The massage therapist says not to exercise? Advice?

I think he's wrong to say don't exercise at all, but I could see how walking/running could be the wrong exercise until you heal up. The pounding on your body could make your back worse. Idk, though.

I have heard that the effects of a massage on the muscles takes its toll, and you should get one preferably if you aren't working out for a day or two. Not sure if this is what he meant or something else due to your injury, but that should probably come from a doctor, not the massage therapist.
Another "rule" I've usually lived by is not work out a muscle that is still recovering from the last workout. Now this is different than just SORE from working out, but you have to know what your body can do and take.

All back problems are different, but I have found jogging the worst for my back.
Massage therapists ARE NOT licensed to diagnose or prescribe ANYTHING.

See a DR.

Exercising when you're tired can be very dangerous, especially if you have latent damage waiting to flare up.

^This. Also, you could ask a doctor about exercising, even better if you find a doctor specialized in spine/back problems.

Do something that takes the pressure off - recumbent bike, or stationary bike, only for a few days.

Ok, I'm a trainer as well as massage therapist, it really depends on what is going on as too whether you should work it. You can absolutely exercise if you lower back is supported when yur disks are acting up, if the spine is stabilized your good. Blood flow, will help yor situation. Adding muscle will help take pressure off your disks. Now if your lower back muscles are really tired, yes you shouldnt do much exercise that involves spinal flexion.

I can sympathise with your problem. I was T-boned by a van in 2006, with the impact taking place just behind the driver`s seat. It damaged 3 discs, and hurt my hip to the point that I could not walk 3 blocks without pain. My doctors could not find the cause, and told me not to do anything crazy. So I sat around and gained enough weight to make it into the obese category.

Then, last summer, I got fed up and decided to push through the pain. We took our family to Italy for 3 months, so that forced me to walk. Thanks to tylenol for body pain and telescoping walking sticks, I was able to break through. Now I do 5 kinds of exercise: I walk on the treadmill; I use an exercycle, I do aquafit and swim from 60 to 90 minutes bi-weekly; and I am learning Yang-style Tai Chi.

This is about right for me right now, and if I go too hard at it, I can get back spasms. The good news is that I`ve learned to manage them so that they only knock me out for a week instead of for 6 weeks.

I am definetly not up to jogging, running, or using the gym. And I can`t lift weights because the compression on my discs is too much right away.

I don`t know what your massage therapist did to your back to give you that advice. Maybe he did some deep manipulations that you need to heal from. So, in the end, you do need to be your own judge.

I really recommend Yang-style Tai Chi as a means of exercising your joints and becoming flexible again. But don`t take anybody as an instructor. I shopped around for about a year before I found the one that I`m happy with. Not all instructors are equal. Take a class with each one before you make a final decision. Some have techniques that make your knees hurt. Others may not be right for your back. When you start, make sure you adapt the exercises to you, and take the time to strengthen your body before trying those moves that are more challenging to you.

And water exercise is also great because the water supports and slows everything down. But even there, you have to get stronger before you can do some moves in aquafitness. Swimming too. For example, I`m finding that I need to alternate a few laps of front crawl with swimming on my back to relieve the pressure on my lower discs. Everything is tentative with a back injury, but the main thing is to keep at it until your core muscle strength builds up.

He does have a point about exercising when you are tired. That, in my experience is when coordination fails and injuries happen. Just make sure you exercise when you are not beat.

Good luck in getting better.

p.s. swimming can be really bad on injuried disks (hyperextention and twisting movements, there is no compression but the first 2 motions could make things worse) Think beforte you type people

my apologies I was told by my dr and a trainer in the gym I used to be in it was good for strengthening the back, my dad has a dreadful back and finds swimming helps him a lot

All back problems are different, but I have found jogging the worst for my back.
Massage therapists ARE NOT licensed to diagnose or prescribe ANYTHING.

See a DR.

+1

I love my massage therapist but I wouldn't take medical advice from her and see a real doctor, not a chiropractor.

Hi there - girl with 6 herniated discs here. I feel your pain.

I would say you really have to listen to YOUR body. Not anybody else (well, unless they are a doctor, and even then you gotta go with your gut).

I have my times when exercise is just too painful and I need a couple of days off. I HAVE to listen to that or I'll be in a world of hurt. But, for the most part, exercising regularly helps my daily pain level a LOT. Especially Curves... the strength training is building up my core muscles and my back muscles which I think is helping great deal.

The only thing I can think why he might have said "don't exercise when you're tired" is because sometimes we aren't as careful or as tuned-in to our bodies when we are tired. I know I have to be very in-tune to how my body feels when I'm exercising or else I end up pulling or overextending something and then can't exercise for a couple of days.

All that being said though, as an ex-massage therapist, I can say he shouldn't be giving you this type of "medical" advice. I'd talk to your doctor, but also, really listen to your body - both ways. If you hurt, listen to that. It doesn't mean you're weak or giving up if you take a few days off. But when you do feel good, make the most of it! Carefully

I have back problems too and was told by my doctor that running when it was hurting was no good. I already knew that, but I did try pushing through it a couple of times. Then I tried walking...that hurt too. So now I've been focusing on strengthening my body esp my core before I get out for running again. I'm taking this weekend off because I feel those tell-tale twinges in my lower back signaling me that it could get worse quick. But the good news is that the strength training (circuit training for the most part) has really helped. I'm looking forward to *maybe* getting out and pounding the pavement this summer. Maybe. ;-)