Page 2 of 2 FirstFirst 1 2
Results 26 to 40 of 40
  1. #26
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Posts
    4,115
    Pm me your email. I’ll send over a great routine. I’ve had two laminectomies , l4/l5 and l5/s1. These excercoses have helped me avoid a fusion. They work All maltifidus and transverse muscles and helps maintain and get rid of back pain

  2. #27
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    truckee
    Posts
    23,120
    As XXX says, every back is different. There is no generic therapy for all back pain. My particular problem--spinal stenosis--is helped by stretching the posterior muscles--back muscles, hamstrings--and strengthening abs. The goal is to encourage a posterior tilt of the pelvis, which decreases pressure on the nerve roots. But my regimen would not help someone whose back pain had a different cause.

    for those with spinal stenosis--for me wearing a pack actually helps, as long as it isn't too heavy, because it tilts my upper body slightly forward, which relieves pressure on the roots. If I'm hiking and my back starts to bother me I sit on a rock and bend forward to stretch the back muscles--I can feel that they are tight and sore. Once they loosen up I can hike again without back pain. (When the back muscles get sore and tired they tighten up and that tilts the pelvis forward--the opposite of what I want.) It doesn't help that years of backpacking have strengthened my back muscles so that they are much stronger than my abs.

    I'm not saying any of the advice in this thread is bad, just that some advice will work better for some people and other advice will work better for other people, and none of the advice will work for some people, because, you know, back pain.
    Last edited by old goat; 04-03-2021 at 07:31 PM.

  3. #28
    Join Date
    Aug 2016
    Posts
    322
    Can't hype yin yoga enough. I've been a big believer in stretching my entire life but it didn't get extremely effective until I learned to slow down and connect breathing to it. True relief comes from allowing oxygen to penetrate tight muscles and relax. This is very hard to do without taking time to focusing on breath to let go. Up until I discovered yin, stretching was merely pulling muscles hard enough to encourage lengthening. Once you connect breath to it and actually feel a muscle activate and then let go, it feels like an epiphany.

    If you give yin yoga a chance, you'll really get to know your body. As an example I know I am stretching muscles injured from ankle rolls over the years and can tell what has tightened as a result of them. I can tell my foot is straightening out and I'm becoming more balanced. My spine is becoming more mobile and able to twist freely. I also went from not wanting to do 20 minute videos to endless stretching cause it's so addicting. You'll also inevitably find new ways to stretch things you didn't even think about stretching before or slight adjustments to make known ones so much more powerful. That and you can adjust poses to what your body needs.






  4. #29
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Posts
    19,814

    Back pain: stretching & strengthening advice

    Isolate your back and leg pain.


  5. #30
    Join Date
    Jul 2021
    Posts
    1
    I am currently dealing with a bad disc herniation primarily caused by a bad wfh set up combined with some heavy lifting when moving & long car drives.

    i have realized everyone’s injury is different. Maintaining strength and activity is ideal without aggravating the injury.

    Its simple but its not easy.

  6. #31
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    In the swamp
    Posts
    11,124
    Has anyone read Stuart McGill’s books and use his techniques? My friend recently mentioned him and swears by his strategies.

  7. #32
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Location
    OREYGUN!
    Posts
    14,565
    The tight hamstring/low back connection mentioned above has really helped me work out some serious pain today.

    Thanks.

  8. #33
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Posts
    9,860
    Oh great; arguing bots.

  9. #34
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Posts
    9,860
    Yeah, skiers especially; prolly the most sedentary of all vertebrates.

  10. #35
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Posts
    9,860
    Well fine, now I just look like a geezer talking to my self.

  11. #36
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    PNW
    Posts
    300
    Well it happened. After hammering last Friday, I went home, didn't stretch, woke up on Saturday, didn't stretch, and on the chill first run down to the lift I went off a roller a little sideways and everything in my lower back seized up. Had to download and sat on ice packs the rest of the day (and haven't skied since) and today is the first day I can tie my shoes without kneeling. I saw my PT earlier this week and she confirmed no herniation but that a couple large muscles back there are "very angry" and gave me a bunch of mobility/movements to do until I feel better. She also prescribed weighted rotational movements for when I'm better to help prevent this in the future (weighted chops, etc)

    I go to the gym 3 days per week, do a lot of core work, do a lot of mobility work in the winter, and this still happens. Guess this is what happens when you age. I've always had pretty bad hip mobility thanks to 25 years of ice hockey, so could probably improve in that department, but it's still frustrating.

  12. #37
    Join Date
    Feb 2020
    Posts
    138
    Quote Originally Posted by Jvhowube View Post
    Well it happened. After hammering last Friday, I went home, didn't stretch, woke up on Saturday, didn't stretch, and on the chill first run down to the lift I went off a roller a little sideways and everything in my lower back seized up.
    Had the exact same progression except it started with having a bad cough and congestion that had me sleeping in weird positions and ended with awkwardly bending down to put my dogs leash on. Total spasm. Now for the past month my low back has just felt fragile. I started doing pilates and the foundation training video mentioned here and it's really helped me feel like I can get back to having a back that doesn't feel like it could go at any point. Aging sucks.

  13. #38
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    truckee
    Posts
    23,120
    Quote Originally Posted by dmcd View Post
    Had the exact same progression except it started with having a bad cough and congestion that had me sleeping in weird positions and ended with awkwardly bending down to put my dogs leash on. Total spasm. Now for the past month my low back has just felt fragile. I started doing pilates and the foundation training video mentioned here and it's really helped me feel like I can get back to having a back that doesn't feel like it could go at any point. Aging sucks.
    It's amazing how little it can take to throw a back out, and not necessarily old age. I was 31 when this happened: I twisted to look at the rolling stool I was about to sit on and sudden pain. More than the pain was that I couldn't begin to stand up straight. I was walking around bent at the waist for a week with no improvement. Then I had to do a hernia repair on a newborn premature baby. The anesthesiologist put the breathing tube down the esophagus instead of the trachea. Everyone in the room knew it except the anesthesiologist. We watched in horror as the kid's heart rate went slower and slower. Finally the anesthesiologist figured it out, replaced the tube, the kids chest began to move with each breath, the heart sped back up and all was well. And I could stand up perfecty straight, without a hint of pain, could move, twist, bend all I wanted without pain. Cured by the stress of watching a near-disaster.

    . As far as the kid and whether there was any lingering effects, probably not. I did ask him his name and he couldn't tell me, but that's not unusual in premature infants.

  14. #39
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    Last Best City in the Last Best Place
    Posts
    7,272
    Quote Originally Posted by old goat View Post
    It's amazing how little it can take to throw a back out, and not necessarily old age.
    That's because it's not the act itself that is causing the back to go out. It is the fact that certain muscles (or groups) are compensating for other muscle groups due to 1) a spine that is out of proper alignment; and 2) weakening core muscles. Once your spine is not balanced/aligned your back muscles basically become a ticking time bomb. Any little movement can cause them to seize up.

    If you are somebody who does not believe in the benefits of spinal alignment, you can help prevent your back "going out" by strengthening your core muscles and training your mind to consciously relax your lower back muscles when doing any type of bending/lifting/twisting, etc. Focusing on completely relaxing them can have a huge impact IMO. My opinion is based on 30 years of managing back pain since being injured working on the green chain at a lumber mill. Though honestly I think it's a condition I inherited from my dad and I would have had back problems eventually regardless.

    Thrice daily core exercises, occasional spinal adjustments, and ever-conscious relaxation of lower back muscles when bending/twisting or even just getting up from a chair are the most effective things I have found to deal with it. It's not a foolproof plan but it works 90% of the time.

  15. #40
    Join Date
    Feb 2020
    Posts
    138
    Also they released a new version of that Foundation back strengthening video just a couple months ago. Still hard as fuck but works different muscles slightly. I think I’ll alternate them. Link here https://youtu.be/oVOnXIiPgM8

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •