Welcome to the beta version of the new Women & Golf website. Our web monkeys are still hard at work and welcome your feedback.  

Advertisement

Portimao WorldSBK test: Davies in action after back problem

Aruba Ducati’s Chaz Davies has recovered well from his recent shoulder injuries but an old problem with his back muscles saw him hardly set any laps on the second day of the recent Jerez tests.

“It is a combination of things,” said Davies in between morning stints on track on his new Ducati V4R at Portimao. “There are a couple of things, with a couple of discs in a couple of areas, but more it is a reaction to what the muscle is trying to do to compensate for the discs.

“The muscle is overworked, especially at this time of year. I have been riding a lot, training a lot, everything. So it could be a knock-on effect on legs to neck, and everything is connected. I think that this was that little bit of extra tension, unfortunately, at Jerez.”

Advertisement

Davies scotched any ideas that his back pain was due to a fall he had at Jerez. “I did slip off at Jerez but it was not anything to do with that. It was pretty medium speed crash and I slid really easily. It was not anything to do with the crash; I did not hit my back at all.”

Davies current issues stem from existing issues with some discs in his spinal column, as he explains.

“There is nothing really drastically wrong with the discs or spine or anything like that,” he stated. “I have got a couple of slight bulges but I have spoken to a couple of specialists and they are not particularly concerned about it. They say it will not help.

“If you dragged a lot of normal people off the street a lot of them would show signs of that. The problem is that I am putting a lot of strain on my back, in different ways, and especially at this time of year. I am doing all sorts of training and it is that which builds up tension, builds up tension, builds up the tension and then the muscle goes into spasm. It locks on and there is literally nothing you can do. You just have to give it time in physio to try and release it.”

Medication is not the answer to this kind of problem, say Davies, which potentially benefits from a more hands-on approach. “There is no wonder drug that you can take and you are good to go a couple of hours later. It is just not that kind of injury. It is not the first time I have had it; it is just bad timing with the tests. It is a combination of a lot of things and I do try to stay on top of it. I do stretching and yoga, and what have you but sometimes it needs a different approach or more hands-on physiotherapy rather than self-stretching.”

Articles you may like

Advertisement

More WorldSBK

Advertisement
linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram