I'd rather have a Swayback than a bad back! - Winner Drawn!

mike Berkovitch said:
Jack, back pain exists since the first human decided to to walk on his two feet instead keep running like a dog. Who knows if it worth it :D
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LOL! :D Thanks Mike, and I hope that your back pain gets less frequent. Thanks for telling us a little about your home and for the pics :thumbup:
 
I have been quite enjoying reading all the posts and seeing where all live etc... funny how different passions bring so many folks together from all parts of the world... I think it is great!

Anyway - when I had a severe back injury 40 years ago the Dr told me the same thing - "man was not made or has not evolved yet to the point where we should be walking on 2 legs" - if one reads statistics 60-80% of the world population will suffer from back pain some time during their life... though I still suffer on occasion it took a lot of hard physical therapy and exercise to relieve my pain years ago... yet I still throw my back out on occasion... and currently back in physical therapy for it... Guess it is time to start dragging my knuckles on the floor again and having brontosaurus burgers for dinner :)
 
LongBlade said:
I have been quite enjoying reading all the posts and seeing where all live etc... funny how different passions bring so many folks together from all parts of the world... I think it is great!
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I've really enjoyed reading the posts :) Hope your back is currently behaving itself LongBlade :) :thumbup:
 
I'm not sure if there is a difference between a "swayback" and a "bad back".
In the xrays, my spine is the shape of the letter "S" regardless of if the xray is taken from the front, back, left, or right side, it looks like an "S". I've had a backache for about 60 years now.
(I have M.H.E, a hereditary bone disorder. I'm 4th generation in the family to have it.)
Regardless of the pain, I just keep plodding on.
 
How could I pass up a chance on a "Genuine Lambsfoot". I've wanted one for quite some time. Thanks for the opportunity.

When I wore a younger man's clothes, I swore that when I got old, I would not sit around and talk / complain about my ills and pills and all the things that had gone wrong with me. Then I got old.

I was born in the south west corner of Indiana, Evansville. Spent my grade school years there before we moved back to Southern Illinois for my freshman year of high school in Harrisburg. Sophomore and Junior year at Unity H.S. in Tolono, just south of Champaign then my senior year in Moweaqua. When I got out of the Corps, my parents had landed in Rockford, IL and that's where I put down roots. Rockford sucks but it's where I am and I don't foresee me leaving.
 
G'Day from Downunder and "Mullion Creek". And Cheers Jack on the Give Away!
In the local aboriginal language "Mullion" roughly means "Place where Eagles Nest" These are the beautiful Wedge-Tailed Eagle and can have a wing span up to 2.5 meters.



And an Eagle's Eye view of "Brumby's Run"



Derek
 
afishhunter said:
I've had a backache for about 60 years now.
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Ouch! :(

jerryd6818 said:
When I wore a younger man's clothes, I swore that when I got old, I would not sit around and talk / complain about my ills and pills and all the things that had gone wrong with me. Then I got old..
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:D :thumbup:

Brumby53 said:
G'Day from Downunder and "Mullion Creek". And Cheers Jack on the Give Away!

...


[/I]
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G'day Derek, fantastic pics my friend :thumbup:
 
very generous offering there Jack!
here is one of my most recent posts about the lambsfoot - in the 2016 forum knife thread. :D (post #71)

and a picture of some of the terrain here in "flat" Kansas
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1066vik said:
very generous offering there Jack!
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Thanks my friend :)

btb01 said:
For some reason that picture reminds me of the cave from Back to the Future Part III. Is there a Delorean hidden in there? :D
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:D

If I get time, I'll draw this tomorrow. Good luck everyone, and thanks so much for all the entries, and for all the kind words, it's been fascinating for me to learn a little more about where some of you fine folks hail from :) :thumbup:

Anymore for anymore?! ;) :D
 
1066vik said:
very generous offering there Jack!
here is one of my most recent posts about the lambsfoot - in the 2016 forum knife thread. :D (post #71)

and a picture of some of the terrain here in "flat" Kansas
65323_10151339374834603_2082615212_n.jpg
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I'm in northeast Kansas but I don't recognize this place. Looks like a fun hike! (Not an entry in the giveaway please)
 
Thanks for having this generous and informative GAW, Jack. :thumbup::cool:
I think I ruminated on lambsfoots and landsharks in this thread: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/547127-What-quot-Traditional-Knife-quot-are-ya-totin-today/page3852?p=15781429#post15781429

I've lived in Grand Rapids, Michigan for the past 30+ years, and have actually lived within 30 miles of Grand Rapids for all but 10 years of my life. Grand Rapids is Michigan's second largest city (trailing Detroit) with a population of about 200K souls within the official city limits, and a little over a million inhabitants in the "metropolitan area".

The city was once known as Furniture City because of all the furniture manufactured here. Most of the manufacturing has left the city, but GR is still corporate headquarters for Steelcase, a big maker of office furniture. There was apparently a major gypsum mining operation under GR; the mining stopped long ago, but the mines are still used for storage by the city and by some breweries, I think. Which leads me to a recent name applied to GR: Beer City USA. (Randy claimed that title for Asheville NC, but I think GR grabbed the title in more recent very unscientific polls.) Here's some jelly my wife bought recently; you can witness the nickname in commercial use at the bottom of the label (so it MUST be true ;)):
IvwUjkOl.jpg


I have no idea of the meaning of the "Case Porter" at the top of the label, and there's a label stuck to the jar lid which reads "The Poet", the name of a popular stout brewed by New Holland Brewing, a brewery in Holland, MI, a town 30 miles away from GR. All very confusing! :confused:

I think the largest employer by far in GR is Spectrum Health, a medical organization with which most local hospitals, clinics, doctors, etc. seem to be associated. GR has a "Medical Mile" downtown with cutting edge research being done in hospitals, medical school, and other facilities.

Downtown Grand Rapids almost died during the 1960s, but much recent revitalization has occurred, and people with more energy than I have tell me downtown GR is a "happenin' place". There's a 3-day Festival of the Arts downtown every June since 1969: I don't know enough about art to judge that aspect of the festivities, but there's virtually non-stop live music on several stages scattered around downtown, and there are about 3 dozen food booths run as fund-raisers by local organizations with a fantastic selection of ethnic foods! A more recent artistic endeavor is ArtPrize, when for about 3 weeks about 1500 artists show their work in a variety of downtown venues, hoping to win some of the half-million dollars of prizes awarded based on both public votes and experts' judging. GR has a thriving symphony, a ballet company, an opera, an ever-improving zoo, the famous Meijer Garden and Sculpture Park. Many aspects of revitalization of GR are due to what appears to me to be generous philanthropy on the part of a few local families who have been very successful in business, including the founders of Amway.

If you've seen my knife photos, you know I'm not an avid or a talented photographer, so I don't have many photos showing off my city. If you look for Grand Rapids on Wikipedia, there are some nice photos and interesting info, including links to famous Grand Rapidians. There's also a semi-famous, entirely cheesy "lip dub" that shows off some of GR, but it may not mean much if you're not familiar with the city to start with. But I enjoyed watching it again today! :p http://www.npr.org/sections/monkeysee/2011/06/01/136816940/the-grand-rapids-lip-dub-a-giant-street-party-set-to-music

I did take a few photos yesterday of my premises. Here's a shot of the back of the Hall Street Bakery which is just kitty-corner from my back door across the alley. I'm impressed with my self-control in rarely going there for their marvelous cookies. They also have coffee, craft beers, pizza, sandwiches, etc. Nice place (much nicer than the barbershop that occupied the building previously, and whose patrons would deal drugs in the parking lot :mad:).
oB7M734l.jpg

Note that there are not many leaves on the trees in GR on May 1; I've been envying some of the lush greenery I see in some BF photos lately! Spring is here though! Here's a shot from the back of my house toward the front yard, in which you can see rhododendrons in bloom, white blossoms of a juneberry tree (a big improvement over the mulberry that used to be there), and some reddish blossoms of a quince bush.
gJqwBkkl.jpg

Here are some well-groomed tulips belonging to our neighbors directly across the alley, followed by a shot of our "jungle tulips"! :o
I7C5MR9l.jpg


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Another sure sign of the arrival of spring are these cheerful yellow flowers, which promise to bloom abundantly any time now!
7vVwvVvl.jpg


Anyway, that's a little about where I live. Thanks again for the GAW, Jack, and good luck to all the entrants! :D
(Oh, and it seems customary in this thread to give some medical advice regarding back pain. I never sit on upholstered furniture anymore: at work it's a straight back chair and at home I sit on a wooden bench by the kitchen table, or sit on the living room floor. (Also, meako mentioned "kneeling chairs"; I had one of those for quite a while and found it very helpful. I used to sit on an exercise ball too until it exploded! :eek:) When at home, I almost always have a microwaved beanbag stuck in the rear waistband of my pants, keeping a little heat on the problematic area. And moving from a leather belt to an elasticized fabric belt has made a huge difference for me over the past couple of years in reducing the frequency of sciatica flare-ups.)

- GT
 
Thanks for a fascinating and informative post GT, really enjoyed reading it and looking at your photos, and thanks for the back advice too my friend :thumbup:
 
I've just been reading through this thread, and I really wish I had a box of these knives to give away! :) Many thanks to everyone who has entered, there are loads of really great posts, and some wonderful photographs, thanks for sharing something of your life with the rest of us :thumbup: Thanks also for all the well-wishes and advice on my back problems, I really hadn't realised how widespread sciatica was. For myself, for now, the worst of the pain has gone, just a little remaining. My legs still feel weak, particularly the left one, which has buckled a few times. I've been doing the exercises Ed recommended, and I'll be off to see an osteopath ASAP. Sadly, I only have one ebony Lambsfoot knife to give away, and I'm not sure I'll ever be able to get hold of another (if I do, you'll hear from me! ;) ). The one below is the giveaway knife, my apologies for the poor pic, taken in my kitchen on what is a very gloomy English day. Thanks to Paul at The Famous Sheffield Shop, I was originally able to secure a pair, and I gifted the other to my friend Stephen 'Old & In The Way', who I hope will return to posting here one day. So whoever wins the knife is in good company :) I'll be writing the names of everyone whose entered on scraps of paper later (some of them on two scraps), and putting them in my traditional Yorkshire flat-cap for the draw. I'm on my own today, so I'm afraid I'll have to do it myself. Good luck everyone, and thanks once again for all your entries.

My very best wishes to all of you.

Jack

 
Hey Jack - you take it easy, buddy - sorry to read you're still going through pain and problems.

I've had my back issues for over 40 years and have visited all sorts of people and professionals over that time.

If, however, there's one 'professional' I'll never go near again, it's an osteopath.

Sure, we're all different and different treatments work for some and not others. There are doubtless countless people who will swear by their osteopath......but, Jack - get the correct treatment for you.

I've never been through so much pain as I have from osteopaths...........to me, they're a quick-fix corrective-manipulation process - I didn't want that, I wanted to get better and stay better. Patients keep returning to osteopaths because they have to!

I didn't have much luck with chiropractors either.

My long term return to health was through physiotherapy - and, seeing a flippin' good one.

When people are in pain, they want a quick fix - I get that, I've been there many times in the past. But when you can teach and strengthen your own body through exercise to be much better - that's where the real relief and control comes from.
And, of course, many people really don't want to do exercises and make an effort themselves.........they want someone to do magic on them. I get that.

Again, I am sure osteos and chiros have their place, and like all professions there'll be good and bad ones.........but make sure what's right for you :)

My physio in London is at the top of his game imho, and he says if he can't begin to make a patient better in three visits, he'll discuss alternative methods and professionals with them, he won't keep taking their money...

Fingers crossed, as we say here, and holding thumbs, as we say in SA - wishing you a speedy return to health :thumbup:
 
Thanks Chui, I really appreciate the advice :thumbup: It's 40 years since I suffered my own first back injury :( Back in those days, the only advice I got was bed-rest - the complete opposite of today! I had some sessions with a chiropractor back in the 90's, mainly for the spondilosis I have in my middle back, and found her very helpful. I saw an osteopath and chiropractor for a neck injury, and that also seemed to work for me (though the acupuncture he also performed didn't). I found yoga very helpful for my back in the past, but I'm wary of returning to it. When I first moved to Leeds, I was looking for a class, and found there was one in a local community centre. I was looking through the window at the class, and saw immediately that it was made up entirely of 20-something women. As I looked in, I saw the expressions on a couple of their faces as they saw me, and it was pretty clear what they thought my interest was! :eek:

I have an appointment with my doctor booked for in a couple of weeks, he has a bad back himself, so we are going to discuss some options. I'm also going to ask round locally about sports physiotherapists as I know there are a few practicing locally.

Once again, I really appreciate your advice :thumbup:
 
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