During April I managed to reach a point where an injury I did not realize I have had for years told me I needed some professional help. It turned out that the thigh muscles in my left leg where to short and where pulling badly on my hip making it painful in the lower back. Now I have had pain in my lower back back and forth at least since 2002 August when I twisted it badly carrying a heavy TV ( my left knee was itching…. ). After my physiotherapist ( same dude that pointed me towards my Sensei ) had both massaged my lower back and hip area And twisted it back into position plus putting LONG needles into my hip and lower thigh area, the pain stopped coming from the lower back. I should most likely say, the pain had never been originating from my lower back, but rather from my left hip apparently. Training Shotokan Karate that is famous for low stances did not make it easier for my hip problem. My physiotherapist told me that through stretching of the thigh muscles I would be able to get it back in shape, but he also warned me that it would NOT take a weekend to fix but most likely all summer. O Boy was he right.
I have not trained Karate since middle of May and I am crawling up the walls in my head. Thank fully I bought a gym card.. at my physiotherapist own gym 
This gym card is valid until mid September, but I am hoping I will have had my hip back in shape by August when training starts again seriously at the Dojo. Doing strength training for my stomach muscles, lower back muscles and the upper body while stretching several times a day that bloody thigh and hip of mine starts making changes in how I look at training. I am always afraid that weight training will damage my karate. Heavier muscles that are slower is not something you want in karate. Rather long type of muscles that are agile and fast is what you want to achieve. This had taken me to the point where I for the very first time am training differently in a gym, lower weights, faster reps, less pauses between the reps. Forcing my body to work, plus the fact that I am changing the routines constantly so that my body will not learn to adapt to the routine but will always be surprised. It gives me days filled of good old fashioned training pain that I simple love, since I then know I have worked well 
Coming home and stretching real good makes it feel even better.
Trained today, going back tomorrow for more, and the day after that until my sumer holiday is over on July 20. By then I hope I will have been able to start with kata training at the gym with ankle and wrist weights ( speed and power training aka karate style ). Lets see what my hip will have to say about this harsh stretching training. At least I have now gone two days with no hip pain, and its weird, I am starting to feel my muscles getting longer and the back muscles getting stronger once again, time to whip my body in shape
