BACK PAIN sufferers and conquers

Hey emmy,

I don't suffer from back pain, so if you don't want my suggestion, that's perfectly understandable.
However, I am currently reading a nice e-book called Yoga for Regular Guys (http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/yoga-for-regular-guys-diamond-dallas-page/1113010204?ean=9781594746888), which is kind of the ancestor to thequite popular DDPYoga program. Diamond Dallas Page (DDP, if you're not into wrestling, like me) had a back injury and used yoga to get rid of his pains. Of course, in a case like your husband's, it would be better to ask his doctor if he's allowed to do yoga, if you want to try.

I have lorodosis (a very mild form of scoliosis) resulting in a weak lower back, which frequently caused me back pain during the day, particularly if I was on my feet for too long. The two things I found to be the biggest help to me have been yoga early on to help with my flexibility and basic core strength and compound lifts (specifically squats and deadlifts) to strengthen my lower back. The combination has helped me a lot. He could start with basic bodyweight exercises and progress up from there as he gets stronger. Probably a good idea to talk to a PT though. They'd have better information.

MSM, weight loss, chiropractic, and hydration. I have degenerating discs and osteoarthritis and that all helps. My mother had a neck fusion which led to two more in the same place and now she has lost almost all the mobility of her neck and has a lot of the same issue still.

I have done stretching exercises, which has helped greatly. There's a series on PBS (and on DVD) that's all about stretching and relieving pain... Classical Stretch. Non-impact. Really, look into it.

I have been suffering from back pain for 3 months now. My vertebre is bent in my lower back and pressing the nerves causing me sciatica pain. I was very active before this happened. I saw a chiropractor for 12 visits and really didnt notice a huge difference doing that except in my bank account.

I did physical therapy and started a stretching routine and getting massages a couple times a month ( deep tissue / theraputic) and i notice a huge difference since doing that. I also went back to exercising and strengthening my core since i wasent able to exercise for over a month.

I started with walking which was a huge help for me. I found that i had little pain when i walked and it does help the back. I bought a book on stretching and make sure that i do that several times a day. I also use ice on my back a couple times a day plus ibuprofin or advil.

I was going to try yoga but have been hearing that if you suffer from low back pain alot of the moves can make it worse.

I still suffer from mild pain and a spasm now and then but, doing the above things has made it less and less.

As for foods....i noticed ( in my case) when i cut out most of the junk sugar ( sweets , cookies cakes etc) my imflamation went way down as well as not eating as much processed food. Alot of those types of foods have so many addatives etc that can cause imflamation in your cells.

In the several weeks i spent doing nothing but , laying down and resting i felt the worst. Inactivity will make it worse. Hope it helps

Well I never had any severe pain or issues like your husband is experiencing, but I did have a little bit from carrying around extra weight. I was able to take Aleve and I started doing yoga. I have noticed a great improvement. I also notice that strengthening my core with squats and deadlifts was very beneficial. I am not a doctor or anything though so I can't suggest those for your husband.

Good Morning Emmy! I am a current back pain sufferer due to degeneration in my discs. First of all I am pleased to see their are some helpful suggestions above. My chiropractor recommends the following Lumbar / Core Strengthening and stability, hydration and stretching. Here is a link to exercises and stretches from Princeton University. http://www.princeton.edu/uhs/pdfs/Lumbar.pdf

I have not had surgery or shots in the past
My Chiro says surgery is the absolute last option!

I would be interested in hearing results from anyone that has had shots to help with pain management!

Regards,
Steve

I second the Yoga recommendation. Look into DDP Yoga. It is very "guy friendly". In fact it used to be called Yoga for Regular Guys. There is a very inspirational video that went viral a couple of years ago:
http://youtu.be/qX9FSZJu448

Check it out. I originally looked into it for a client of mine with serious flexibility issues (I'm a trainer), but started doing it myself and I love it. The workouts are on DVD and are really great at encouraging modification based on whatever limitations you might have.

I have rheumatoid arthritis. I find a hot bath helps for immediate pain relief (I pretty regularly "boil myself"). Other than that staying hydrated, eating healthily and trying not to 'over-do' it seems to stave off flare-ups and unmanageable pain for the most part.

Building up core strength will help support the spine itself and take some of the strain away.

Oh, and anti-inflammatory pills when necessary.

Not sure how helpful any of that will be though since our conditions are very different.

the best thing you can do to support your back is to strengthen your core - this is from my dr - oh and drop any excess weight that you are carrying

and just to throw an opposing point of view, my mom had 2 ruptured discs in her back repaired surgically 30+ years ago, did her pt day in and day out - still does it sometimes now just to stay flexible - and has never regretted the decision to have the surgery (had had no follow up problems at all).

I have had recurring sciatica since I was bout 17 and it has been pretty debilitating in the past. To be honest, I haven't had any issues with it at all since I've lost weight. Seems like when I am overweight it is more likely to act up.

I also agree with other posters who said strengthening the back/core. I do back extensions, knee raises (hanging from a bar) and a few bootleg pilates moves to work on my midsection.

I had a disc herniation in my lumbar spine. I tried EVERYTHING... chiropractor, physical therapy, medicine. Ended up on Lyrica and Percocet which made me gain 80 lbs. Finally I demanded surgery. Since the fusion, I have not had one single problem. I am so glad I had the surgery, and the surgeon told me it was a good thing I did, because my spine was a mess.

from sometime in my teens onward I had tremendous debilitating back pain and the doctors told me after reviewing several years of MRI images that I had degenerative disc disease. Around 28 I was walking with a cane and was rotating between percocet and vicodin with muscle relaxants and was told I needed to wait till I was older and have a spinal fusion but until then to manage the pain and avoid heavy lifting. I had a desk job and had slowly gained weight up to 240 lbs and couldn't handle it any more. I Had never been active and wanted to shed the pounds. I started c25k and found that if I took my pain meds, I could run! I dropped to 200 lbs and found I needed less and less pain pills. I set a goal when I turned 29 to run 30 miles on my 30th birthday.

you know what. thats not what you asked.... end story. tl:dr

I started strong lifts and had a few episodes that set me back to using my cane -
but I have now been pain med free for nearly a year now ( I just turned 32) and I squat 240 and deadlift 280. Sitting around was the worst thing I could have ever done for my back and back pain. Sure some day I might still need help but for now strengthening my back and core has done more than 15 years of physical therapy and pain meds ever did.

I was in a car accident 1 1/2 years ago. I have constant back/spine/neck/and shoulder pain. I just started easy learning my boundaries. Walking was good because I have bad posture (says the pt people). Just being strong in your core back and shoulders with walking will help him. I tried injections In my neck, couldn't move each time for three days. Pt helped strengthen but got to a point where they couldn't help anymore. Ice,heat, and a Tens unite is what helps me the most these days. Meds also help but aren't the best obviously.

If you have anymore questions, I'm an open book!

This site has excellent information for relieving back pain.

http://www.drbookspan.com/BackPainArticle.html