It has been so nice to be able to get out on the bike trails again and I just wanted to mention how important it is to stay healthy ~ for cycling and everything else really ~ and how I managed to get back on the bike trails again this year after a recurring leg injury.

I injured my leg last fall and although I was still able to ride, I had to cut back on how often I rode and really take it easy or the pain would get much worse and I would not be able to ride at all.

This was not too much of a problem since it was very late in the riding season. When the weather started getting colder (and the days shorter) I eventually put my bike away for the year and got into my winter exercise routine (usually walking and running, mostly outdoors) and although there was still a little pain, it was not all that bad.

Unfortunately, my leg had never completely gotten back to normal and when the weather got warmer this year (very early this year, actually) and I started cycling again, I took a couple of long and fast rides and re-injured it once again. 🙁

At first I just stopped riding for a while and tried to give it enough time to heal on its own. Well, that was taking forever and driving me crazy that the weather was beautiful and I was not able to get out and ride.

Touch of Health in Buffalo Grove

This is when I decided to take action and see my Chiropractor. I had had back issues in the past and had seen Dr. Steven Ciolino at Touch of Health in Buffalo Grove. It took multiple visits and adjustments for my back problems (which I have had all my life) but after my chiropractic treatments my back has been much better and I rarely ever have any back pain.

I really believe that chiropractic therapy plays an important role in health care and is often overlooked by people that like to see their regular internal medicine doctor for any and all of their health care issues.

This is not to say that chiropractors  can do everything and that we do not need regular (internal medicine) doctors also. It’s just that there are certain kinds of health issues and injuries that are just much better off when treated by chiropractic methods rather than by taking a pill (or worse yet, having surgery without considering alternative therapies).

So getting back to my leg injury, after waiting for my leg to heal on its own for weeks ~ and missing out on a lot of great riding days ~ I finally saw my chiropractor. It did take about 3 or 4 visits but gradually my leg got much better and it is now almost 100% and I am back on the trails again!

When you have health issues or injuries and then get better you really appreciate how valuable being healthy is. I try to keep this in mind and never take my good health for granted.

Cycling is, of course, an excellent way to stay in shape and stay healthy but you also have to be careful not to push yourself too hard and/or injure yourself and loose the benefits of  the workout.

Even when you are very careful you still may end up with an injury of one sort or another. If this happens you may want to look into chiropractic care. I have certainly have found it to be very beneficial.

Stay healthy and enjoy the ride!