help my messed up back

[2nd nature]

i have a bad l4 and cant hardly move for the last week and a half. its getting better. what do some of you stand up guys with disk problems do. i messed it up about 3 years ago. and it goes out about every 6 months. any back supports or exercise you recomend.i lost about 17 lbs im down to 185 at 5ft 11in just want it to be stronger with less problems

 

[SXR-FOREVER]

I always (atleast almost always) wear a back brace when I go out or else I'm icing my back for the next week... For exercises I use the "roman chair" not sure how to describe it but it works pretty good for strenghthening the back. I'll post a picture if i can find one.

 

[ski4]

i go through this like twice a year
daypro has become my best friend
it's a great non steroidal anti inflamitory med

 

[Waste Land]

Some are intot hem and some hate them

But have you tried chiropractoric services? I swear by them....I only go tot he hospital if im bleeding or about to die. When you find a well known Chiro you might get some help/advise with your problems

 

[Crab]

Drink lots of water, since I have started drinking more water and less soda, my muscle tone is much better.

 

[Gainera2582]

Stretch daily, exercise often, avoid sitting, and get an inversion table and use it daily!!!!!!!

 

[oxnard111]

my uncle is a chiro. i see him regularly. about 6 months ago i hurt my back really bad. took about 3 total months until i felt comfortable enough to ride my ski again. I'm considering a back brace. Do you wear it under or over your wet suit; if you even wear one? Which one do you use?

I have been lazy lately, but I know stretching and atleast walking for a couple of miles really helps. Just dont stretch your back; stetch all your muscles. think of your abdomen and groin muscles as a natural belt that holds all of your center mass together. stregthen these muscles and you will help your lower back. a good stetch is to do deep forward lundges. sorry if that is mispelled.

Kinda sucks that I sit in a chair all day in front of a computer and it seems like every day lately after i get out of work there just so happens to be something on atleast one ski that needs to be changed or fixed.

 

[hangtime]

You'll never get rid of your back pain while riding standup man .
If you have a bad back and go to the doctor and he ask's you when your back hurts and you tell him when I go jetskiing he's gonna say don't jet ski anymore

You just gotta live with it man .My back kills me after a nice ride but I love to ride so I'll deal with it as long as I can .Percocet doesn't hurt :arms:

 

[sflsurfrider]

the only time my back does NOT hurt is when i ride. what'd a doctor say then?

 

[njfl]

the only time my back does NOT hurt is when i ride. what'd a doctor say then?

Honestly, I find the same thing. Kind of bizarre.

I have lower back pain. My boss is into Yoga and she guaranteed she could help my back pains. She let me try this 6" x 36" foam roller that Yoga people use. You just roll over it and it applies a rolling "line force" along your back. Absolutely incredible.

Here's what it looks like:
http://cgi.ebay.com/FOAM-ROLLER-FUL...ryZ44080QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[Moondance]

Stretch daily, exercise often, avoid sitting, and get an inversion table and use it daily!!!!!!!

This is the best advice that I would give someone too. Without going into a lot of medical jargon & boring everybody with my diagnosis just let me say that there are specific stretches & exercises that you need to do for your back. There are tiny muscles attached to your spine that don't get strengthened by normal ab & back workouts. When I started working these muscles, I noticed a big difference in my lack of pain during & after riding & in just everyday activities. I have a dvd that I got from my chiropractor (who is actually a sports doc) that has these exercises on it. Check out the website & see if you can get a copy of it. http://www.powercentering.com

Bottom line it's all about core strengthing. I feel your pain & I hope you get it under control. Luckily my doc knows my passion for riding & has not told me to stop...he looks for ways to heal & keep my back in shape:Banane01:

 

[MADMAT]

Inversion table or rack at least 3 times a week a for 7-10 minutes. It really works wonders!!! Hypocraties new it thousands of years ago. I can't say enough about hanging upside down.

I'm going to do it right now.

 

[sflsurfrider]

Inversion table or rack at least 3 times a week a for 7-10 minutes. It really works wonders!!! Hypocraties new it thousands of years ago. I can't say enough about hanging upside down.

I'm going to do it right now.

then when all the mucous runs to your nose, you can call yourself "BADBAT".

 

[masterblaster]

i second the invertion table and stretching,along with hip and back workouts

 

[MADMAT]

:haha: :haha:

:scared:

 

[Idok]

my chiro told me the inversion table might help, but she doesnt swear by it...

my boss uses one, but he's kinda wierd........



stretch
touch your toes daily
drink lots of water (keeps the vertebrate hydrated, and YES that does matter)

 

[Rockstar]

.....

 

[2nd nature]

thanks for the helpful info.. what kind of back suports are you using?

 

[Gainera2582]

For stretching, pick up a book by Pavel T. called "Relax into stretching"


Also, the foam roller works really well if you use it daily. It can help loosen out those tight knots in your muscles. If you have a real tight knot you can't get with a foam roller, use a tennis ball. This process is like giving yourself a massage without paying 50/hr for a therapist.


Any inversion table works good as well, just make sure you use it daily and youll be in less pain. Ive had mine over a month, and I can say its helped me about 50% already!!!


Train your core often as well, it really helps keep your pain to a minimum.

The #1 thing you do not want to do is sit on your butt all day. That will make it worse. Practice good posture, make sure you contract your glutes all day to avoid the hip flexors from getting tight, and stretch your hip flexors often to avoid them tightening and causing you more pain. Tight Hip flexors and tight hamstrings are the #1 cause of back pain in America!!!