Reduced back pain with better habits?

[happy2bretired]

I took some Pilates classes a few years ago. I was told to bend from my hips, not at my waist due to osteopenia. If then you still need to get down lower to do something, then bend the knees while bending at the hips. That's how I unload the dishwasher. Building the core is the main purpose of Pilates and doing those exercises really help with back problems.


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[FUEGO]

I felt as if by avoiding bending, I was just contributing to my muscles getting weaker and weaker and weaker, and what I needed was strong muscles. I finally convinced my doc to get me into Physical Therapy, and they stressed building up the core muscles. Since then, I've been doing a few minutes of core strengthening upon rising, before bed, and anytime during the day if my back feels tight.

+1

I went to the doc with back pain over 10 years ago. He gave me some stretches and exercises to do. Eventually the back pain went away. Turns out I was a lazy slob and spent most of my time watching TV and sitting in my desk chair at work. The back muscles atrophied, so simple tasks put my back out of commission.

On top of the doc recommended stretches and exercises, I also threw in core exercises like push ups and sit ups. I remember the pain from just doing a few girl push ups at first then kept working my way up to doing sets of 20 real push ups.

Whenever I feel back pain now, I immediately jump to those stretches and throw some push ups in the mix for good measure. So far so good.

As a note, I had the doc do x-rays and a full physical exam before falling back to his stretches. Sometimes something really is wrong with you, other times you just need some exercises, perhaps assisted by a PT.

 

[SoReady]

I too have lower back issues. So far, when I get on the computer and fire up this forum and read these suggestions I notice I sit up straight at the computer! This is helping me. Keep this topic alive!

 

[Chuckanut]

A firm mistress really helped my back.

 

[Closet_Gamer]

Have had back problems for years including a few "I can't move" spasm episodes. Root cause is scoliosis and disc degeneration. (I was once told that my lower discs probably look like dried oatmeal...)

My sustained regimen includes what other have mentioned (wallet, sleep, exercise) and I see a chiro every few months.

One Key Addition: Inversion Table.

I love my inversion table. Stretches everything out. Supposedly rehydrates the discs over time (dunno if that's true). I do it every morning for 5 minutes and it works wonders. That good start and deep stretch in the morning really lets me do everything else. If I miss it due to travel/etc I really notice after a couple of days. I jump onto it first thing when I get back.

Its a few hundred bucks -- highly recommend one to any with chronic back issues.

 

[Bamaman]

There's been much said here about back pain. I'm so glad you guys have found some pain relief, even if it's pillows, mattresses, chiropractors, exercises and jacked up vitamins.

But we've been dealing with my wife's spinal stenosis and degenerative disc disease for the last 20 years. She also had other joint issues going back to age 28--39 years ago.

If you have continuing back pain, don't be a hero. Go to a first class neurologist and/or neurosurgeon and chances are you'll be referred for a MRI. It's very important to know the problem so a treatment plan can be done. Only a small percentage of back injuries require surgery--and they're first referred to physical therapy.

We've found the hot water aerobics class at our local YMCA to be great. And yoga class is very, very good for aching backs. My wife is currently on a strong diet and has found 18 lbs. weight loss has been very good for her back and general attitude. Did I mention that with severe back pain comes severe depression--and many people don't know they're depressed.

My wife has had a serious surgery for the stenosis as her legs started buckling out from under her--while walking on steps. She's also had numerous steroid injections into the backbone--done by a fluoroscope--in sets of 3 a month apart. She also had a nerve ablasion that gave temporary relief.

We go to a pain management clinic every 2 months to obtain controlled substances (medicine). Without heavy duty meds, my wife would simply be an invalid. With proper medicine management, my wife acts and lives like she's pain free.

You have no idea that there are so many people with severe back injuries. We see patients at the pain clinic that are bent 90 degrees. They'll barely be able to walk. And some will have implanted pain pumps and electro simulant devices to mask their pain. And pain management offices will have the most miserable and decreped people you've ever dreamed of.

My point is that you really need to find out the reason you're hurting, especially if it's reoccurring. If you can address the problem with a plan of action, you may not ever deteriorate to the point where you'll require serious pain management and numerous terrible injections and surgeries. Back pain is a big source of depression and general misery that affects family members. And it may can be improved greatly with proper medicinal treatment and exercises/therapy.

 

[Lsbcal]

Bamaman, I'm sorry to hear your wife has such difficult physical issues to deal with. I don't think this thread would be of use to someone with severe underlying issues. Thanks for mentioning that.

In my case I do have a disc problem which is probably minor and showed up on an X-ray at least 20 years ago. That is the underlying issue but strengthening exercises might help and definitely habit changes do help. Especially true as one ages. I would encourage anyone who has continuous back problems to maybe first get a medical analysis before going whole hog into physical therapy time exercises.

I also have taken Aleve for a max of maybe 2 days as per the label to alleviate discomfort but use this very sparingly as there can be side effects. Doc was OK with my very occasional usage. My goal is to completely eliminate this.

 

[freebird5825]

I have used a rather unique "body pillow" for over a decade to properly align my arms, shoulders, and hips when I sleep on my side. I had major RSI (repetitive strain injury) problems from 26 years at the computer. I went for therapeutic massage, chiropractic treatments, and even bought a spa. All of these things w*rked well, but I figured out that my sleeping posture was putting me right back into the ache zone.
So I invested in a standard flat body pillow. It was ok but not customized to my body proportions.
I found the perfect body pillow one day in Aldi's just before Christmas 2004. It was approximately my height, very soft, very shapeable, and only cost me $29.99.

Here is a very similar item.
Giant Hugfun 60" Plush Floppy Ear Puppy Dog Super Soft Giant Floor Pillow Rug | eBay

I'm not joking. I continue to use this guy every night. I can position him any way I want to, from head to toe.

BONUS: He's very snuggly and makes me feel like a kid again.

 

[DEC-1982]

Bamaman, I'm sorry to hear your wife has such difficult physical issues to deal with.

+1

Sorry to hear about that. Some problems definitely require medical help.

I was thinking about the wallet comment (including HWFR's funny comment). Recently I began to carry only a driver's license, one credit card and one twenty dollar note for most out-of-house travel.

 

[MBAustin]

Another vote for yoga - we do a lot of core work in my weekly class - whether we like it or not, we know we feel better afterwards.

 

[Exrook]

A firm mistress really helped my back.

I want to hear more about this solution...

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[zinger1457]

I use to frequently get back pain after long (>3 hours) car rides. Being on the tall side I had the car seat tilted back quite a bit, it seemed more comfortable for me. After reading an article on car seat adjustments and back issues I adjusted my car seat to a more straight up position, and played with the lumbar support adjustment to give more lower back support. Haven't had any back issues from long drives since.

 

[RetireAge50]

I used to throw out my back until I started intentionally doing the following 3 things.

Breathing exercise. Try exhaling all your air and hold as long as possible. Now inhale keeping your stomach in.

Posture. Sit up straight in chairs and always bend and move properly.

Strengthening. Continually strengthen core body muscles.

 

[Revlefty]

I tried putting a pillow between my knees last night and woke up at midnight WITH a backache!


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[HFWR]

I tried putting a pillow between my knees last night and woke up at midnight WITH a backache!


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Last night I dreamed I ate a giant marshmallow. When I awoke, the pillow was gone...

 

[ls99]

A firm mistress really helped my back.

This mistress post is useless without photos

 

[tulak]

We ordered a memory foam mattress over a month ago, which was finally delivered yesterday. The mattress is firmer than we thought it'd be, so we were curious on how we'd feel today. We ordered it through Costco, so we didn't have a chance to try it out before ordering.

The good news is that when I got out of bed this morning, the first thing I noticed is that I felt less stiff and my back isn't nearly as sore as usual. It's a very noticeable difference and naturally, I'm quite happy. My wife also reports no issues, which is great. Last time we picked up the cheaper memory foam mattress at Costco we had to return it because both of us were sore after a couple of days.

The only downside is that I noticed the same mattress is now $200 cheaper on Costco. Bad timing on my part, but no regrets, even if I paid full price. Less back pain and soreness is priceless.