{"id":6116,"date":"2017-03-22T02:30:30","date_gmt":"2017-03-22T02:30:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/?p=6116"},"modified":"2017-05-12T03:15:24","modified_gmt":"2017-05-12T03:15:24","slug":"on-my-pain-in-the-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/?p=6116","title":{"rendered":"On my “pain in the back…”"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\"Back-Pain\"<\/h1>\n<\/header>\n
\n

\u201cWhy \u2013 indeed \u2013 does my back hurt so much?\u201d \u00a0See my<\/strong> answer below\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

* \u00a0 * \u00a0 * \u00a0 *<\/p>\n

<\/h1>\n

Consider this a follow-up to my last post,\u00a0On that nail in my right eye<\/a>. \u00a0(Which included the image at right, of character actor\u00a0Jack Elam<\/a>.)<\/em> \u00a0Taken together these two posts might lead you to consider me as among the\u00a0walking wounded<\/a>. \u00a0(Which is pretty much how I’ve felt the last several weeks.)<\/em> \u00a0But the “nail in the eye” incident happened six or seven years ago, and in April is scheduled to be corrected by some new-fangled surgery.<\/p>\n

The “pain in the back” is of more recent vintage, and in fact came perfectly timed for\u00a0Lent<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Now about that \u201cpain in the back.\u201d \u00a0Unfortunately, \u00a0I\u2019m not speaking metaphorically.<\/p>\n

I actually did<\/strong><\/em> \u201cthrow out my back<\/a>,\u201d last Thursday, March 2. \u00a0That was only three days after my last post,\u00a0Nail in my right eye<\/a>. \u00a0And the reason<\/em> <\/strong>that was my last post is because \u2013 ever since \u2013 I\u2019ve been unable to sit at my \u201claptop\u201d desk at home for more than a few minutes at a time.<\/p>\n

As noted in September 2016,* for next<\/em> <\/strong>September \u2013 2017 \u2013 \u201cmy brother and I plan to hike the\u00a0Camino de Santiago<\/a>, mostly in Spain.\u201d \u00a0(As shown at left.)<\/em> \u00a0And as part of my training for that upcoming event, I tried a type of \u201cforced march.\u201d \u00a0(Also known as a \u201c<\/em>loaded march<\/a>.\u201d) <\/em><\/p>\n

Briefly, a forced march involves a long period – many miles – of alternating periods of walking and running \u2013 or jogging for older folk \u2013 but with increased resistance provided by a heavy pack.<\/p>\n

In my case, on the Camino<\/a>\u00a0itself I hope to maintain a pace of 20 minutes per mile, with about 20 pounds of pack weight. \u00a0So for training purposes, I started experimenting with cycles of one minute \u2013 85 steps \u2013 of jogging, followed by a number of minutes walking to set that pace.<\/p>\n

\"ProductAnd all the while wearing a 22-pound weight vest. \u00a0(Like that at right.)<\/em><\/p>\n

I started out with one minute of jogging followed by six minutes of walking. \u00a0But I also wanted to be time-efficient, so I kept increasing the pace, by decreasing the number of walking minutes. \u00a0Finally, on March 2, I tried a four-minute cycle: \u00a0One minute of jogging and three minutes of walking. \u00a0To make a long story short, I\u00a0overextended<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The problem \u2013 I figured out later \u2013 was that the weight vest was a bit too loose, so that my back got a constant pounding. \u00a0(Much in the nature of a series of\u00a0kidney punches<\/a>, as I also<\/strong> figured out later.) \u00a0<\/em>There were warning signs, including the fact that it hurt to breathe during those minutes I was jogging. \u00a0Unfortunately, I succumbed to the temptation to \u201cWalk it off<\/a>,\u00a0Nancy<\/a>!<\/em><\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n

Bad move.<\/p>\n

Which is another way of saying that I\u2019ve been paying for it ever since.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

And which is a big reason why my \u201cpain in the back\u201d came perfectly timed for\u00a0Lent<\/a>.<\/p>\n

According to Wikipedia<\/a>, Lent is devoted to prayer<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0penance<\/a>\u00a0– as seen at left – <\/em>along with “<\/em>repentance<\/a> of sins, almsgiving<\/a>, atonement<\/a> and self-denial<\/a>.\u201d And of course one big reason<\/em><\/strong> for people to undergo that\u00a0Season of Lent<\/a>\u00a0is to \u201cdraw themselves near to God.\u201d \u00a0So what better way to draw near to God than to suffer – like Paul – a\u00a0thorn in the flesh<\/a>, to “buffet me” and to “keep me from exalting myself?”<\/p>\n

Or like they say on TV,\u00a0misery builds character<\/a>. \u00a0So here I sit, not at my “laptop desk,” but rather in my easy chair, using a\u00a0Jury rigged<\/a>\u00a0system to type through the tears and the back-pain. \u00a0(Courtesy of a pillow for my laptop – which makes for awkward typing – along with a side TV stand for the mouse, plus a heating pad for my back.)<\/em><\/p>\n

Which brings up an interesting side note about Lent. \u00a0There are actually 46 days<\/em><\/strong> between the beginning of Lent – on Ash Wednesday – and Easter Sunday.\u00a0 That\u2019s because Sundays don\u2019t count in the calculation.\u00a0 Sundays in Lent are essentially \u201cdays off,\u201d when you can still enjoy whatever it is that you\u2019ve given up for Lent.<\/p>\n

That fact got overlooked by the writer\/producers of 40 Days and 40 Nights<\/a>, as shown in the image below. \u00a0That was the 2002 romantic comedy film<\/a>\u00a0which showed the main character \u201cduring a period of abstinence from any sexual contact for the duration of Lent<\/a>.\u201d \u00a0(As noted, the main character could have \u201ctaken Sundays off.\u201d)<\/em><\/p>\n

Or in case I’m being too subtle, the\u00a0writer\/producers of 40 Days and 40 Nights<\/a>\u00a0didn’t know – or didn’t care – that under the rules of Lent, the\u00a0Josh Hartnett<\/a>\u00a0character could have had sex one day a week during those “40 days and 40 nights.” \u00a0(Dang\u00a0Hollywood liberals<\/a>!)<\/em><\/p>\n

But we digress. \u00a0The point is that – thanks to my misguided “forced march” back on March 2 – I now have my own\u00a0thorn in the flesh<\/a><\/em>, as part of my 2017 Lenten spiritual discipline\u2026<\/p>\n

\n

Still, I hope to get back on schedule over the next week or so. \u00a0(The new president has given us\u00a0so much<\/strong>\u00a0to write about, and I’m still trying to figure out which one is the\u00a0Bizarro Trump<\/a><\/em>…) \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

* \u00a0 * \u00a0 * \u00a0 *<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

* \u00a0 * \u00a0 * \u00a0 *<\/p>\n

The upper image is courtesy of\u00a0Back-Pain<\/a>emdocs.net<\/a>. \u00a0<\/em>Although the article concerned\u00a0pediatric<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>back pain \u2013 back pain suffered by \u201cinfants<\/a>, children<\/a>, and adolescents<\/a>\u201d\u00a0\u2013 it did note that the \u201cincidence of back pain increases with age.\u201d \u00a0Also re: \u00a0\u201cThrew out my back.\u201d \u00a0See also\u00a0Throw Out Your Back? 8 Tips to Help You Recover<\/a>, which includes steps I wished I\u2019d taken three weeks ago.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cNote\u201d also that an asterisk in the main text indicates a statement supported by a reference detailed further in this \u201cnotes\u201d section. \u00a0Thus as to \u201cAs noted in September 2016,\u201d the reference (*) is to the post\u00a0\u201cStarting back with a bang<\/a>,\u201d in my companion blog,\u00a0dorscribe.com<\/a>.\u00a0 It told of the near-six-weeks last summer that my brother and I spent \u201chiking the\u00a0Chilkoot Trail<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 \u2018meanest\u00a033 miles in history<\/a>\u2018\u00a0\u2013 and canoeing 440 miles on the \u2018mighty Yukon River<\/a>.\u2019\u201d \u00a0I ended that post by noting I would \u201ctalk more about that [projected journey] \u2013 and pilgrimages in general \u2013 in\u00a0St. James, Steinbeck, and sluts<\/a>.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The weight-vest image is courtesy of\u00a0Amazon.com: weighted vest<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Re: \u00a0\u201cForced march.\u201d \u00a0See\u00a0Loaded march \u2013 Wikipedia<\/a>, which noted that in the\u00a0U.S. Army, a forced march for training purposes means covering 12 miles in three hours, while carrying 70 pounds including pack. \u00a0(Meaning\u00a0four miles per hour, whereas I was considering an average of three miles per hour on the Camino, carrying no more than 20 pounds, or 10% of my body weight.) \u00a0Also, in\u00a0<\/em>the French Foreign Legion, a forced march meant covering five miles in 40 minutes, while carrying a 26-pound pack. \u00a0After describing other, longer types, Wikipedia noted:<\/em><\/p>\n

Troublemakers are made to place extra rocks in their backpacks for the duration of the marches. \u00a0Further in the training of a \u201cCaporal\u201d there is a 100 km march which must be completed in 24 hours.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Re: \u00a0\u201cNanc[y]<\/a>.\u201d \u00a0See also\u00a0Tough it out \u2013 Idioms by The Free Dictionary<\/a>. \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Re:\u00a0\u00a0“Thorn in the flesh<\/a>, ‘to buffet me – to keep me from exalting myself.” \u00a0See\u00a02d Corinthians 12:7<\/a>. \u00a0In the\u00a0King James Bible<\/a>\u00a0the passage reads: \u00a0“<\/span>And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Re: “Penance<\/a>\u00a0[as seen at left].”\u00a0 The image – of\u00a0“Saint Peter<\/a> Repentant” – is actually under\u00a0contrition<\/a>\u00a0in the Wikipedia article on penance. \u00a0The painting (1823-25) was by\u00a0<\/span>Francisco Goya<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Re: \u00a0“The\u00a0Josh Hartnett<\/a>\u00a0character could have had sex one day a week during those ’40 days and 40 nights.\u201d \u00a0As noted, that observation concerned only the “rules of Lent.” \u00a0That wouldn’t include the standard religious rules and\/or guidelines concerning fornication<\/a>. \u00a0See\u00a0<\/em>Wikipedia<\/a>, which included the note that “a minority of theologians have argued in more recent times that premarital sex may not be immoral in some limited circumstances. \u00a0An example is John Witte, who argues that the Bible itself is silent on the issue of consensual, premarital sex between an engaged<\/a> couple.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Re: \u00a0“Hollywood liberals.” \u00a0But see\u00a0Five reasons Hollywood is not a bastion of liberalism<\/a>. \u00a0The Washington Post article noted that “the Hollywood right – led by Louis B. Mayer, George Murphy, Ronald Reagan, and Charlton Heston – has had a greater impact on American political life. \u00a0All four men helped lay the groundwork for the conservative revolution of the 1980s…”<\/em><\/p>\n

The lower image is courtesy of\u00a040 Days and 40 Nights – Wikipedia<\/a>. \u00a0<\/em>One caption for the image: \u00a0“The text set is in a phallic column extending from Hartnett’s crotch.”<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cWhy \u2013 indeed \u2013 does my back hurt so much?\u201d \u00a0See my answer below\u2026 * \u00a0 * \u00a0 * \u00a0 * Consider this a follow-up to my last post,\u00a0On that nail in my right eye. \u00a0(Which included the image at right, of character actor\u00a0Jack Elam.) \u00a0Taken together these two posts might lead you to consider […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[11],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6116"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6116"}],"version-history":[{"count":24,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6116\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6198,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6116\/revisions\/6198"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6116"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6116"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6116"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}