Lower back pain

Anyone have any tips for relieving lower back pain. I did something at work a month ago and ever since then my lower right has been bugging me. Its fine in certain positions, but when I stand for awhile or bend over it pinches and really makes it uncomfortable.

I know I should see a chiropractor, but I wanted to give some other ideas a shot first.

Lower right? Is is toward the spine? How did you injure it? I have hurt pretty much everything in my back.

I have had numerous lower back issues over the last 4 years or so. What has worked best for me has been a mix of all kinds of treatment. Ice it, heat it (if you have a heating pad), stretch it, just go slow and try and work through the pain a little. I also go to a chiro and think getting massages really helps too. A lot of insurances cover massage now as long as a Dr. prescribes it.

Another big thing that has helped me is doing a lot of core (abs/low back) work at the gym. For me especially exercises like the "Plank" (elbows and toes on the floor and keep the rest of your body straight)that really work the stabilizing muscles attached to your spine can really strengthen your whole core and cut down on injuries.

When I work my core 2-3 times a week i never have back problems. But when I don't (like right now ;) I have a lot of problems. Just don't underestimate what core strength can do for ya...

Hope you get better man, I know how you feel.

I have had problems since I was in High School with my lower back. Mine is a combination of my build and core activities. My build meaning I have a long upper body with wide shoulders, and I have short legs and no ass. The way the doc explained it to me was that I'm all upper body therefore I often compress my lower back.

Mine comes and goes and I know it does'nt make sense but wakeboarding actually helps it. It seems the more active I am the less it hurts.

To help my back I avoid any weight lifting that compresses my lower back. I went to the chiropractor that really helped although some folks do not always gain the same results. I also recently purchased an inversion table which is supposed to be good for the back. My chiro actually recommended it as well. I've only had it a few weeks but can already feel the difference. Also stretching, I typically will stretch real good in the morning and then at night when I'm watching T.V. Flexibility I have found helps a lot. Don't get me wrong I still have issues but in doing the above activities has minimized the episodes.

Before seeing a chiro try stretching and if possible hang inverted on something, sounds silly but seems to work.

If you do end up going to a chiro make sure they are reputable. They should do a complete examination along with x-rays before working on you. I don't believe in doctors because they will just put you on medication and have you go to therapy for months. All about $$$.

Good Luck!

....I agree with steve...core exercises...especially the plank. To get rid of it now do the heat treatment..etc. Dont stress your body too much right now...dont over eat (eat the good foods) ...dont weight train heavy or at all...get good sleep. All this is so your body can heal itself...but if you stress it your injury could be around for a long time.

I've injured my lower back in the same place 3 times. Acupuncture really helped accelerate my recovery from the last one.

Now, I work really hard to prevent it from happening again. I'm with steve 100%. Once you get passed this injury you have now really work on strength and flexibility. All the times I was hurt were during times I was out of shape.

Sometimes my back still "binds" up again in that one spot. I actually just pop it now when that happens. Lay on stomach and push up with legs still on the floor, making an arch in my back. I just relax and gently twist a little and it just kind of falls back in place.

Definitely stretch and do core work. The "plank" (my football coach called it bows and toes...) as people here are calling it is by far the most annoying, yet beneficial excersize you can do for strengthening your core... Also do the side version of the plank, with one elbow on the ground, and the side of your foot...

I've compressed my back a lot diving off cliffs, cause I have a tendency to drop my hands back the second they feel water, so my head is usually what breaks the surface first. Stretching and core excersizes helped it the most.

Another exercise to go along with the plank that I do when my lower back feels sore is lay flat in superman position and raise opposite arms and legs (right arm - left leg etc) this along with stretching and the plank have kept the back in decent condition.

chiropractor says i have a degeneritive disc and exercise is the only option besides surgery. No Knife needed yet........

I do about 30min/day on a Concept2 rowing machine and have eliminated all my back pain while strengthening a bunch of other muscles you need to ride. Best exercise there is IMO for skiing or wakeboarding.

good advice here. Work the core. Become flexible.

Work on streching your hip flexers too. When they get tight, they can pull your pelvis forward and create tension in the lower back.

Yea the Plank is the shiznitt... It definitely may not be the most hardcore looking exercise but it gets the job done for sure....

There are tons of variations for it, like Steve said, the Superman and side version, here are a couple more that I love..

You can build up as your core gets stronger through this series of versions.
Regular;feet on floor, elbows on floor
Elbows up; feet on the floor and elbows on a swiss ball (really targets upper more)
Feet up; Elbows on the floor and feet on a swiss ball.
Ultimate ;) (My fav); Put you feet on a Bosu(half swiss ball, other half is flat) ball, or a balance disk, and put your elbows on a swiss ball. That kills everything, but if my core is week I can't do it for long, so I try and build up to it.

**Some tips/notes, the closer your elbows or feet are together the harder it will be. Always try and keep your upper arms going straight down, perpendicular to the floor. You wanna keep your body as straight as possible (just like push ups) from your ankles to your shoulders.

I have the same sort of pain and mine ended up being a Herniated Disk (sorry about spelling).. I have had trouble with it for years now.. It doesn’t affect my riding as much as my sleeping and other day to day things such as sitting or standing. The doctor said there isn’t much you can do for it other than keep working it out and try not to compress it although it is unlikely that I could cause further damage. One other option is a quarter zone shot to the spine which helps but only temporarily. Basically just keep stretching and working on it, personally I find planks hurt my back more but stretching and forcing yourself to sleep on your back helps a lot.

quarter zone.... .haha ...thats good!

I know there are a lot of descriptions of "the plank" here but I'm retarded. Is there a good website to go to to learn about these exercises or some pics to post.

Also, I finally broke down a couple weeks ago and bought one of those gay exercise balls. Glad I did.

I would really recommend seeing a doctor. I started having back and leg pain in October. It felt like a pinched sciatic nerve. I went to the dr., had an x-ray, and found out I had a broken vertebra in my back. I'm now 4 weeks out from a spinal fusion, and definitely feeling relief. The surgery and recovery sucks, but if I had waited much longer, I would have permanently damaged some of the nerves in my back.

Good luck!

My back took me off the water for about 2 months last year. It was a combination of having a weak core, playing hockey goalie 5 times a day every week, and taking too many hard landings way out in the flats. I saw the physical therapist a couple times and week and got to finish off the season with a month of riding, but adopted a wake to wake style instead. Excersize is probably your best bet.

no one's mentioned this yet in the posts i read but i just skimmed through them too...

one of the biggest factors in keeping your back feeling loose is your hamstrings. when ur ham's are tight they put a lot of stress on your lower back muscles. i would emphasize your "core" but also dont foget to work on the other muscles in your body.

staying long, limber, and strong is the key to having a good lower back.

yea maroki!!! Oh my bad Dr. Maroki..hahahahaha

u like that? thats what happens when you spend the better part of your life in training rooms, you learn things like that.

do you guys use any sites with detail workout routines I can follow?

You do not need a detailed work out routine from someone else. What works for others may not work for you. You need to experiment with different exercises and figure out which ones work and feel good to you. Then incorporate the ones you like into your own routine. Being that this is an injury, Only you know how far you can push yourself.

Good stuff.

thanks for all the input guys, much appreciated!

hey matt since the pain is no longer acute, go ahead and apply heat. If the injury is less than 72hrs old ALWAYS ice it, it will help decrease swelling and inflam. Just keep an eye on the pain, and as long as it doesn't get any worse or begin to radiate rest is the best thing until it is 100%, then all the other stuff everybody say is great.oh yeah the ama says muscle sprain/strain takes 6-8 weeks to heal under ideal conditions(bed rest), since i know that is impossible don't be to hard on it!

you didn't say what you did at work to hurt yourself, as long as no trauma was involved try this..lay on the opposite side of pain on the edge of you bed and let your top leg hang off/over and stretch it out using the weight of the leg..you might even get a POP..if the pain is in the center do both sides..if it doesn't get better in a week or so get professional help

sorry I forgot to add what happened. Nothing major just general lifting and moving around. I am always on my feet installing stuff and carrying ladders and equipment around. My best guess is that I lifted something wrong or bent over in a weird position doing work.

http://www.abs-exercise-advice.com/plank.html

Just had a class about the spine in my orthopedic impairments class (or whatever it is called)

The plank was mentioned, also the little wheel thingy for doing the modified pushup/plank or whatever you want to describe it (DONE CORRECTLY - going out only as far until you feel your abs tightening... most roll forward too far and hurt their backs that way) Also he showed us this really interesting wheel ("power wheel") that you strap to your feet and then walk forward and backward with your hands while staying as steady as possible. He said the power wheel is one of the most "hard core ab workouts" (here is a pic, ONLY you don't point your butt in the air like that)


My teacher mentioned that normal situps, with your feet on the ground activates the psoas major and other deep muscles that actually compress the spine (lumbar/ lower back area). Crunches and crunch related/ positioned exercises focus on the abs more and don't compress the spine. Jumping on your back over and over again on a trampoline is another good one, just to throw out tons of options that could be used so one doesn't get boring.

ALSO, mentioning the psoas major muscle reminds me that he said, when you sleep on your back and have your legs straight and flat, the psoas muscle is activated which compresses the spine also. Put a pillow under your legs if you sleep on your back and a pillow between your legs if on your side.

focus on good posture in rest and motion... of course

YOGA

GREAT point JR...

Regular or goofy foot? regulars get the lower right back pain, goofy the other.

Learn to ride switch and build both sides of your back with even tension. That really solved a lot of issues; plus ice and a TENS unit for really bad days.