Lower Back Maintenance

Depending on who you ask chiropractors are either a must see or total nonsense and a waste of money.

I don't feel like I know enough about the subject to make the call either way but I'd see a regular doctor before I'd go to one.
 
That's the age when Lower Back Pain starts for many.

Get in the habit of walking, 30-60 mins a day. If it continues tweaky see a physical therapist and they will teach you exercises to control it.


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Buggsy2 said:
That's the age when Lower Back Pain starts for many.

Get in the habit of walking, 30-60 mins a day. If it continues tweaky see a physical therapist and they will teach you exercises to control it.


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^^^ This.

Also, stairs instead of elevators or escalators. Park on the far side of parking lots. Also, when practical, do things the hard way. Open doors manually, carry packages instead of using carts, do whatever you can to use your body.
 
As someone who spends a fair amount of time bent over a fender, this is a pretty common complaint. You are using muscles that are generally not used enough, and you get a strain. Others have voted for core conditioning, and it works. You need to build and exercise the muscles that you need to use regularly. I can work over a car now for hours without a lot of issues and I'm a lot older than you.

It's just that you stressed a part of your body that you haven't kept in condition and it's complaining. The simplest conditioning for lower back is to warm up, then put a few pounds in your hands and lace them behind your head, holding the weight to the back of your neck area. Not too much, just a couple pounds will do, maybe a bound copy of War and Peace - or, the federal register(kidding). Now, bend over about 90deg and hold it for a short time, then stand straight again. Bend, hold, stand. As you get stronger, add just a bit more weight, maybe 5-7lbs and go a bit deeper down to beyond horizontal.

When you bend and straighten, don't jerk back up. Move smoothly. You can also help by doing the same basic move to the left and right side, although you can't get all the way over to 90deg. After a few weeks of this your back won't bother you unless you really overdo it.
 
I have a question. There is a woman at work that has a chair that looks like a hybrid office chair / fitness ball. I assume the deal there is either it is a stupid fad or possibly the balance helps the core.

Anyone know if replacing my home office chair with one would be beneficial.

There's obviously the instant cool factor but any health benefits?
Sissel%20Executive%20Ball%20Chair.jpg
 
Look for a switch on the side of the chair labelled "vibrate - lo/hi"
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
I have a question. There is a woman at work that has a chair that looks like a hybrid office chair / fitness ball. I assume the deal there is either it is a stupid fad or possibly the balance helps the core.

Anyone know if replacing my home office chair with one would be beneficial.

There's obviously the instant cool factor but any health benefits?
Sissel%20Executive%20Ball%20Chair.jpg
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A guy in our office has one that he has let me try when my back flared up. Didn't do anything for me by YMMV. For what it's worth, he no longer uses his.
 
I used to work with a guy that had one of those knee chairs. He seemed to like it, but I've never known anyone else who's used one. And he always got his *** kicked in office chair races.
 

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Chairs are not the answer. This is just a common muscle atrophy condition common to older men with a bit too much weight. Just do the exercises twice a day for a while and you won't notice it. Or, go work on cars regularly.
 
RalphInCA said:
OMG, somebody mentioned chiropractors. Let the arguments begin.

I'll start. DON'T GO TO A CHIROPRACTOR!

Years ago, I had back problem that was made MUCH worse by one. One of the worst decisions of my life, not to mention expensive.
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Just as there are bad pilots, there are bad chiropractors. One visit to a chiropractor doesn't make an entire profession bad...

I went to several MDs for my lower back pain, and their only advise was "here, take some pain killers". Decided to try out a chiropractor and my back problems have been greatly reduced since I started going.

cowman said:
Depending on who you ask chiropractors are either a must see or total nonsense and a waste of money.

I don't feel like I know enough about the subject to make the call either way but I'd see a regular doctor before I'd go to one.
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Actually going to an MD for an issue with your spine is like going to a chiropractor when you have a toothache. They all have their specialties, and the spine is not a specialty of an MD, just as teeth is not the specialty of a chiropractor. Chances are all the MD will do is prescribe some pain pills to hide the pain.
 
There is considerable credible data on this question. In fact, when studied systematically, there is remarkably little difference between orthopedists, chiropractors, and primary care MDs when it comes to treatment success of patients with uncomplicated low back pain. None do better than the others.

Most episodes of low back pain are self-limited - they get better without any treatment or in spite of treatment. So, feeling better after being treated by any particular healer is not necessarily the result of that healer's skills but simply the outcome that would have happened no matter what.
 
I was told just the other day by my doctor to throw my treadmill away and to never get back on one. I need a recumbent bike and hope to get one. No more walking for me. If I want to stay out of a wheel chair, I stay off the treadmill.
 
1600vw said:
I was told just the other day by my doctor to throw my treadmill away and to never get back on one. I need a recumbent bike and hope to get one. No more walking for me. If I want to stay out of a wheel chair, I stay off the treadmill.
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That's interesting. Knees or hips?
 
1600vw said:
I was told just the other day by my doctor to throw my treadmill away and to never get back on one. I need a recumbent bike and hope to get one. No more walking for me. If I want to stay out of a wheel chair, I stay off the treadmill.
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So because you have trouble because your muscles are too weak now, you're supposed to stop using them and let them get WEAKER?:confused:
 
warthog1984 said:
So because you have trouble because your muscles are too weak now, you're supposed to stop using them and let them get WEAKER?:confused:
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Who has weak muscles? You talking to me? If so you know me not and have missed my threads.

You sound like every doctor I talk to. But this is not about muscles. This is about bone decay or rot. All the walking in the world will not help me.

Weak Muscles, if only that was my problem..I laugh....

Tony
 
I once had back pain for a good six months before I went to see a doctor about it. He suggested situps. I was skeptical at first that situps would have anything to do with the back at all, but I was ready to try anything. Within a month I had zero issues with the back. Was definitely surprised that it worked.
 
Rigged4Flight said:
I once had back pain for a good six months before I went to see a doctor about it. He suggested situps. I was skeptical at first that situps would have anything to do with the back at all, but I was ready to try anything. Within a month I had zero issues with the back. Was definitely surprised that it worked.
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You need to keep your core in shape or you will have lower back issue's. Plan and simple. Why I hand cut and split over 10 cords of fire wood every year, and why I rode a bicycle to work.
 
I laugh when someone claims they had a backache and working out helped. I tell them you want a backache, let me break you in half at the spine, then lets talk backaches. Muscle pain, I laugh at muscle pain.
 
Muscle pain and deep bone pain are two different pains. One you can touch and it hurts, the other touching it, it does not hurt, it hurts all the time from deep inside. Until one has this type of pain one does not know pain. What one knows is an ache. Aches are different then true pain. Let me rip your arm off and you will experience true pain, there will be no aching what so ever.
 
1600vw said:
You need to keep your core in shape or you will have lower back issue's. Plan and simple. Why I hand cut and split over 10 cords of fire wood every year, and why I rode a bicycle to work.
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True.

At the time I was commuting 1+ hours each way to an IT job that kept me desk bound for 10+ hours/day. Five years later I joined the Army national guard and got all the motivation I needed to stay in shape. :yes:
 
Let me explain what I just went through the other day you want to talk pain.

They take these long needles, they would not let me see the needles. You are wide awake, no pain meds at all. They take these needles and stick them into your spine. They go into the disc but the problem, the x-ray they use does not show the spinal cord, so they go into the spinal cord then once you are screaming they pull out of the spinal cord into the disc. They then take a die and inject this die into each disc. They then watch and see if this die leaks out of the discs. You or I was anyway screaming at the top of my lungs, I have never in my life felt the pain I was feeling. I believe they used 6 needles. I will never in my life go through a Discogram. NEVER ....shoot me first.
 
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He may possibly have you and I confused.
My back pain is likely due to atrophy and the core work should help.

H.A.S. has bone issues I think due to heredity compounded with several breaks.
Look for this broke back thread for the dissertation on that.
 
There's nothing a chiropractor is going to do for muscle ache anyway. Maybe hit the Korean massage parlor and get a massage on the hot shower table, finish off with a happy ending and get a better result for the same price.
 
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Well that's one way to get your mind off the pain. Not a bad way. :D
 
No sweat, Cyclist Lance Armstrong had a problem and found treatment that led to his becoming a World Champion in his sport. Now that he has "admitted" , says he'd do it all over again! Perhaps you could get some counseling from him and solve your back problem.:wink2:
 
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