With a Little Help From My Friends

by John Reblin

Somewhere during the last couple of months, I did a thing. No, not something cool like buying a new bike or silly like buying a new car.  I did something that caused an ache in my right shoulder. For a couple of weeks, I could not figure out what was going on. It started out as a slow ache that with movement, seemed to get better. I didn’t have a fall or have any memory of anything really off the wall to cause this. Then after a bit I noticed it started to appear in my left shoulder, but not as severe. It got to the point though that I could not pick up my coffee cup with my right arm to drink that morning wake up. I also couldn’t grab the milk carton and pour it into my cereal bowl without it causing me to wince. 

I had a chiropractor appointment and I brought it up to her. She noticed a little binding and suggested I buy this really cool electronic thing. You stick pads on your affected area to try to loosen the muscle a couple of times a day. So, I bought it and the next day I was set. I charged up the battery and connected the leads to the pads and got it attached to the affected area. In turning it on and cranking up the “volume” I watched my muscle dance around under my skin. Doing this seemed to help a bit but I still needed more. 

Another trip to the chiropractor got some more advice like “try stretching and exercise to strengthen the area.”  I diligently proceeded to do this every day, hoping for improvement. It did get better but still after doing some things at work I would come home with the ache in my shoulder that just would not go away. Trying to ease the pain caused me to reach for the Tylenol and caused me to rest the area as well as I could.  

I finally had enough and tried my doctor. My fear was somewhere along the way I tore my rotator cuff. I really did not want to deal with a surgery. But every time I tried to self-diagnose it did not appear that way.   Meeting with my doctor gave me hope. He ran some simple tests and ran experienced hands on my shoulder area and saw when I winced and suggested a cortisone injection in the area of pain. I agreed and felt relief within a short time. With the pain mostly gone except when I over do something, I seem to be able to help my shoulders along with some simple stretches and strengthening moves to keep the pain away. 

So, why do I bring this story up? Do I want to sound like an old guy telling doctor or exchanging medical stories. Nope. I want to share the message that sometimes we all need a little help to succeed. Sometimes you need to quit trying to keep going status quo and you need to look outside your skill level. 

It could be something like getting the bike out in the springtime for that first ride. It could be as simple as finding your riding buddy and heading over to an empty parking lot to refamiliarize yourself with the bike controls and handling to remind your muscle memory to counter steer, or how much brake pressure to apply during the panic stop. Even silly things like where the horn button or high beam switch is located might need to be refreshed in your mind. 

Maybe you need the extra help of a “doctor” to help with your riding skills. To knock the rust off those bad habits. If so, make an appointment with your local rider education course, at your favorite location, SafeRider. There they will point out any bad habits and give you the knowledge about improving your skills so you can get through the riding season without those aches and pains. Sometimes no matter what, you can’t fix the issue on your own and you need to get the expert opinion to get back on the right track. 

Lobby Day is over, and it seems like we had great success with our talking point involving making sure we have safe and legal fuel available for our motorcycles, snowmobiles, other recreational vehicles, and tools. A bill draft has been written and is being circulated with a hearing for discussion being scheduled. With that said, we are looking for help and seemed to have found it with a coalition of groups being formed to push back on this.   Steve is working on a “Call to Action” and we will be in attendance giving support to help the survival of motorcycling as we know it. 

STEAM, A Seminar To Educate And Motivate was at the end of April out in Bismarck, North Dakota and I will report back about what is going on in the STEAM states along with other things that I learned. It is a great conference with a lot of friends from other states attending, so the information gathered will be appreciated. 

One last thing. As of this writing we are at Zero motorcycle fatalities. This number was at the same point in 2022. The weather has not been the best up to now but that will be changing. I urge all motorcyclists to ride your own ride. Last year over 50 percent of the motorcycle crashes were single bike crashes. No other vehicle or animal contact was made. We all need to ride like it matters and mentor those that need help so we can make this year better than last year by the end of the riding season.  

Ride Your Own Ride,

John