Question
Hello Dr Ryan,

This is kind of a long one, so will start with a bit of background. Back in 2002 came off my Mt Bike on Asphalt, doing about 45km/ph. Landed on the top of my head and bent my neck quite badly. At the time the neck was the least of my worries- although I had some numbness in my legs, my face was opened up, coller bone damaged, and my right arm were much more of a concern. All healed up OK.

Fast forward a couple of years. My job now is a coffee roaster, I am often lugging 60kg sacks of green coffee, and lifting 25kg above my head to dump into the roaster.

Around March last year I woke in the am wth a stiff back. Nearly everyday since then I have woken with the same problem- stiffness and mild pain in lower back and sometimes upperback (center between shoulder blades). I kind of got used to it, but occassionally after playing golf the pain next morning persisted longer. Basically once standing for 20 minutes the pain slowly disaaptes.   Now about 2 weeks ago I started getting some sporadic pain in knee, toe, wrist and finger joints. By sporadic I mean 1/2 second-3-5 seconds normally, then gone.   My question is do you think this could be related to both the earlier bike fall and the coffee job? Up until march last year I had someone helping me with the coffee. Once he left I did all lifting myself...thats when the am pain occured. I think the back stiffens up around 4am...as sometimes I wake to go to the toilet at 2-3am and feel fine.  Any help would be appreciated. I live in a country where back specialists are a little difficult to find.

PS- Up until MArch last year I worked out religiously at the gym 6 times a week- lifting weights. Since last year business has prevented me going to the gym. My weight has gone up 5kg, but muscle tone has obviously faded!  

Answer
Because I'm not a physician and I have no idea about the extent of damage done to your neck from the bicycle fall, I can't say with any certainty that the symptoms that you're having are related to that injury or not.  However,I can tell you that carrying the 60kg coffee bags and lifting 25kg over your head can cause injury to your neck and back.  

It sounds to me like you have some kind of pinched nerve in your back and neck because of the pain in your legs and the pain in your arm.  I would recommend seeing a naturopathic physician, chiropractor, osteopath, or physical therapist to determine exactly what is causing the pain and have therapy done to correct the problem.  After your therapy, return to training at the gym as soon as they allow you to.  It will be very important to strengthen your muscles to prevent a reoccurring injury.

Thank you for your question, Alun.  I hope that my answer was helpful.