Dr. Allan Horowitz, published newspaper article, Richmond Hill Liberal, Copyright September 21, 1988

Although there are only a few weeks left in the baseball season,, I feel I cannot go through a summer without printing a column about back pain and the CNE stadium. Every year chiropractors in Toronto and surrounding areas hear complaints from patients who attended a baseball game and got more than they bargained for – back pain.

The ride to the stadium, whether it be in a car, bus, subway, streetcar or taxi, is not a pleasure when you are battling 50,000 others who have the same objective; to get there before the first pitch.

Then there is the parking dilemma. If you don’t want to pay, you must walk two miles, or get a ticket and/or be towed away. If you splurge and park inside the grounds you will have to leave after the eighth inning or be prepared to wait an hour after the game to get your car out.

Once you actually arrive at the stadium you must climb the ramp which only those who have actually conquered it can really describe. This ramp is supposed to take you close to your seats. It doesn’t. It takes you up and around and around and around.

Then there are more stairs before you actually get to your seats and are able to settle into a cold metal bench or chair for the next three hours. You share your arm rests with your neighbours, and your knees share space with the spectator in front of you. After an hour your legs get stiff, your back is sore, and you get fidgety. You want to buy out your neighbors’ seats so you can lie down.

What do you do?

Before leaving for the game, pack yourself a survival kit. It should include whatever food and refreshments CNE security will allow into the grounds.

Bring along a couple of pillows to strategically place on your chair to lessen your back stress. These are usually best placed behind the small of your back to give your muscles extra support, and under your rear end to prevent the circulation from being cut off to your legs.

Another must when going to a Blue Jays game is to wear a good pair of running shoes. Nothing else absorbs the shock of the hard concrete floors and all the pavement walking, as does a good quality pair of jogging shoes. Tennis shoes, court shoes, walking shoes, are all good, but jogging shoes are the best.

At the end of every ½ inning when the teams change positions on the field, stand up and stretch.

Try to position yourself in your seat so your neck is in a good alignment with the rest of your body. In other words, your nose should be pointing the same way as your chest. Sitting for three hours with your neck tilted to one side can lead to stiffness, pain, and headaches.

It is a good idea to put your feet up on something to bring your knees up a bit higher. A small bag will suffice to raise your knees and lessen your lower back stress.

Finally, you should hope the Blue Jays win the game. Back pain is never so bad when the home team wins. We can only hope with the new Dome we lose the primitive ramp, the metal benches, and the line-ups for the washrooms and refreshments.

I don’t think the Dome’s planning committee had a chiropractic consultant, but I do hope the committee realizes that many people now leave the ball park with back pain. Maybe they will institute a new R.I.D.E. program – reduce injured discs everywhere!