Back pain

It's funny how much more effort it takes to walk across rough ground with a sore back. My back feels better than it did earlier this week, but it still reminds me there is something wrong. The walk in, though not really painful, takes more out of me at the moment.

Every step requires a balance. The upper body moves in a direction to counter balance each step to keep the whole body moving forward and upright. The transmission of this effort is the lower back. The motion of swinging the arms and swaying back and forth a bit while walking to keep balance all send energy through the lower back. Every step. Once in a while, a single move, like stepping up a curb or turning to look for cars, can send a shot though my spine.

When I was younger, I heard a song by a bunch of old Country and Western stars called "Old Friends". One of the lines is "Locking arms to climb a curb." That sticks with me. I feel old. I hear people in news interviews start sentences with "When you turn forty ..." and I cringe.