain my feet are wet, but not soaked, a lot of the time. They dry well overnight and haven't caused much trouble other than some skin coming off a week or so later. … helpful bedtime routines. I like to massage my feet and inspect them before sleeping on the trail. They deserve the TLC. What would you look for? Just some thoughts off the top of my head. A lot of us are familiar with the simple things through experience but getting an informed perspective is always nice. I wouldn't be afraid of posts that are "too basic" or "too short".

[David Ure]

Patellar mistracking! Most frustrating (new) issue I have ever encountered.

[Ken Thompson]

Cervical Spondylosis. Makes it impossible to use poles some days. Wearing a backpack that actually transfers weight to the shoulders does help. Getting old is fun

[Ken Thompson]

Doug's problems. Oh wait, PT advice only?

[Jennifer Mitol]

Ken, I appreciate the suggestion, but I did not buy NEARLY enough bandwidth to deal with Doug's problems. I mean, I only have Google Fiber, a TB of storage, etc. What do you think I have, Hillary's servers????

[Ken Thompson]

sorry

[Ian]

I much prefer to carry my backpack 100% on my shoulders and haven't used a hipbelt in a couple years. A couple weeks ago, I abandoned my UL ways and stepped onto the trail with 30 lbs in my Prophet. Felt pretty good during the hike but towards the end, had some back pain in my T1-T5. I've had some lingering issues where I feel tingling in my arms from time to time. I've considered sleeping upside down from a tree but am concerned other hikers will think I'm a vampire and try to stake me through the heart with a trekking pole. So my question, at its most basic level, is what type of exercises can I do to strengthen my sternum to help repel trekking pole attacks while I'm sleeping?

[Daryl and Daryl]

Jenn-I-fer, Jenn-I-fer, (sorry, music in my head started up again) Encouragement I'd say encouragement is most important. It would help if you could convince people that, in most cases,PT, time and exercise will allow them to fully recover without surgery. When I first herniated a back disc I wasted a lot of energy worrying about being permanently disabled. The physical therapist was the most helpful. She said almost all of her patients recover without surgery. Prevention General Showing how to lift,sweep, dig, chop, hammer, etc. without injuring oneself would be useful. I had my physical therapist show me how to do these things after I recovered. I now routinely dig with a mattock several hours a week. No problem. Prevention Specific Pointing out high risk activities for back injury might be helpful. In my case, for example, twisting my back under load (e.g. vigorously throwing shovels full of dirt to the side) is a sure path to a herniated disc. (took 15 years, 3 herniations and my "forensic" physical therapist to figure this out) Thanks for you efforts in this area.

[Daryl and Daryl]

Jerry, "It seemed like carrying a backpack actually helped" This matches my experience, with the following clarifications: (1) Stable load, low center of gravity in frame pack, all weight carried on hip belt=good experience (2) Loose shifting load, high center of gravity, very irregular terrain=irritated/sore back

[Daryl and Daryl]

Ian, Thanks for having the courage to talk about this very common but seldom addressed problem of sternum-vulnerability-during-upside-down-sleeping-periods (svdudsp for short). I suggest moving the commonly worn athletic cup to the sternum area during your sleep periods. It should delay the wooden stake penetration long enough for you to awaken, untie yourself from the tree, reposition the cup and prepare to defend yourself. Cup example shown below: here

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