All I want to do is run....and eat....and have abs :)

mave36

So I am back again for a second time around.

A little back story..ha! I struggle with tremendous back pain and issues. Last week muscles in my back were flared up and I literally could not walk for four days. Previously I have injured it going through a bulging disc and sprained ligaments. So a year and a half ago I started running via C25K App. It changed my life!!!! so why did I stop?? who knows.

So I was eating well because MFP held me accountable and I had a great support crew in my friends list and I was running 5k no problem and my back never felt stronger. So I am here again to get back to that and stay that way!!

My struggle isn't with weight but with pain, and could use some motivators in my corner again please feel free to add me, as I am always available to cheer you on in whatever you are facing as well

Cheers!

godlikepoetyes

I have arthritis, fibromyalgia, and gastroparesis. I feel your pain. MFP has changed my life. I've lost weight and I feel better than I have in years. My level of pain is reduced tremendously. Feeling better has been my biggest motivation of all. And I do feel so much better. You will too!

Lleldiranne

If you haven't yet, you might want to ask your doctor for a referral to a physical therapist. They can show you some ways to safely strengthen your back, which can also help reduce chances of flare ups. (Depending on what causes it, of course ... but my doctor suggested this last time I had pain like you describe).

In addition to your running and tracking your food

mave36

godlikepoetyes wrote: »

I have arthritis, fibromyalgia, and gastroparesis. I feel your pain. MFP has changed my life. I've lost weight and I feel better than I have in years. My level of pain is reduced tremendously. Feeling better has been my biggest motivation of all. And I do feel so much better. You will too!

Fantastic to hear!! Good for you

mave36

mathjulz wrote: »

If you haven't yet, you might want to ask your doctor for a referral to a physical therapist. They can show you some ways to safely strengthen your back, which can also help reduce chances of flare ups. (Depending on what causes it, of course ... but my doctor suggested this last time I had pain like you describe).

In addition to your running and tracking your food

I have worked very closely with my doctor and my chiropractor to rehabilitate. I have gone to physiotherapy in the past and they only caused my more pain for some reason. I have done lots of research and from experience exercise is the best tool to minimizing the pain. Thank you for your advice It's definitely a delicate thing and extreme caution is important

pansamanchada

I'll support ya. I log in daily.
Congrats on your success and sorry about the pain. You can do it!

Spliner1969

About 10 years ago I had back surgery for a bulging/herniated disc (L4/L5). It was so bad I lost all feeling (not to mention control over certain body functions) below my waist. It was emergency surgery and recovery took months. After that I resisted lifting anything over 25 lbs for years, used a recliner every night and did not exercise. I also quit smoking a year or two after the surgery and the weight started to pile on. By January of 2015 I was weighing 305lbs. I'm 6'2" tall so I carry the weight well, but not that well. The doctor had to put me on blood pressure medicine and that was my queue to get healthy. Well.. that and the arthritis in my knees and back. So I started with MFP and started walking daily on Valentines day 2015. I worked my way up to 4 miles a day every morning as fast as I could walk. I could not run, partly because I had forgotten how (the muscle memory was pretty much gone) and because the greater impact on my lower back was not a good idea. They did not fuse the vertebrae in my back, they simply trimmed the disk so it wasn't pressing on the nerves. This means that I had not much left in that area.

In June of 2015 I managed to herniate another disc in my back (likely 2). Doctor thinks it was from the constant impact of the walking and/or lifting weights incorrectly. I was down for the count and in more pain than I care to admit. With steroid shots this time I was back up on my feet like it never happened within 2 weeks. So I started right back in to walking 4 miles a day again.. bam.. I herniated another disc in my back and aggravated the two that had just healed. The pain was so bad I wanted to die. Seriously, anyone who has not experienced sciatic pain from ruptured discs will never understand. It makes you want to cut your legs off and requires heavy pain medication to get through. I was down again for 3 weeks this time with more steroid shots. At that point I had lost almost 60 pounds (yay me) but I wasn't sure what I would be able to do next.

In the spring of 2015 I purchased a Bowflex M5 Max Trainer. I decided it was too hard and thought I had wasted my money because I could barely stay on the thing at the time more than 2 minutes without my heart wanting to explode. This time though, in July when I was better I decided walking less and working my way into using the M5 which had no impact at all on my back would be best. So I dropped walking to 1 mile a day and used the M5 as much as I could. It took two months to get to the point that I could stay on the M5 long enough to burn serious calories, and for a while I was spending an hour on it a day instead of walking (that was a 1000 calorie burn for me). Now, since November of last year, I've changed it up to spending a half hour on the M5 each morning, then doing body weight training afterward while my heart rate was still elevated for a HIIT workout. I now walk only on weekends for a couple of miles just for fun. I never did re-learn to run but probably wouldn't try it for fear of injuring my back anyway.

I found some yoga moves that really (I mean it) helped with the lower back pain. They may help you. I do them every morning without fail before I work out.

http://www.prevention.com/fitness/sciatica-stretches-you-can-do-bed

The "Press Up" and "Press Up Extension" are the most important to me. It took time to get them right, and time to master them, but now they are easy and keep me from getting down in pain again. I would love to run, but I know I probably never will again. So I settle for walking when it's nice on the weekends, and using my M5 along with free weights and body weight training. Feel free to add me if you need a fellow back pain sufferer, but I'm hoping my pain is behind me. I still feel it some days, particularly in the morning with stiffness and pain. But I immediately get up, wash my face, and do those stretches and I feel great afterward. Push Ups, Pull Ups, Planks, and Crunches/Sit Ups have really helped strengthen the muscles in my back which is likely what you need as well. Hope this info helps, if even a little bit.