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Question about inverting and associated back pain.
Hey everyone, I got some more questions to pick your brains at https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_wink.gif
I've read other threads about this subject but none that really answered my specific question. This may be something silly or self explanatory but I'd rather ask people in the "pole world" than ask my massage therapist about, you know? Anyways heres my main question. When inverting and going upside down in a basic chopper, what specific upper body/back muscles are used?
I started pole dancing 2 years ago and starting inverting 6 months after. Once I stopped using momentum to get my body up and around the pole and started muscling it, the side of my body that is closest to the pole would hurt intensly for a while, like I had strained something. Well fast forward to a year and a half later, and I am working on cleaning up my invert on my opposite side (yes, late I know). I've always been able to do it, but not cleanly like my dominant side and it always feels very strange to me so I rarely do it. I had a practice session last night where I was focusing on straddling up, holding it for a few seconds while my arms are straight and then coming down slowly. I bend my knees as I come down as my right side is not strong enough to do this with straight legs. Well this morning I had that familiar pain again, this time on my right side. It's right in the center of my back, but on the right side. Could it possibly be a rib? I can't really tell if the pain I'm feeling is from a muscle or a bone. I assume this happens with a lot of people, but I'm just curious if I'm doing something wrong to cause this pain? I know that pole dancing can be an intense activity and hard on our bodies. Is this just a routine occurance that happens when our bodies are getting stronger and used to being held in such unnatural positions? I know this pain will go away but I still want to know.
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8 Replies
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It's most likely rhomboids (muscular). Search "rhomboids" on this forum and you will find dozens of threads. the reason you are injuring them is because you are NOT engaging them when you are inverting, and you should be. small muscle group and they contribute relatively little in the strength needed for an acutal invert but very easily hurt because they are helpers in scapular stabilization.
The most common cause that I've seen for rhomboid injury is improper engagement in a chopper and especially doing slow controlled chopper dismounts all the way to the ground with straight arms- if you are working dismounts all the way down bend your arms and pull your chest to the pole to prevent that injury!
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(this blog entry may be helpful: http://aerialamy.com/blog/2012/05/03/thursday-tip-chopper/)
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Thank you very much for the link to aerial amy’s post. I’ve just completed a week of rest for my aching pinch like pain in my back and couldn’t pin point which muscle it was. Now I know it’s the romboid muscles, why I hurt it in the first place and how to prevent it. I never engaged my shoulder blades. Phew, what a relief. Here’s to safer practising. Thx!!
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Sorry Amy, thank you for the link to your post 🙂
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@Nataschja, did the rhomboid thing actually end up being your problem?
I too am suffering from crazy back pains from inverting. My instructor said that once for her, her back muscles got so darn tight from her shoulders being constantly back and down, and she didnt stretch out her back enough. The muscles were so tight they were pinching a nerve or something. Anyway, I went to see a physiotherapist and he told me my back muscles were super duper tight, and a few weeks of massage have alleviated the pain halfway. Yeah. Thats my experience with it.
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If the area is inflamed, start with rest, ice, and ibuprofin for a few days. Once the inflammation has started to subside, stick a tennis ball between your spine and shoulder blade and then roll up and down on it a few times. Do this several times a day (and on both sides!). That will help break up any adhesions and knots that may have developed in the area and will also help loosen up tight muscles. It may actually hurt too much at first to do this lying on the floor, depending on how tight you are, so you can modify it by doing it up against a wall to begin with.
If that helps but you still have lingering issues, you might want to look into trigger points. My rhomboid pain didn't go away until I dealt with trigger points in my neck and pecs that were referring pain to my back. (Weird, I know, but 8 months of chronic rhomboid pain and inflammation was solved in 2 days of self-treating trigger points, so I'm a believer!). "The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook" by Clair Davies was one of the best $30 I ever spent.
Next step is to modify your training so you don't continually re-injure yourself. Amy posted some great tips for this.
Hope that helps!
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Thanks Kasanya. Will now follow up with a tennis ball to loosen any knots and then keep the trigger point tip in mind as I also had pain radiating from my pecs and often a pinched feeling in my traps & neck.
Though, I have to say that I feel a whole lot more confident about my recovery now that I have received such great advice from all of you!
This site and the people that make it is just awesome! Thank you ladies https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_heart1.gif
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I'm so glad I read this. Have been going to a chiropractor w/ medical massage. I finally confessed my extracurricular activities…she recommended I stop until I was all worked out. I politely declined and I'm so glad I did. I see now it wouldn't have done any good b/c I would've messed myself back up anyways! There are just something it takes a pole dancer to understand.
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