Aleve or Advil (or Tylenol)

[skywalkerbeth]

WHOA! That sounds awful! I am so sorry.

My back isn't too bad after 61 miles this wkd. Not fantastic/superb, but not bad. In fact the weird thing was that what pain I was getting on the ride was in a different spot/different kind of back pain. Not bad, just uncomfortable.

I'm not taking Aleve again. That was a really funky experience.

If you can find Nordic Naturals, it doesn't taste terribly fishy. I'm especially fond of the peach flavor.

My injury: construction site accident in a developing country, related to my graduate studies. I was struck on the hip by a falling gate and the impact fractured my sacrum through the nerve exits on the rights side at S1-S2. Luckily it was not displaced so I didn't need surgery. Just lots of bedrest and PT. And Pilates, which I had been doing prior to the injury. (Jess, sounds like you found a really good instructor. Hooray!) I went to the osteopath at the recommendation of my TMJ specialist, and it turned out to be a good move. I still get massages, and lately my MT has been helping me focus on trying to relax the muscles around the injured area that are still guarding.

Exercise balls come in several different sizes. I'm 5'1" and use a 55cm ball. I can use a 65cm ball if it's a bit deflated. If you do a search for exercise balls, swiss balls or pilates balls they'll usually tell you what size they recommend for your height.