Posted: 4/10/2007 9:21:34 PM EDT
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A couple years ago I hurt my lower back pretty good. It has since gotten better but never how it was before. Funny thing is that there was never any evidence of real damage... just extremely tense muscles. Now when I excersize, I can sometimes feel it, or I will get a sudden burst of pain from a slight movement or weird breath while excersizing.. and it disappears almost as quickly as it comes. I mostly feel it during pushups, and it almost completely prevents me from doing flutter kicks (the closer my legs are to floor, the more it hurts). I'm assuming this can be remedied with lower back excersizes? Does it sound like something else? What are some good lower back excersizes I can do? I'm leaving for the military soon and don't wanna be the poontang that can do everythign but freakin' flutter kicks. |
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Lower Back Hyperextensions Position yourself on a Roman Chair facing forward. If you aren't sure what a Roman Chair is, ask a trainer at your gym (assuming you have access to one) to point one out to you. Cross your arms in front of your chest and slowly lower your upper torso down so as to try and touch your nose to the floor. Once your torso is completely bent over and virtually perpendicular to the floor, slowly return to the start position and repeat. Be sure that when you return to the start position that you DO NOT arch your back at the top. Works wonders. |
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See a chiropractor, you've likely subluxated a disk. It'll probably take several visits at least to fix it since you've waited a couple years, but go and get it checked out. Sudden sharp pains like you describe usually aren't muscular, although subluxations often cause muscle pain also. |
Thanks. I went and saw a chiropractor when I first hurt it. Took a week off work (was delivering furniture at the time) and when i went back, was selling only and doing no lifting. I was going to the chiropractor twice a week for 'realignment' and ultrasound 'massages.' The doctor took x-rays and saw nothing abnormal.. aside from my muscles being so tight that they showed up on the x-ray as a large white mass around my lower spine. I felt no improvement during that time, and decided to go to my regular family doctor to see what he had to say. He told me to start lifting very light things at work to stretch and excersize my back a little. It started getting better after that, but now I still have this minor problem. I just got a new insurance plan, so I may go have it checked out again if I can't get myself doing flutter kicks. Honestly, it's the only thing that makes my back hurt anymore, and I'm pretty active. |
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Ride a bicycle. It sounds as if you may have had muscle spams resulting in muscle tissue damage - like scar tissue in your muscles. It is now less flexible and less strong than it was. Cycling on the roads is a low impact, muscle strengthening exercise which promotes lots of blood flow and gies a relatively gentle work out (low weight high repetitions). I'd say use a road bike with dropped bars rather than a mountain bike due to the seating position but either is better than neither. It may actually get sore (but not cramp or spasm) after the first few rides. Take it easy to start with and let it build up with each ride. One final word, drug therapy does not work and it can even screw you up - almost certainly will. Living with the pain is better than the drugs. |
Riding a bike is actually how I hurt it in the first place.  Granted it was on a BMX bike, and I was not just pedaling for excersize. :)Thanks. Never thought about scar tissue on the muscles. I've been wanting to get into mtn biking for a while now. Maybe this is a good excuse. No pills for this cat. I don't take stuff unless I absolutely need it... which is pretty much never. 
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I guess my problem was mid-back but the exercises my doctor gave me to do work for lower as well. I had a horrible back spasm a few years ago (probably in early 2001 IIRC) that felt like I was having a heart attack. Turns out it was a spasm. The exercises he gave me are as follows: 1: Lay on your stomach 2: Put your hands on your lower back, like you would if you were standing, stretching your back 3: Do a "back-situp" - lift your chest up off the floor 4-6" using only your back muscles. Hold for 10 count, then back down. I do this three times, three or four times a week. It has really helped my back out. When I first started doing them, I could only hold for a five count - just work your way up on it. I always thought I had a decently strong back until I had that spasm. |
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I also have hurt my back riding a bmx bike. one thing that helped me quite a bit is getting flexibility especially in the hamstrings. if mine were tight they would pull on my back, etc. one way to stretch the hamstrings and not hurt the back by bending it to far is to lay down in a door way or the entering of a hall way. put one leg up on the wall the other still on the ground with your but up against the wall this way your back has support and you can really target your stretching. ALso be patient (very hard to be) My accident really took over two years and even then it has continued to get better, and stronger. P.s Lift with your legs for now on EVERYTIME, NO EXCEPTION |
From this post, I would say you've COMPLETELY MISREAD my intent. I am not suggesting you go "mountain biking" and I don't consider that or BMX biking to even be the kind of exercise to which I refer. I am talking about a long, "slow" bicycle ride on the roads or on an exercycle as a way of reconditioning the muscles. This can be done on either a road bike or a mountain bike but cannot be done on a BMX bike. It cannot be done on an off-road trail using a mountain bike. |