Riding great therapy for both mind and body
#1
03-10-2016, 09:33 AM
Riding great therapy for both mind and body
We all know the mental health benefits that come with riding, but Id like to talk for a sec. about the physical benefits. For the past 2 weeks I've been struggling with my lower back problems that have flared up to the point of making me pretty much immobile. Its the worst flareup I've encountered over the last 5 years or so. The prednisone I usually take as a miracle drug when this happens wasn't doing much to ease the pain. In addition Aleve wasnt doing much either.
Yesterdays forecast here in southern Vermont called for mid 60s. I was bummed at not being able to take advantage of the first chance to ride since putting the bike away for the winter. At around 10 am a friend who is retired like me came calling on his scoot. He convinced me to give it a shot. I wasn't very optimistic about my ability to ride but I figured what the hell. If I made it into town down 1 mile of dirt road I could always turn back if the pain was too much. Past experience has taught me that riding when my back was hurting usually resulted in my feeling better, but I never thought that it would make a difference considering how bad this flareup was. Wouldn't ya know.... after half hour on the bike the pain began to ease. By an hour I was actually feeling pretty decent. We wound up doing a 5 hour day in the saddle and wouldn't you know it that by the time we stopped for lunch I was able to walk without a limp. Five hours and close to 200 miles later I was pretty tired but no longer in pain.
Im convinced that between the vibration in my softail seat, and the rolling motion of my hips from steering the bike, my pain was minimized. Of course I'm sure that the throttle therapy to my mind helped a bit too.
Any one else experience this sort of thing from riding?
Yesterdays forecast here in southern Vermont called for mid 60s. I was bummed at not being able to take advantage of the first chance to ride since putting the bike away for the winter. At around 10 am a friend who is retired like me came calling on his scoot. He convinced me to give it a shot. I wasn't very optimistic about my ability to ride but I figured what the hell. If I made it into town down 1 mile of dirt road I could always turn back if the pain was too much. Past experience has taught me that riding when my back was hurting usually resulted in my feeling better, but I never thought that it would make a difference considering how bad this flareup was. Wouldn't ya know.... after half hour on the bike the pain began to ease. By an hour I was actually feeling pretty decent. We wound up doing a 5 hour day in the saddle and wouldn't you know it that by the time we stopped for lunch I was able to walk without a limp. Five hours and close to 200 miles later I was pretty tired but no longer in pain.
Im convinced that between the vibration in my softail seat, and the rolling motion of my hips from steering the bike, my pain was minimized. Of course I'm sure that the throttle therapy to my mind helped a bit too.
Any one else experience this sort of thing from riding?
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sunderhill (03-10-2016)
#2
03-10-2016, 09:44 AM
Road Warrior
Yes! I live in chronic pain from my injuries as a result of being a rescue worker at the WTC. Part of my Auto Immune Disease is horrible joint and muscle pain. Winter is unbearable. Like you, I was able to get out for about 5 hours yesterday. Pain did not go away, but was much more tolerable. I was exhausted last night, but I slept pretty good. RWT (Right Wrist Therapy)!!!
#3
03-10-2016, 12:15 PM
Big Kahuna HDF Member
#5
03-10-2016, 01:18 PM
Extreme HDF Member
http://www.scooterfile.com/sf-featur...or-your-brain/
Trial subjects were otherwise healthy people who had not ridden for 10 years or more. Over the course of a couple of months, those riders used a motorcycle for their daily commute and in other everyday situations while Dr Kawashima and his team studied how their brains and mental health changed.
The upshot was that the use of motorcycles in everyday life improved cognitive faculties, particularly those that relate to memory and spatial reasoning capacity. An added benefit? Participants revealed on questionnaires they filled out at the end of the study that their stress levels had been reduced and their mental state changed for the better.
The upshot was that the use of motorcycles in everyday life improved cognitive faculties, particularly those that relate to memory and spatial reasoning capacity. An added benefit? Participants revealed on questionnaires they filled out at the end of the study that their stress levels had been reduced and their mental state changed for the better.
#7
03-10-2016, 04:17 PM
Sponsor
It helps me with my back pain and still does a number on clearing my head. Great Medicine .
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#8
03-10-2016, 04:28 PM
I will agree with this. I thought for sure my lower back would kill me when I started riding. It flairs up all the time. I have never felt ANY pain while riding and even feel better after a 5 hour ride then before I started. Riding is the only activity that I do that I don't feel tired after doing it.
