This back spasm thing is really troubling to me because it seems it can come at any time. It's hard to plan for games if you don't know if he will play or not. Does anyone know if this is a fixable issue or we if we will be living with a high degree of uncertainty around his availability for games going forward?

From my own experience with my back, this spasming is a problem, but I would guess with the best attention from trainers/physicians/other types of healers, it can be controlled to a large degree. The problem is that apparently right now it is not under control. Figuring out how to handle it, to minimize it can be tricky.

Accupuncture.

back spasm was also why bird dnp against hawaii right?

Who knows. For me it was core strength. Once I did that I took pressure off my lower back and I haven't had problems for over 2 years. (knock on wood).

socaltownie;842762941 said:

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Who knows. For me it was core strength. Once I did that I took pressure off my lower back and I haven't had problems for over 2 years. (knock on wood).

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So many numerous and various fixes, truly, only some of which have been mentioned on this board. Makes you wonder why a smart guy like Bird, surrounded by people who are really knowledgeable about this s**t, hasn't availed himself of the right modalities. For me, it was a combination of various kinds of exercises: yoga, kung fu warm-ups - at one point I even discovered (much to my surprise) that regular running, even on the concrete which surrounded me at the time, really was beneficial -- Then, when I started regularly meditating, I noticed a major up-tick in, of all things, control and body awareness - - - I just kept (and still just keep) adding on, as I discover new things. It's been 45 years now of freedom from this problem; and I am sure that the physiology of the issue hasn't changed. That is, I don't think I've "healed". I've just adjusted; and, other than a few effects of advancing age (which I could probably counteract if I wasn't so busy working all the time), my physical capabilities are pretty much the same. This is not to blame Bird. God only knows, there may be something just majorly fundamentally wrong with his body. I don't know. But I have known a lot of people who went through my pattern, and basically just gave up, when, knowing enough about them, it was clear to me that they were enough like me that they didn't have to. Also, there have been enough major athletes, even star pro basketball players, who have totally overcome this that I'm not convinced that that alone takes Jabari out of contention for permanent remission. Didn't Bernard King go through this, and then have a lot of his best years after that?

fat_slice;842762895 said:

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This back spasm thing is really troubling to me because it seems it can come at any time. It's hard to plan for games if you don't know if he will play or not. Does anyone know if this is a fixable issue or we if we will be living with a high degree of uncertainty around his availability for games going forward?

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Everyone is different, and what works for some isn't the best solution for another. Back pain, even back muscle spasms can come on for different reasons. Some generic advice can work for most, but not all (such as "core strengthening" or improving flexibility, etc)

Why do some here assume that we have the best people in position to help Jabari? Trainers and ATCs skill sets are to get people strong, not necessarily to rehab. The average physical therapist might be more familiar with basic rehab and how to isolate and protect key muscles, but not be great for the advanced rehab and training that an athlete might need to transition back into playing.

Unfortunately, from an outside perspective, it's a bad sign that Bird is having such reoccurring spasms. It's most likely not a "mental thing" as someone else in another thread alluded to.

PTBear;842763313 said:

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Everyone is different, and what works for some isn't the best solution for another. Back pain, even back muscle spasms can come on for different reasons. Some generic advice can work for most, but not all (such as "core strengthening" or improving flexibility, etc)

Why do some here assume that we have the best people in position to help Jabari? Trainers and ATCs skill sets are to get people strong, not necessarily to rehab. The average physical therapist might be more familiar with basic rehab and how to isolate and protect key muscles, but not be great for the advanced rehab and training that an athlete might need to transition back into playing.

Unfortunately, from an outside perspective, it's a bad sign that Bird is having such reoccurring spasms. It's most likely not a "mental thing" as someone else in another thread alluded to.

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I agree with the above; and am especially a fan of physical therapy - especially in this area. The question you imply is worth articulating: With all the assets this university/program has, why does the staff contain no one with the particularly wise perspective you articulate who could bring the over-arching vision to funnel JB to the particular modality, modalities, or combination thereof, from among all the alternatives, that will work for him. I think we agree that, among the many virtuous and helpful alternatives, there's gotta be one or more that will work.

In fairness, I wouldn't look at our inability to rehabilitate one athlete as a failure of the sports med department as a whole. And even when you take a broader look such as in football where you see an unusual large number of injuries from year to year and there is a consistent pattern, you'd also have to factor in number of plays played, size/youth of the athletes compared to their peers, training regimen, etc. That being said, I'll post some possible contributing factors here, and I'll PM you some of my stronger opinions which may be more biased.

IMO, many sports organizations still rely on a "who-you-know" referral system when openings occur, and when this happens, there is often less consistency in the quality of the new hires. From what I've seen, I'd put the Cal training staff in this category
Communication/direction: where there is inconsistent communication and direction from all the different health providers: trainer, PT, medical doctor, conditioning staff. Sometimes, at no fault of the school, it's the athlete that wants some thing different because they may have been exposed to something else prior to coming here.
Sports therapy is also complicated by poor science. You see crap like THE GLOVE making headlines. But you also see really good modalities (such as Myofascial decompression aka "cup therapy" and not "cupping) take a long time to gain traction because there hasn't been any research on it yet.

socaltownie;842762941 said:

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Who knows. For me it was core strength. Once I did that I took pressure off my lower back and I haven't had problems for over 2 years. (knock on wood).

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Same here. I used to do upside down back bends only when my sciatica or neck were giving me problems. Now they are a part of my daily exercises and the only time I've experienced back issues since is when I've let it slide due to work or travel schedules. Another issue which can lead to muscle spasms is dehydration, something younger athletes sometimes take for granted.

NewYorkCityBear;842764854 said:

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Same here. I used to do upside down back bends only when my sciatica or neck were giving me problems. Now they are a part of my daily exercises and the only time I've experienced back issues since is when I've let it slide due to work or travel schedules. Another issue which can lead to muscle spasms is dehydration, something younger athletes sometimes take for granted.

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Re Dehydration: All you have to do to make the spasms go away is to drink water. Instant: Presto Change-o

Similar here. As long as my legs are healthy then my back is fine. Leg strength keeps the hips in line which reduces stress on back.

mikecohen;842764911 said:

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Re Dehydration: All you have to do to make the spasms go away is to drink water. Instant: Presto Change-o

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That's not what I said. I said "Another issue which can lead to muscle spasms is dehydration, something younger athletes sometimes take for granted." I did not say that rehydrating would immediately solve spasms. But staying properly hydrated can help prevent their onset.

I see lots of good practices here, but not a bit of information about exactly what is wrong with Bird's back or why he is having the spasms. It could be muscle tearing, ligament strain, herniated disc, degenerative issues in a disc, osteoarthritis, stenosis or something else. There's no one size fits all program that covers the wide array of issues that could be involved and even the perfect maintenance program isn't going to eliminate the fact that basketball often involves some violent movement to the back. I had back issues for years and played basketball and baseball through them using many of the same approaches you mentioned but the occasional flareup was inevitable.

Bernard King suffered a major knee injury involving a torn ACL, torn cartilage and a broken leg bone requiring major reconstructive surgery at a time when that sort of injury typically was career ending. If he had back issues I never heard about them.

mikecohen;842763032 said:

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So many numerous and various fixes, truly, only some of which have been mentioned on this board. Makes you wonder why a smart guy like Bird, surrounded by people who are really knowledgeable about this s**t, hasn't availed himself of the right modalities. For me, it was a combination of various kinds of exercises: yoga, kung fu warm-ups - at one point I even discovered (much to my surprise) that regular running, even on the concrete which surrounded me at the time, really was beneficial -- Then, when I started regularly meditating, I noticed a major up-tick in, of all things, control and body awareness - - - I just kept (and still just keep) adding on, as I discover new things. It's been 45 years now of freedom from this problem; and I am sure that the physiology of the issue hasn't changed. That is, I don't think I've "healed". I've just adjusted; and, other than a few effects of advancing age (which I could probably counteract if I wasn't so busy working all the time), my physical capabilities are pretty much the same. This is not to blame Bird. God only knows, there may be something just majorly fundamentally wrong with his body. I don't know. But I have known a lot of people who went through my pattern, and basically just gave up, when, knowing enough about them, it was clear to me that they were enough like me that they didn't have to. Also, there have been enough major athletes, even star pro basketball players, who have totally overcome this that I'm not convinced that that alone takes Jabari out of contention for permanent remission. Didn't Bernard King go through this, and then have a lot of his best years after that?

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Somebody reported that Bird rolled his ankle at the RSF this week. If true, we can probably safely put the back spasms on the back burner.

I read the same thing, although without any information, we don't know how badly.

UrsaMajor;842765472 said:

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I read the same thing, although without any information, we don't know how badly.

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It's Cal. Sure to be bad...

89Bear;842765571 said:

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It's Cal. Sure to be bad...

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I wish I didn't agree with this.

We NEED Bird for a legit Tourney Run. It just seems his CAL career has been star-crossed from the beginning, with only rare glimpses of his potential.

For whatever reason this fine talent is not a contributor. Some things never change.

we need him desperately. he is our senior leader and outside of rabb our best player.

CAL6371;842766055 said:

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For whatever reason this fine talent is not a contributor. Some things never change.

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Please don't rule him out by the third game of our long season. I predict he will have a terrific, breakout season.

fat_slice;842762895 said:

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This back spasm thing is really troubling to me because it seems it can come at any time. It's hard to plan for games if you don't know if he will play or not. Does anyone know if this is a fixable issue or we if we will be living with a high degree of uncertainty around his availability for games going forward?

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I did have muscle spasms some 40 years ago that my doctor treated with muscle relaxers, but after a while, that method became less effective. At that time, I was living in Japan where I saw a TV commercial about a product using a tiny magnet to treat this problem, so I decided to try it. To my surprise, it worked for me within a few hours after I applied to the affected area like bandaid. In my case, it is most likely stress that is the root of the problem, and I still use it whenever I feel my muscles getting tight. I have no idea if this product will help Jabari, but here's a link: [URL="http://www.pip-club.com/english/muscle.html"][U]Product [/U][/URL]

Cheers to that!

The thing that bothers me most is that it is so early in the season. This kind of thing is hard to shake without enough rest. I hope he gets healthy and stays healthy through the season, we need you Jabari.

It may not take long to get to "ok" but for him to be comfortable and play strong he needs to be well healed and rested not just "ok".