Lower back pain, suggestions?
crazyjerseygirl
Posts: 1,252 Member
First things first, I don't think I'm properly injured. The aches came on gradually, they just woulnt go away! They limit my mobility insomuch as I'm stiff. Mostly hurts to sit and bend and it kinda feels like muscle spasms.
Second, I am in a weights class run by a trainer and I will be talking to him today because this is getting old.
Third, ice and aleeve, got that!
Ok, so all that mess into consideration is there anything I can do to speed up back-healing? Does this happen often when starting out weight lifting, any exercises to strengthen the lower back after it heals, or even during the process?
Is this one of those things that just needs time or can I work through it? I'm 35 and this really is the first time a backache has lasted more than 2-3 days!
ETA: I'm currently about 215, 5'8" so obese but not morbidly so.
Second, I am in a weights class run by a trainer and I will be talking to him today because this is getting old.
Third, ice and aleeve, got that!
Ok, so all that mess into consideration is there anything I can do to speed up back-healing? Does this happen often when starting out weight lifting, any exercises to strengthen the lower back after it heals, or even during the process?
Is this one of those things that just needs time or can I work through it? I'm 35 and this really is the first time a backache has lasted more than 2-3 days!
ETA: I'm currently about 215, 5'8" so obese but not morbidly so.
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Replies
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yin yoga or a stretched and balanced class.0
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You need to have your form checked on the major movements.
If your form is crisp then you need to look to the volume of work and recovery. Make sure volume is not so high that your current recovery is inadequate.
Also, if you are doing movements that heavily impact the lower back, are you also doing other athletic activities that impact the lower back? You may need to weed out some of the chaff.
Finally, are you involved in a mostly-sitting job? You likely have weak/turned-off glutes and over-tight hip flexors, you find the lower back has to do extra duty to compensate and often becomes the weak link in the chain.
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You need to have your form checked on the major movements.
If your form is crisp then you need to look to the volume of work and recovery. Make sure volume is not so high that your current recovery is inadequate.
Also, if you are doing movements that heavily impact the lower back, are you also doing other athletic activities that impact the lower back? You may need to weed out some of the chaff.
Finally, are you involved in a mostly-sitting job? You likely have weak/turned-off glutes and over-tight hip flexors, you find the lower back has to do extra duty to compensate and often becomes the weak link in the chain.
Currently I'm just doing the weights class. I'm on lightweight and body weight stuff which makes this problem particularly embarrassing, I'm so weak!
I'm a lab rat by profession so on seated about 60% of the time and running about the other 40%. I can stand to stand more, maybe I'll stand at my bench from now on.0 -
You're going to get some benefit from glute activation exercises. Generally, people with switched off glutes have really tight hip flexors. You'll need to do some sort of hip flexor stretch to relax them a bit before moving onto some glute activation work. Bodyweight glute bridges, for example.
I'd check out this article:
https://www.t-nation.com/training/dispelling-the-glute-myth
(skip to the bit subtitled Phase One: Hip Flexor Flexibility and Glute Activation for what you're interested in)
If you do it the way he says, you'll reactivate your buns and learn to bring them into movements. That'll stop your lumbar spine compensating for stuff when it shouldn't.
In concert with the above, you should check out good sources online for form for the movements you are expected to perform. Make sure the trainer is aware of the issues you are having and have him/her watch you and correct accordingly. If they are unable/unwilling then walk away and don't look back.0 -
Work at a spine clinic here, please go get checked out by a professional, sometimes you can have small problems you might not know about that turn into something much bigger and more difficult to deal with (physical therapy, steroid injections, pain meds, surgery etc.) You don't want to mess around with your spine AT ALL. Make sure you are exercising using appropriate form at ALL times. But most of all do not ignore aches,pains and spasms for more than a week or so without at least getting checked out. I not only work at a spine clinic but my husband has serious back pain almost all day and all night because of a spondy that apparently he has had since he was in his early 20's that didn't start acting up until his 40's he will require surgery. Get it checked better safe than sorry. Back pain can seriously wreck your life.0
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crazyjerseygirl wrote: »
I use yin yoga on you tube by eckart yoga. it has to be the yin yoga that is slow and holds its poses about three minutes a piece. that activity stretches the facsitis...that is the inner material inside our bodies that is deep and does not get stretched in normal exercise or life...it has to be stretched deliberately.
It relieves my back and hip pain.
I bought a nine dollar exercise ball and six dollar exercise band and a eight dollar yoga mat all at walmart.
I have used this to relieve back and hip pain since dec 2013 and its a simple philosophy - whatever you can do...do whatever you can't do dont' do. In the course of a year and a few months I have become very flexible and I never was before I started doing this.
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After my baby I was having same problem later found out it is coccyxdinia... I m perfectly all right but when I sit for longer duration it hurts..0
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60 minutes Yin Yoga for the Spine. - Duration: 56:34.by Ekhart Yoga TV
You tube.0 -
Are you constipated or do you have IBS issues? Inflammation can cause all those issues.crazyjerseygirl wrote: »First things first, I don't think I'm properly injured. The aches came on gradually, they just woulnt go away! They limit my mobility insomuch as I'm stiff. Mostly hurts to sit and bend and it kinda feels like muscle spasms.
Second, I am in a weights class run by a trainer and I will be talking to him today because this is getting old.
Third, ice and aleeve, got that!
Ok, so all that mess into consideration is there anything I can do to speed up back-healing? Does this happen often when starting out weight lifting, any exercises to strengthen the lower back after it heals, or even during the process?
Is this one of those things that just needs time or can I work through it? I'm 35 and this really is the first time a backache has lasted more than 2-3 days!
ETA: I'm currently about 215, 5'8" so obese but not morbidly so.
Do you measure your water intake for the day, and track it so you know you are drinking enough?
If not, your body can be constipated, and have a myriad of other symptoms as well.
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My boyfriend has one of those IcyHot tens unit therapy things that he swears by. He's had back problems forever and he wears that thing almost like it's a permanent part of him.0
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I’ve had back pain for many years now.
First, I second the recommendation that you ensure your form is spot on during weight training. I can’t think of anything more important. Second, you might consider chiropractic adjustment or physiotherapy, but make sure you’re getting someone actually qualified. A bad chiro can do some damage. My physiotherapist recommended some lower back stretches that helped. Lower back pain can also be caused by other muscles being too tight, like a poster mentioned above, so I’d recommend stretching your IT bands, psoas muscle, and glutes. Yoga is a great way to incorporate these stretches - I really like Bryan Kest’s power yoga routine, which is available on youtube (it has three levels, from easier to more intense).
Good luck, and I’m sure you’ll get back on track soon.0 -
crazyjerseygirl wrote: »
The usual disclosure: Please consult a medical professional before following my advice:
You can try:
• Rody Yee's Back Care Yoga for Beginners: Amazing DVD, it's about $10 on Amazon.
• Deep Stretch Yin Yoga with Mimi Solaire. Also on Amazon.
and I just got from the library (free!)
• Yin & Yang Yoga with Simon Low
Yin yoga is usually slow paced and concentrated on stretching and deep movements.
Any exercise recommendations to do during and after healing totally depend on the cause of your pain:
Do you have a pulled muscle?
bulging disc?
what's the cause? poor form lifting? weak abs)
For strengthening the core, I really like Pilates. But I really recommend that you get the pain under control before you attempt a new strengthening routine.
I have a ton of back issues (bulging discs throughout) I wish you a speedy recovery
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beachhouse758 wrote: »crazyjerseygirl wrote: »
The usual disclosure: Please consult a medical professional before following my advice:
You can try:
• Rody Yee's Back Care Yoga for Beginners: Amazing DVD, it's about $10 on Amazon.
• Deep Stretch Yin Yoga with Mimi Solaire. Also on Amazon.
and I just got from the library (free!)
• Yin & Yang Yoga with Simon Low
Yin yoga is usually slow paced and concentrated on stretching and deep movements.
Any exercise recommendations to due during and after healing totally depend on the cause of your pain:
Do you have a pulled muscle?
bulging disc?
what's the cause? poor form lifting? weak abs)
For strengthening the core, I really like Pilates. But I really recommend that you get the pain under control before you attempt a new strengthening routine.
I have a ton of back issues (bulging discs throughout) I wish you a speedy recovery
I like Rodney Yee but he is in great great shape and i don't think he realizes not all of us are.
I like eckart becasue she is sensitive to all of us and all body conditions.
The advice given to me with Yin Yoga is if you are in pain...or injured dont' hold your poses as long as three minutes...go for 1.5 minutes
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[/quote]
I like Rodney Yee but he is in great great shape and i don't think he realizes not all of us are.
I like eckart becasue she is sensitive to all of us and all body conditions.
The advice given to me with Yin Yoga is if you are in pain...or injured dont' hold your poses as long as three minutes...go for 1.5 minutes
[/quote]
Rodney has a range of videos. The one above is geared toward people that are not experience in yoga and that have back problems. It uses props like a chair, a yoga strap (you can use a belt or bathrobe tie) and a block (you can use books or a box of baby wipes)
It is about 20 minutes and all movements are modified assuming that the user has limited range of motion.
I have a ton of Rodney Yee videos and you are right in that some are very advance and require great strength and flexibility. But Back Care Yoga for Beginners is not one of them, I highly recommend it.
The Mimi Solaire DVD is also very nice. She is an older lady who is in fantastic shape and gives great cuing in the video. It's not a "stretching competition" type of yoga, but geared more towards healing and renewal.
I will look into Eckart's video too. Thanks for the suggestion
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beachhouse758 wrote: »
I like Rodney Yee but he is in great great shape and i don't think he realizes not all of us are.
I like eckart becasue she is sensitive to all of us and all body conditions.
The advice given to me with Yin Yoga is if you are in pain...or injured dont' hold your poses as long as three minutes...go for 1.5 minutes
[/quote]
Rodney has a range of videos. The one above is geared toward people that are not experience in yoga and that have back problems. It uses props like a chair, a yoga strap (you can use a belt or bathrobe tie) and a block (you can use books or a box of baby wipes)
It is about 20 minutes and all movements are modified assuming that the user has limited range of motion.
I have a ton of Rodney Yee videos and you are right in that some are very advance and require great strength and flexibility. But Back Care Yoga for Beginners is not one of them, I highly recommend it.
The Mimi Solaire DVD is also very nice. She is an older lady who is in fantastic shape and gives great cuing in the video. It's not a "stretching competition" type of yoga, but geared more towards healing and renewal.
I will look into Eckart's video too. Thanks for the suggestion
[/quote]
Thank you. I have seen some videos that are more intense than my cardio workout. I do use a couple Rodney Yee videos but I do them when I am feeling at my peak. He is a very strong leader.
I;ll look these up thanks for the tips
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Go get checked out by a healthcare prof. I am physiotherapist and very often the LBP is more serious than a patient think.....I'm sure you don't want to mess around with your spine and the spinal nerves.0
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If you have a professional trainer have them do a movement assessment on you and try to work with you on a way to improve your lower back health. Getting rid of the pain is only part of it, you need to find out why this is happening. It's impossible for me to give a good recommendation without doing a movement assessment on you.
What I do see in your description is the muscle tightness. Lower back pain can very much be caused by overly tight hips, piriformis, and / or quadratus lumborum; I deal with it myself. Get yourself a lacrosse ball and do some self-myofacial release on your hip flexors, glutes, and piriformis with it. Look-up "Piriformis Syndrome".Actually, use it on your Latissimus as well because any tightness in that muscle can transfer downward into your lower back. The lats have a lot do with your posture. Then follow the SMR with some static stretching for the same areas, a minimum of 30-sec holds but honestly shoot for longer on days you're not training.
But you have to find out why this is happening or you're not really correcting the problem. Lower back pain can also be the cause of a lack of lower back endurance and or poor development of other core musculature (obliques, rectus abdominus, transverse abdominus, glutes maximus, etc.).0 -
CJG how strong are your abs? I'm not a lifter but I work with postpartum women who are trying to get back in shape and they almost always complain of lower back pain because their abs have gotten weak and stretched out with the pregnancy. Hopefully full core work is part of your routine, but I thought I'd mention it as a possibility to your problems. Good luck!0
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beachhouse758 wrote: »crazyjerseygirl wrote: »
The usual disclosure: Please consult a medical professional before following my advice:
You can try:
• Rody Yee's Back Care Yoga for Beginners: Amazing DVD, it's about $10 on Amazon.
• Deep Stretch Yin Yoga with Mimi Solaire. Also on Amazon.
and I just got from the library (free!)
• Yin & Yang Yoga with Simon Low
Yin yoga is usually slow paced and concentrated on stretching and deep movements.
Any exercise recommendations to do during and after healing totally depend on the cause of your pain:
Do you have a pulled muscle?
bulging disc?
what's the cause? poor form lifting? weak abs)
For strengthening the core, I really like Pilates. But I really recommend that you get the pain under control before you attempt a new strengthening routine.
I have a ton of back issues (bulging discs throughout) I wish you a speedy recovery
The pain is lower than I am "used to". Below the small of the back, almost on hip level. I don't think it's a burst disk simply because my husband had one diagnosed and could barely walk. It tinged me when I stretch though once I loosen up I have full range of motion.
Stupid spine0 -
CJG how strong are your abs? I'm not a lifter but I work with postpartum women who are trying to get back in shape and they almost always complain of lower back pain because their abs have gotten weak and stretched out with the pregnancy. Hopefully full core work is part of your routine, but I thought I'd mention it as a possibility to your problems. Good luck!
I have ok abs, and my back will give before they do, but I'm potato shaped so I cans see definition!
Im wondering if this is partially my pelvic floor muscles. Within a week of working out my...Ahh...other post partum issues had disappeared!0 -
CJG how strong are your abs? I'm not a lifter but I work with postpartum women who are trying to get back in shape and they almost always complain of lower back pain because their abs have gotten weak and stretched out with the pregnancy. Hopefully full core work is part of your routine, but I thought I'd mention it as a possibility to your problems. Good luck!
I have ok abs, and my back will give before they do, but I'm potato shaped so I cans see definition!
Im wondering if this is partially my pelvic floor muscles. Within a week of working out my...Ahh...other post partum issues had disappeared!0 -
crazyjerseygirl wrote: »beachhouse758 wrote: »crazyjerseygirl wrote: »
The usual disclosure: Please consult a medical professional before following my advice:
You can try:
• Rody Yee's Back Care Yoga for Beginners: Amazing DVD, it's about $10 on Amazon.
• Deep Stretch Yin Yoga with Mimi Solaire. Also on Amazon.
and I just got from the library (free!)
• Yin & Yang Yoga with Simon Low
Yin yoga is usually slow paced and concentrated on stretching and deep movements.
Any exercise recommendations to do during and after healing totally depend on the cause of your pain:
Do you have a pulled muscle?
bulging disc?
what's the cause? poor form lifting? weak abs)
For strengthening the core, I really like Pilates. But I really recommend that you get the pain under control before you attempt a new strengthening routine.
I have a ton of back issues (bulging discs throughout) I wish you a speedy recovery
The pain is lower than I am "used to". Below the small of the back, almost on hip level. I don't think it's a burst disk simply because my husband had one diagnosed and could barely walk. It tinged me when I stretch though once I loosen up I have full range of motion.
Stupid spine
sounds a little like your SI (sacroiliac joints) can be one or both. My husbands left one gets locked up and inflamed all the time. There are gentle ways to unlock and exercise this area but again you should see a professional first. Back pain is one of the number one reasons people call out of work (legitimately lol) in America, so nothing to F around with
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Obviously, as others have pointed out, you need to see a doctor to determine what is really happening. My lower back pain and muscle spasms were fortunately no more serious than alignment problems. Initial therapy with a chiropractor (now I just go in occasionally "as needed"), yoga, and core work took care of the bulk of my issues. I hope your issues are as readily resolved! Good luck!0
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Part 1 was successful!
Chatted with trainer, he tweaked my exercise & form and voila! No more achy then when I went in!0 -
I have had what sounds like the same back issues you have. We also have almost the same everything, height, weight, age.
When my back starts to hurt, going from sitting to standing I always have to pause for a few seconds because it hurts to breath. Anyway, I don't have insurance so I did a bit of checking online and I decided to try some shoe inserts and some OTC medicine for back pain. The pain was gone the next day and I haven't had any issues since. It's only been a few weeks but for now I'm thinking it is working.0 -
This is an awesome article! I suffer from lower back pain when using the leg press and I've had my PT check my form (weirdly, "it's perfect") but I just did those exercises and I can already feel it being the good loose - will have to do it after tomorrow's leg day too. Thanks for posting that!You're going to get some benefit from glute activation exercises. Generally, people with switched off glutes have really tight hip flexors. You'll need to do some sort of hip flexor stretch to relax them a bit before moving onto some glute activation work. Bodyweight glute bridges, for example.
I'd check out this article:
https://www.t-nation.com/training/dispelling-the-glute-myth
(skip to the bit subtitled Phase One: Hip Flexor Flexibility and Glute Activation for what you're interested in)
If you do it the way he says, you'll reactivate your buns and learn to bring them into movements. That'll stop your lumbar spine compensating for stuff when it shouldn't.
In concert with the above, you should check out good sources online for form for the movements you are expected to perform. Make sure the trainer is aware of the issues you are having and have him/her watch you and correct accordingly. If they are unable/unwilling then walk away and don't look back.
/hijack
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You're going to get some benefit from glute activation exercises. Generally, people with switched off glutes have really tight hip flexors. You'll need to do some sort of hip flexor stretch to relax them a bit before moving onto some glute activation work. Bodyweight glute bridges, for example.
I'd check out this article:
https://www.t-nation.com/training/dispelling-the-glute-myth
(skip to the bit subtitled Phase One: Hip Flexor Flexibility and Glute Activation for what you're interested in)
If you do it the way he says, you'll reactivate your buns and learn to bring them into movements. That'll stop your lumbar spine compensating for stuff when it shouldn't.
In concert with the above, you should check out good sources online for form for the movements you are expected to perform. Make sure the trainer is aware of the issues you are having and have him/her watch you and correct accordingly. If they are unable/unwilling then walk away and don't look back.
So I just did these and it was all good till my toddler jumped on and shouted " GO HORSEY GO!!!"
So yeah, I'll try these again when he's asleep.0
This discussion has been closed.
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