Grrrr...I went to the doctor today for an ongoing problem I have with my back. I have a rib that likes to pop out of place (technical name is subluxation) and once it does that, the muscle over it gets irritated and goes into painful muscle spasms. My dr is an osteopath, picked specifically because I have had ongoing back problems and he specializes in back stuff. He does something called a "myofascial release" to get rid of the spasm, and then pops the rib back into place using osteopathic manipulation. I usually pop it out again within a few weeks just doing normal life stuff, and we repeat the process.

So I ask him how we can keep this from happening. And he says basically nothing, but he thinks the posture a road bike puts me in is causing the muscle irritation, and that I should consider switching the kind of bike I ride. He also said that if I didn't want to switch, I should be ready to deal with the consequences. I told him a different bike wasn't really an option.

I've had back problems for five years now, and during a lot of that time I was inactive and gained some weight. Road biking is the ONLY exercise I enjoy, and I won't be giving it up. At least he suggested a different kind of bike rather than stopping cycling. But I really was hoping he'd be willing to work with me to figure this thing out. I really believe if it wasn't biking exacerbating it, it would be something else.

Needless to say, I'm annoyed. There is a physical therapy place in town that actually specializes in sports and cycling specifically, but they don't have a contract with my insurance company. I think maybe improving my core strength would help, but I'm hesitant to do anything that could pop the stupid rib out or cause muscle spasms. Has anyone else dealt with a doctor that has been less than enthusiastic about your choice of sport? What did you do?