Exercises for Arthritis in the back
Misssynth
Posts: 179 Member
My partner has had some lower back pain for the last few months and the doctor has said it is most probably arthritis because he's 'old and tall' (he's 41 and 6ft 6). He usually goes to the gym often, runs, deadlifts, hanging leg raises etc etc but he can't do that while his back is hurting and he's on his meds, but the doctor has said that he should stay active and won't damage his back more, just to be careful. Does anyone know any good exercises for him? He's currently just walking on the treadmill or using the cross trainer when it's not too painful, doing planks and glute bridges. Anything else that might be good?
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I have no experience with arthritis so please take that into account with my answer but I do have experience with lower back pain.
When suffering Dead lifts and squats are a no-no for me, as are overhead presses _ Anything that compresses the spine basically. But, i'm able to do other strength work.
To specifically work on the lower back mobility I do a lot of yoga moves (upwards, and downwards dog, child's pose and supine twists). I also do some slow and controlled roman chair back extensions.
For cardio I use the stationary bike and swimming (not breaststroke but crawl and backstroke).3 -
Yoga and Pilates check out YouTube and look up in particular what he needs...lots of great videos.
Swimming would be good too, anything to strengthen his core to help support his back and take some pressure off. Yoga does so much for the body.
Here's a link that talks about ways that can help with the back.
http://www.spine-health.com/wellness/yoga-pilates-tai-chi/how-yoga-helps-back3 -
I have suggested yoga to him but he doesn't enjoy it. We don't have an affordable pool near us either for swimming which is a shame. I'm going to pester him to try yoga again I think!1
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'Probably' - what if its not? Lazy doctoring right there. No blood tests looking for inflammation? No xrays looking for bone damage? Aside from that 41 isn't old.
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tiptoethruthetulips wrote: »'Probably' - what if its not? Lazy doctoring right there. No blood tests looking for inflammation? No xrays looking for bone damage? Aside from that 41 isn't old.
He's on the waiting list for an MRI, but we'll be waiting for a few months at least.0 -
My partner has had some lower back pain for the last few months and the doctor has said it is most probably arthritis because he's 'old and tall' (he's 41 and 6ft 6). He usually goes to the gym often, runs, deadlifts, hanging leg raises etc etc but he can't do that while his back is hurting and he's on his meds, but the doctor has said that he should stay active and won't damage his back more, just to be careful. Does anyone know any good exercises for him? He's currently just walking on the treadmill or using the cross trainer when it's not too painful, doing planks and glute bridges. Anything else that might be good?
I've got the tall lanky body type as well. Add in age to boot along with arthritis diagnosed in my lower back - I can relate. Did they do an x-ray or image (MRI/Ultrasound) on your partner to confirm? There are so many types of arthritis, that it's not always an easy, straight forward diagnosis. Symptoms can come and go depending on the type, lifestyle, and how one manages the pain and inflammation. Mine is the OA type - so my lower back, knees and hips take the brunt of the pain/inflammation. It all started around age 40, and here it is 15 years later which means I notice it more these days - especially the stiffness when I get up after sitting for a while.
I try at all costs to avoid taking pain medications (due to stomach issues the NSAIDS cause), but use as many anti-inflammatory foods in my daily diet as possible (cinnamon, garlic, tomatoes, olive oil, walnuts/almonds, salmon, blueberries/strawberries, pineapple, beets, spinach, bok choy, celery, broccoli, etc...). Stretching, as well as a foam roller to work out the kinks in the legs, back seem to help. Warmth (heating pad, hot showers) helps. However, one has to maintain all of that even during times when the back feels okay when no symptoms are present. I also try and get a massage at least once a month if not more often to help work out the hot spots and keep things limber.
Squats and deadlifts can be very unkind due to the compression, but if a daily regimen of keeping inflammation at bay, stretching, etc... is also used - one can mitigate their way through at least most of the larger lifts and continue with all the favorite exercise. I still bang my back up and down mountain bike trails for hours per week, lift weights, go for long walks, ski, and just try to deal with the OA inflammation/pain the best I can with what I described above.
Best of luck to your partner. One learns to live with it, but exercise is important to strengthen the muscles around all of the joints.1 -
SingingSingleTracker wrote: »My partner has had some lower back pain for the last few months and the doctor has said it is most probably arthritis because he's 'old and tall' (he's 41 and 6ft 6). He usually goes to the gym often, runs, deadlifts, hanging leg raises etc etc but he can't do that while his back is hurting and he's on his meds, but the doctor has said that he should stay active and won't damage his back more, just to be careful. Does anyone know any good exercises for him? He's currently just walking on the treadmill or using the cross trainer when it's not too painful, doing planks and glute bridges. Anything else that might be good?
I've got the tall lanky body type as well. Add in age to boot along with arthritis diagnosed in my lower back - I can relate. Did they do an x-ray or image (MRI/Ultrasound) on your partner to confirm? There are so many types of arthritis, that it's not always an easy, straight forward diagnosis. Symptoms can come and go depending on the type, lifestyle, and how one manages the pain and inflammation. Mine is the OA type - so my lower back, knees and hips take the brunt of the pain/inflammation. It all started around age 40, and here it is 15 years later which means I notice it more these days - especially the stiffness when I get up after sitting for a while.
I try at all costs to avoid taking pain medications (due to stomach issues the NSAIDS cause), but use as many anti-inflammatory foods in my daily diet as possible (cinnamon, garlic, tomatoes, olive oil, walnuts/almonds, salmon, blueberries/strawberries, pineapple, beets, spinach, bok choy, celery, broccoli, etc...). Stretching, as well as a foam roller to work out the kinks in the legs, back seem to help. Warmth (heating pad, hot showers) helps. However, one has to maintain all of that even during times when the back feels okay when no symptoms are present. I also try and get a massage at least once a month if not more often to help work out the hot spots and keep things limber.
Squats and deadlifts can be very unkind due to the compression, but if a daily regimen of keeping inflammation at bay, stretching, etc... is also used - one can mitigate their way through at least most of the larger lifts and continue with all the favorite exercise. I still bang my back up and down mountain bike trails for hours per week, lift weights, go for long walks, ski, and just try to deal with the OA inflammation/pain the best I can with what I described above.
Best of luck to your partner. One learns to live with it, but exercise is important to strengthen the muscles around all of the joints.
Thank you for this, I'm going to show him your post. He's on the wait list for an MRI to confirm, but the doctor also suffers from the same symptoms and that is what it is for him. He's currently taking some anti-inflammatory and luckily they're not disagreeing with his stomach too much. He had this same type of pain last year too, it seems he turned 40 and suddenly it happened! He uses a heating pad and it helps the pain, as well as laying on the floor as sitting on the sofa aggravates it. We wondered if it's the onset of cold weather that could have triggered it. We have a foam roller so I'll suggest he uses that too. Would you suggest keeping up with the stretching and the heat once the pain has gone then?0 -
My partner has had some lower back pain for the last few months and the doctor has said it is most probably arthritis because he's 'old and tall' (he's 41 and 6ft 6). He usually goes to the gym often, runs, deadlifts, hanging leg raises etc etc but he can't do that while his back is hurting and he's on his meds, but the doctor has said that he should stay active and won't damage his back more, just to be careful. Does anyone know any good exercises for him? He's currently just walking on the treadmill or using the cross trainer when it's not too painful, doing planks and glute bridges. Anything else that might be good?
The exercise I suggest is seeing another doctor.
Edited: I saw he has an MRI scheduled. That's good. He should rule out serious illness before going with arthritis. Persistent strong pain is a warning sign. Not to scare you, but I know someone who had persistent pain in his spine and a doctor told him a fall caused it, gave him pain pills, and sent him home (it was cancer). Has he asked about tests for kidney problems? Good luck.
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PennWalker wrote: »My partner has had some lower back pain for the last few months and the doctor has said it is most probably arthritis because he's 'old and tall' (he's 41 and 6ft 6). He usually goes to the gym often, runs, deadlifts, hanging leg raises etc etc but he can't do that while his back is hurting and he's on his meds, but the doctor has said that he should stay active and won't damage his back more, just to be careful. Does anyone know any good exercises for him? He's currently just walking on the treadmill or using the cross trainer when it's not too painful, doing planks and glute bridges. Anything else that might be good?
The exercise I suggest is running to another doctor.
What tests did the doctor run to rule out other illness? Urinalysis for kidney problems? Xrays? MRI? Persistent strong pain is a warning sign. I would insist that other illness be ruled out before I accepted the arthritis diagnosis.
Not to scare you, but I know someone who had persistent pain in his spine and a doctor told him a fall caused it, gave him pain pills, and sent him home. It was cancer.
He's been to the doctor, 3 times in all for the same complaint. The anti-inflammatory and heat help, which make it seem like it's most likely arthritis or a trapped nerve. He's not in constant strong pain. He's still at work, in fact the more he moves/walks and doesnt sit down the less the ache is. He only gets pain when he moves too quickly or twists a funny way. He had this before for a couple of months and then it went away again for almost a year. As I said, he's on the waiting list for an MRI. I have stated that twice.0 -
OK--you think 41 is old, and I'm 61 with OA for many years. I swim 3x a week, plus gym, and yoga flex ( a light, stretching yoga, that specifically works on the back, among other things). Once he gets better, he has to keep up back exercises. I think they are essential to keep back problems at bay, or at least managable. He may not like yoga, but it's beneficial for flexability. Sometimes we have to suck it up and do things for our own good.0
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snowflake954 wrote: »OK--you think 41 is old, and I'm 61 with OA for many years. I swim 3x a week, plus gym, and yoga flex ( a light, stretching yoga, that specifically works on the back, among other things). Once he gets better, he has to keep up back exercises. I think they are essential to keep back problems at bay, or at least managable. He may not like yoga, but it's beneficial for flexability. Sometimes we have to suck it up and do things for our own good.
I didn't say I think 41 is old, that's the exact quote from the doctor. It was said in humour, something no one here seems to understand ¬¬
He does a LOT of core work in the gym normally, he's frustraited because he's used to doing core work with decent added weight and now he's back to doing gentle stuff I guess.0 -
snowflake954 wrote: »OK--you think 41 is old, and I'm 61 with OA for many years. I swim 3x a week, plus gym, and yoga flex ( a light, stretching yoga, that specifically works on the back, among other things). Once he gets better, he has to keep up back exercises. I think they are essential to keep back problems at bay, or at least managable. He may not like yoga, but it's beneficial for flexability. Sometimes we have to suck it up and do things for our own good.
I didn't say I think 41 is old, that's the exact quote from the doctor. It was said in humour, something no one here seems to understand ¬¬
He does a LOT of core work in the gym normally, he's frustraited because he's used to doing core work with decent added weight and now he's back to doing gentle stuff I guess.
I do planking and other core work too--but it doesn't do what yoga will for you.1 -
I also suggest seeing another doctor, one that specializes in the back. This doctor, after doing various tests and xrays, should then recommend the type of treatment and/or physical therapy for strengthening and pain management assuming there is nothing worse going on.1
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tiptoethruthetulips wrote: »'Probably' - what if its not? Lazy doctoring right there. No blood tests looking for inflammation? No xrays looking for bone damage? Aside from that 41 isn't old.
My dad was told that by his MD I told him to go to a chiropractor who exrayed him and sent him directly to a radiologist he had prostate cancer.0 -
SingingSingleTracker wrote: »My partner has had some lower back pain for the last few months and the doctor has said it is most probably arthritis because he's 'old and tall' (he's 41 and 6ft 6). He usually goes to the gym often, runs, deadlifts, hanging leg raises etc etc but he can't do that while his back is hurting and he's on his meds, but the doctor has said that he should stay active and won't damage his back more, just to be careful. Does anyone know any good exercises for him? He's currently just walking on the treadmill or using the cross trainer when it's not too painful, doing planks and glute bridges. Anything else that might be good?
I've got the tall lanky body type as well. Add in age to boot along with arthritis diagnosed in my lower back - I can relate. Did they do an x-ray or image (MRI/Ultrasound) on your partner to confirm? There are so many types of arthritis, that it's not always an easy, straight forward diagnosis. Symptoms can come and go depending on the type, lifestyle, and how one manages the pain and inflammation. Mine is the OA type - so my lower back, knees and hips take the brunt of the pain/inflammation. It all started around age 40, and here it is 15 years later which means I notice it more these days - especially the stiffness when I get up after sitting for a while.
I try at all costs to avoid taking pain medications (due to stomach issues the NSAIDS cause), but use as many anti-inflammatory foods in my daily diet as possible (cinnamon, garlic, tomatoes, olive oil, walnuts/almonds, salmon, blueberries/strawberries, pineapple, beets, spinach, bok choy, celery, broccoli, etc...). Stretching, as well as a foam roller to work out the kinks in the legs, back seem to help. Warmth (heating pad, hot showers) helps. However, one has to maintain all of that even during times when the back feels okay when no symptoms are present. I also try and get a massage at least once a month if not more often to help work out the hot spots and keep things limber.
Squats and deadlifts can be very unkind due to the compression, but if a daily regimen of keeping inflammation at bay, stretching, etc... is also used - one can mitigate their way through at least most of the larger lifts and continue with all the favorite exercise. I still bang my back up and down mountain bike trails for hours per week, lift weights, go for long walks, ski, and just try to deal with the OA inflammation/pain the best I can with what I described above.
Best of luck to your partner. One learns to live with it, but exercise is important to strengthen the muscles around all of the joints.
Thank you for this, I'm going to show him your post. He's on the wait list for an MRI to confirm, but the doctor also suffers from the same symptoms and that is what it is for him. He's currently taking some anti-inflammatory and luckily they're not disagreeing with his stomach too much. He had this same type of pain last year too, it seems he turned 40 and suddenly it happened! He uses a heating pad and it helps the pain, as well as laying on the floor as sitting on the sofa aggravates it. We wondered if it's the onset of cold weather that could have triggered it. We have a foam roller so I'll suggest he uses that too. Would you suggest keeping up with the stretching and the heat once the pain has gone then?
Yes, I highly suggest keeping the discipline of stretching and using heat (some prefer cold) - even when things are seemingly hunky dory. My lower back pain can come and go (at will appears sometimes). So staying diligent with regard to stretching, working out the hot spots, and general maintenance tends to lessen the severity of a flare up. That being said, loading up a U-Haul or truck with furniture for a few hours pretty much guarantees that I will have a flare up the following day no matter what I do. But that is only every now and then. On top of his arthritis, we tall drinks of water often are not as flexible as less tall people. Keeping things as flexible as possible helps mitigate a lot of the discomfort.
Also, have him watch a bunch of videos and read up on deadlifts and squats designed for tall people to keep the lower back in good shape. Switching to a wider stance (or at least more open stance) helped me immensely.0 -
According to that doc, I'm probably a geezer at 44.0
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They take awhile to work to start, but MSM and turmeric and wonderful for inflammation. Since taking MSM alone I've lost most of the swelling and all of the pain in my thumb. I use this brand http://www.gnc.com/Jarrow-Formulas-MSM-1000-Powder/product.jsp?productId=107197806&network=g&device=c&product_id=24645678&creative=125833980554&c3ch=PLA&c3nid=24645678&matchtype=&adpos=1o5&gclid=CjwKEAiAp97CBRDr2Oyl-faxqRMSJABx4kh9ZCiCS0eQHK_s4ivMrmz7TIKpAN24pJ3tTQ-QLWO2oxoCUR7w_wcB&eesource=CA_DF:107197806:GNC
Its a powder with a tiny scoop, I use one in the morning and one at night, it dissolves instantly in a large glass of water and is nearly tasteless.
Magnesium can help with spasms, which may be a large part of the pain. There's a product called Slo Mag that works best for me, since Magnesium comes in many different forms.0 -
I have spinal arthritis and I do back extensions every time I train back. They have done wonders for me.1
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How do some of you guys seriously think 'old and tall' is literally all the doctor said?! We have an excellent doctors surgery in our village, but i'm not exactly going to type out the entire conversation (which I wasn't there for anyway). Looking for exercise advice, not doom and gloom stories and presuming we go to some micky mouse doctor0
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He should speak with a specialist who can put him in touch with an orthopedist or physical therapist trained in working with spinal arthritis.2
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Do you have access to a pool? My wife has arthritis on the back.and her doctor recommends walking in the pool. The buoyancy.takes some of the stress off the spine. The resistance from the water helps strengthen the core muscles.0
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Bike riding. I have a similar issue as him. It's about the only work out I could do. Until my back injury started effecting my leg. I do couch serfing now.0
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https://breakingmuscle.com/learn/heal-your-lower-back-pain-with-these-5-yoga-poses?page=0,1
and...
http://www.yogajournal.com/pose/upward-facing-dog/ (This one helps me the most because of previous disc injuries)
I do the Sphinx and the Upward Facing Dog every morning when I get out of bed before exercise. Then I do it again before bed at night. Sometimes I'll do them again coupled with some of the others in the videos above during my circuit training workout. I have spinal stenosis, a disc that has been previously partially removed in my Lumbar spine, and several bulging (now healed thanks to these stretches) discs in the Lumbar area. These stretches have been the most beneficial for me. I also stay far far away from dead lifts and do no more than body weight squats. YMMV.0 -
Looking for exercise advice, not doom and gloom stories and presuming we go to some micky mouse doctor
it's difficult to advise exercise for someone with an unknown condition and whose life we know nothing about, especially when it's about something as serious as the lumbar spine.
i'll say these things though: strong glutes probably never hurt anyone much, so theraband walks will at least get/keep them activated. bridges might be okay, but to be honest when i tried doing them recently with a cranky s.i. thing going on, it didn't work out too well as it's harder than you'd think to do a bridge with NO movement in the lumbar spine. the 'dead bug' pose is one of my favourites and really good for activating the lower abs.
and much as i hate anecdotal 'my uncle's ex-wife's cab-driver's cousin had that and he . . . ' type of stuff, i'll toss in the fact that i do know a few people with osteoarthritis who swear by glucosamine chondroitin type supplements. since inflammatory/immune-based types of arthritis can often be diagnosed by blood test or via empirical symptom clusters, it could be that his form is o.a. and that might be a thing to look into.
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How do some of you guys seriously think 'old and tall' is literally all the doctor said?! We have an excellent doctors surgery in our village, but i'm not exactly going to type out the entire conversation (which I wasn't there for anyway). Looking for exercise advice, not doom and gloom stories and presuming we go to some micky mouse doctor
You said that you don't have access to a pool. The other posters plus myself are mostly saying--pool or yoga. Eliminate pool, and you have yoga which you said he doesn't like. So.................. For experienced arthritis and or back pain suffers on MFP-- those are your best shot.1 -
The yoga doesn't have to be done as a complete form of exercise, simply use it to stretch before the other types of exercise he likes. That's what I do. I spend maybe 5-10 minutes max doing yoga before my workouts.1
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My partner has had some lower back pain for the last few months and the doctor has said it is most probably arthritis because he's 'old and tall' (he's 41 and 6ft 6). He usually goes to the gym often, runs, deadlifts, hanging leg raises etc etc but he can't do that while his back is hurting and he's on his meds, but the doctor has said that he should stay active and won't damage his back more, just to be careful. Does anyone know any good exercises for him? He's currently just walking on the treadmill or using the cross trainer when it's not too painful, doing planks and glute bridges. Anything else that might be good?
barbell hip thrusts have literally saved my back and hips. I can now do 205 lb hip thrust. They are fantastic. If you have a bad lower back...begin doing glute bridges and work up to elevated shoulders. they are AMAZING0 -
How do some of you guys seriously think 'old and tall' is literally all the doctor said?! We have an excellent doctors surgery in our village, but i'm not exactly going to type out the entire conversation (which I wasn't there for anyway). Looking for exercise advice, not doom and gloom stories and presuming we go to some micky mouse doctor
I'm guessing,but could be wrong,that you're in the uk? If so then I get that it's not possible to ask to be referred to another specialist and that there's likely to be a waiting list for an MRI!
All back issues are different so it's hard to advise without a clear diagnosis. I suffer from degenerative disc disease (I'm also 20 years older than him so I really AM old
).I've actually found exercises like squats,glute bridges and planks have helped because they've strengthened my core but don't know if they'd help with arthritis. 1 -
comptonelizabeth wrote: »I suffer from degenerative disc disease (I'm also 20 years older than him so I really AM old ).I've actually found exercises like squats,glute bridges and planks have helped because they've strengthened my core but don't know if they'd help with arthritis.
I also have Degenerative Disc Disease and do a ton of core work. I also have Spinal Stenosis, and can tell you that the core work does in fact help with that. The stronger my core gets the less pain I deal with on a daily basis. Sometimes I'm stiff getting started, but a few yoga stretches later and I feel great for my workout and even better after its done.
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He's been to the doctor, 3 times in all for the same complaint. The anti-inflammatory and heat help, which make it seem like it's most likely arthritis or a trapped nerve. He's not in constant strong pain. He's still at work, in fact the more he moves/walks and doesnt sit down the less the ache is. He only gets pain when he moves too quickly or twists a funny way. He had this before for a couple of months and then it went away again for almost a year. As I said, he's on the waiting list for an MRI. I have stated that twice.
Hopefully the MRI will reveal the issue with the pain. Mine did. It ended up being two bulging discs with nerve impingement the last time coupled with spinal stenosis and likely degenerative disc disease. The only thing that helped me heal from it this last time was two things.. 1) Steroid shots (yes, it hurts horribly, but they work) 2) Yoga/stretching and rest (not to mention pain killers and muscle relaxers). Once healed start on the core exercise and strengthen the muscles around the injured area is the best solution. Ten years ago when I herniated a disc (L4/L5) the pain (traveled down my legs) was so bad I could not sit, stand, lay down, etc.
As long as he deals with it before it gets that far he should be ok. After about two weeks of horrible pain that time (this was over 10 years ago), all the pain stopped... and so did the feeling and muscle control below my waist. At that point I had emergency surgery. That was 10+ years ago, this last time was late 2015 and it was from exercising too much too often, and likely lifting too much before my muscles were ready.
He may not enjoy the yoga, but he can simply pick the stretches that help and do those. The rest will all be core work going forward. Pull ups, push ups, planks, crunches (once he's fully healed), hanging leg raises, etc. etc. Build a strong core and the back pain goes away.0
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