Ow, it hurts me to write this blog post – not because it’s some admission of hidden uncoolness or that I’m about to call out some friend on something bad that they did/cooked. It hurts me to write this because my lower back is tweaked. My writing chair, aka JEFF, is not helping any. By the way, I didn’t name it JEFF, Ikea did.
I wish I could say that my back injury is from a sick spin move I did in football or when I dunked a basketball wrong. It’s actually from many years of playing wallyball. I’m not ashamed to talk about my wallyball background. It’s a noble sport with a rich history dating all the way back to 1979. We were taught the game in high school, and I evangelized many of my friends to play in college.
However, I was never taught how to properly spike a ball in wallyball/volleyball, so my technique was probably all wrong for all of those years. I think that when I turned 30, I jumped for a spike and felt a little twinge in my back. I played on, like any wallyball warrior would do, and just tried to stretch my back as it was tightening up a little.
When I woke up the next morning, it felt like Kanye had jabbed Taylor’s VMA into my spine. I could barely get out of bed without horrible pain. When my back flared up while walking, my knees would actually buckle from the pain. Since then, I’ve found that during subsequent games of wallyball and carrying stuff around that my back is susceptible in that spot now.
It is certainly no help to my weak back that we live on the 5th floor of a walkup (meaning no elevator) building, and there are heavy loads like groceries, laundry, and Cool Baby to carry up all throughout the week. An apartment on the ground floor or with an elevator would be ideal, as would the lottery win required for us to afford one.
Until then, I just need to be careful how I carry the laundry or swing Cool Baby around. Sadly, that puts my professional wallyball career on the shelf. I would’ve been the best 5’5 Filipino wallyball pro in the last 29 years. I guess I’ll stick to (web) surfing with my trusty friend JEFF.
Do you have any old injuries that flare up once in a while?
When I turned 30 I didn’t feel much different, but at some point over the past 11 months I have learned that there are many things I cannot do anymore without pain the next day.
It’s a harsh reality, isn’t it? I guess as long as I don’t look 30+, then I should be happy with that.
Oh my I sure do know how you feel! I have a bad back too and it’s at it’s worst right now. It “went out” a few days ago.. I didn’t do anything to cause it.. but felt that twinge and knew it was coming.. the next morning I could barely get out of bed. My boys tried to help by bringing in the computer chair with the idea that they’d “roll” me into the living room. I couldn’t even manage to sit in the chair though.. so I crawled to the living room where I laid in the floor with my feet in the recliner. Crazy I know.. but it was the only thing that brought a bit of relief. I’m able to walk upright now.. but it’s still very painful!
Ouch! Bad backs are annoying. Even pushing something on the floor with my foot can aggravate my back. And then there’s the whole ‘sleeping wrong’ thing. How fair is that that you can get injured by sleeping?!
My right wrist is a mess from carrying baby #2 in the car carrier while holding baby #1′s hand everywhere. Baby #2 is now 4 years old. Still can’t do a pushup or anything without it hurting. So I just don’t do those.
Parenting is HARD. We go through a lot worse than those Survivor people methinks.
I could write a book about recurring injuries.
1. Carpal Tunnel, starting in college because of web design/blogging/working at Starbucks, which led to…
2. Dorsal Wrist Ganglion Cyst, my favorite rhyme. Though it changes in size, it has yet to completely go away. Most people think it looks like I’m slowly growing a new arm. Very, very slowly.
3. Migraines. God knows why, but I got ‘em.
Sorry about your back. Maybe you should replace Jeff with Jules. He seems to have more support, and he’s holier. Ooooh sick pun!
I feel like a wimp now in the face of all your battle scars. Cool Dad needs toughening up.
Painful post… both because it’s about pain and because I haven’t been able to play that precious game in years now. I’ve got the back thing going on too. Mine stemmed from running cross country in high school and is aggravated by exercise without proper stretching, often running or wallyball!
Still, I would trade a few days of back pain for a 4-hour morning wallyball session with E-z-E, the Darrin, Hump, T-Bone, Pee-Wee & Greg, Rob & Mark, Robert & Paul, Simo, Josh, Greg & Lawton, or any combination. How does that strike you?
Oh to play in a concrete racquetball court with a warped wallyball and a ratty volleyball net…
I suffered tremendous sciatic pain after my last baby (from carrying him around so much). I couldn’t even bend over the sink to wash my face. Now pregnant with another, I am fearful of a recurrence! Hopefully, I can avoid aggravating it…
Owwww. Just prayed for the most pain-free pregnancy that you could possibly have.
This is pretty late, but I haven’t read many of the blogs I usually read in a long time! I broke my tailbone this past spring, and months later I can still feel it sometimes. It sucks for sure. But hey, it got me out of having to run for my P.E. final sophomore year. Ha.
How on earth did you do that, Raq?
My frequency of commenting is terrible I know, but this post made me smile. It doesn’t seem that long ago that SHB was playing wallyball in G’ville. Fun memories! And it certainly is a bit ridiculous that we simply can’t do the things we used to do because our bodies won’t cooperate. Seriously ridiculous. My back has decided that it doesn’t much care for carrying groceries up the hill here in Prague. Oh well. My chiropractor speaks English so life is good.
I haven’t yet submitted to the lure of a chiro, but I’m thinking about it…
Jeff? That doesn’t sound very Swedish to me! Fun fact: For a project in OT school, I contacted the INVENTOR of Wallyball and we had several e-conversations. At one point I wrote “this is hilarious!”. Apparently, the tone of my email was lost in cyberspace because he took great offense to that comment and was clearly not amused. I think he had a Napolean complex in reference to his Wallyball. True story.