The lower back pain thread

[Goins]

I always get it in my lower left side right above my hip. It gets so bad at times that it affects my swing making me stop turning through the ball. I guess the weight lifting, football, and jumping out of airplanes as a kid takes it's toll. I'm almost 40 so I figure it's not gonna get any better from here.

 

[Bridges]

Here is the one I was talking about. I dont use the strap though. You can get someone to slowly push your leg down to help stretch it all the way out. It really helps stretch the lower and your spine to. Make sure you keep the leg thats not crossing over still on the ground.


(sorry about the old dude doing it, only one I could find haha)

 

[ddec]

Here is the one I was talking about. I dont use the strap though. You can get someone to slowly push your leg down to help stretch it all the way out. It really helps stretch the lower and your spine to. Make sure you keep the leg thats not crossing over still on the ground.


(sorry about the old dude doing it, only one I could find haha)

I do that one almost daily. I'm going to try the one OEM showed to see if it helps at all.

 

[Bridges]

I forgot about this one. Its the very last one of this picture. Sit down take your leg cross it over then use your elbow to turn around, that one really helps out a lot with both your torso and back.

 

[gadiel]

I use to have the same back pain problem that you describe. You probably have a misaligned vertebra and this is the cause of the pain. May be you have this problem for a long time and your body learn how to tolerate the small amount of pain of your daily activity but when you make exercises the stress you put on that area are much more and then you feel uncomfortable.
On my case every month I visit my chiropractor. The first game after the visit always is the best round of the month.
Also I start doing isometric resistance exercise with elastic equipment (rubber bands) for my core and hip rotations.
And finally, ALWAYS use a compression shirt like Skins or 2XU or put on your back Kinesio Taping (Kinesiology Tape).
The Kinesiology tape on my opinion is one of the biggest advances in the last 8 year on sport without the need of use of drugs or any invasive procedure.

 

[MattyKrack17]

id see a doctor, coule be anything, i have 2 herniated discs in my back, and just got down pt for a jammed nerve in my back!! id get it checked just to be safe, the back isnt something to play with

 

[RonInThornton]

Man after Friday's honey do list and Saturday's 18, I was feeling some considerable soreness in the lower back area and around the middle outer back lattissimus-dorsi which I didn't even knew existed til it began hurting and i googled back muscles.

Its much better today, but I'm carrying said extra weight around my midsection and I think that's contributed to most of it, and trying to swing out of my shoes.

Seriously? Dude you look anorexic next to me

 

[RxGus]

Skelaxin (Metaxalone) is a pretty good drug option, but it is important to remember that even though you feel better it isn't fixing any of the underlying causes of back pain. The same is true of almost all of you pain medications- you are just masking the symptoms.

For over the counter products- WR already mentioned Aleve (Naproxen) and that is my OTC medication of choice as well. Motrin (Ibuprofen) is also a good option, though it doesn't hang around the body as long. I would avoid Tylenol (acetaminophen) because while it reduces pain, it does not reduce/change inflammation which is the root cause of a lot of sports related injuries.

I know people that have had good luck with creams and other "unconventional" treatments. Capsaicin cream is a good option for simple muscle pain, while heat pads (thermacare, etc) are WONDERFUL for muscle based pain. They help increase blood flow to the area and relax the muscles, reducing stress on them.

Some other things to think about with back pain:
1. Posture and shoes make a HUGE difference. If you have a lot of pain after being on your feet, consider looking into orthotics and paying attention to your posture. Standing wrong (and, for what its worth, a good golfing setup posture) put you in a position with a lot of stress on the lower back.
2. Stretch- a big cause of lower back pain is tight hamstrings and a weak core. If you have unbalanced pulling on the back muscles you are putting a constant aggravating stress on them. Don't just stretch your back, but stretch your entire body. Don't just focus lifting your extremities, pay attention to your core too.
3. SEE A DOCTOR
4. SEE A DOCTOR! The human body is a fantastic adaptive structure and it is always finding ways to make what it does "easier". When we lift, the body makes muscles bigger to make the task easier. When we run the heart gets stronger and the lungs more efficient to make it easier. The entire body is based on efficiency. BUT... that also has negative consequences. "Pain" is a conducted electrical signal. When the signal crosses a certain threshold, it fires a message to the brain that says "I am in pain, you a$^#%&#". If we don't do something about the pain and we start sending these signals over time the body goes through a process called "sensitization" to make it easier for the signals to fire. So now, instead of needing a 9/10 to cause pain- the body only needs a 6/10 making pain much more common and much harder to treat. A VERY large percentage of back pain is because of untreated back pain earlier in life.

As some people noted, family doctors do a really bad job of treating back pain. See an orthopedic specialist who deals with this all the time. They will be able to determine what is causing the pain (disc vs muscle vs nerve) and then come up with the right combination of medications, pain relievers, and stretches to help prevent the development of chronic pain.

 

[Tmex]

Skelaxin! Thanks Gus. I definitely agree with you and I was pretty frustrated when he said that's all I needed. But again, i'm trying the weightloss and while it helps, the pain is still there. Just more tolerable because not as much working against my back. I like Skelaxin because itspretty mild imo.

Skelaxin (Metaxalone) is a pretty good drug option, but it is important to remember that even though you feel better it isn't fixing any of the underlying causes of back pain. The same is true of almost all of you pain medications- you are just masking the symptoms.

For over the counter products- WR already mentioned Aleve (Naproxen) and that is my OTC medication of choice as well. Motrin (Ibuprofen) is also a good option, though it doesn't hang around the body as long. I would avoid Tylenol (acetaminophen) because while it reduces pain, it does not reduce/change inflammation which is the root cause of a lot of sports related injuries.

I know people that have had good luck with creams and other "unconventional" treatments. Capsaicin cream is a good option for simple muscle pain, while heat pads (thermacare, etc) are WONDERFUL for muscle based pain. They help increase blood flow to the area and relax the muscles, reducing stress on them.

Some other things to think about with back pain:
1. Posture and shoes make a HUGE difference. If you have a lot of pain after being on your feet, consider looking into orthotics and paying attention to your posture. Standing wrong (and, for what its worth, a good golfing setup posture) put you in a position with a lot of stress on the lower back.
2. Stretch- a big cause of lower back pain is tight hamstrings and a weak core. If you have unbalanced pulling on the back muscles you are putting a constant aggravating stress on them. Don't just stretch your back, but stretch your entire body. Don't just focus lifting your extremities, pay attention to your core too.
3. SEE A DOCTOR
4. SEE A DOCTOR! The human body is a fantastic adaptive structure and it is always finding ways to make what it does "easier". When we lift, the body makes muscles bigger to make the task easier. When we run the heart gets stronger and the lungs more efficient to make it easier. The entire body is based on efficiency. BUT... that also has negative consequences. "Pain" is a conducted electrical signal. When the signal crosses a certain threshold, it fires a message to the brain that says "I am in pain, you a$^#%&#". If we don't do something about the pain and we start sending these signals over time the body goes through a process called "sensitization" to make it easier for the signals to fire. So now, instead of needing a 9/10 to cause pain- the body only needs a 6/10 making pain much more common and much harder to treat. A VERY large percentage of back pain is because of untreated back pain earlier in life.

As some people noted, family doctors do a really bad job of treating back pain. See an orthopedic specialist who deals with this all the time. They will be able to determine what is causing the pain (disc vs muscle vs nerve) and then come up with the right combination of medications, pain relievers, and stretches to help prevent the development of chronic pain.

 

[BogbeastUK]

This little stretch has helped me a lot. I say helped not cure or eliminate as I still get back pain,mainly lower but this has helped a lot.

http://www.performbettergolf.com/articles/stretching-exercise-cure-golfers-lower-back-pain.html

I've had a bad back for years but it's getting a lot better with help from my physio. Mine is due to spending a lot of time sitting down (I'm in IT) and basically the human back is not designed to be stretched forward for a long time as it is when you're sitting. Long-term sitting or bending causes the fluid in the discs to get squeezed backwards, putting pressure on the nerves, and this needs to be counteracted. Therefore, if your back is hurting after sitting down or bending forward a lot, try a modified version of what's in that video that OEM Kevin posted:-

1) Lie on the floor face down and relax the back for 15 - 30 seconds
2) Place your hands into the same position you'd use to do a press up
3) Push down on your arms so that you start a press-up, but keep your legs and hips on the ground - you'll be arching your back backwards
4) Get as high up as you can then hold and breathe out - this helps your back to relax and you should feel your spine pushing back down towards the ground
5) Do this 10 times only, raising yourself up as far as possible each time

This has really helped me over the past 4 months and I do this 2-3 times a day to keep loose. Sometimes I'll be so stiff that I can hardly lift up on the first push, but by the 10th I'll be doing a full extension.

If you're not able to find a space to lie down, a similar thing can be done when standing up, but it's not as effective. Just put your hands on your hips to brace yourself, then bend backwards as far as possible and repeat for 10 reps.

 

[Hanks]

The stuff I'm learning in my PT (although my back pain is compounded by nerve damage too) is that lower back pain can also be caused by tight hamstrings. If the hamstrings aren't loosened or stretched they can actually pull down on the lower back muscles and contribute to lower back pain. My specialist has said that I've got some of the least flexible hamstrings she's ever seen in her 10 years of practice and is surprised that this is the first back pain I've ever had and sais that stretched hamstrings and proper core strength (again something I don't have) is the best way to prevent lower back issues

 

[ddec]

The stuff I'm learning in my PT (although my back pain is compounded by nerve damage too) is that lower back pain can also be caused by tight hamstrings. If the hamstrings aren't loosened or stretched they can actually pull down on the lower back muscles and contribute to lower back pain. My specialist has said that I've got some of the least flexible hamstrings she's ever seen in her 10 years of practice and is surprised that this is the first back pain I've ever had and sais that stretched hamstrings and proper core strength (again something I don't have) is the best way to prevent lower back issues

good to know. My hamstrings are horrible. I have no flexibilty in them what so ever. I guess I'll have to start working on those too haha.

 

[Drumdog]

I used to have the low back pain all the time, just like yours and in the same spot OEM.
I still do occasionally, but the way I got rid of most of the pain was with stretching...especially the glutes.
I lay flat on the floor and pull my right knee towards the outside of my left shoulder and hold it for 10 seconds.
Then, I do the other knee for 10 seconds, then repeat both sides.
After that, I then hang upside down on my inversion table for a bit.
I think the inversion table is fantastic. It stretches the whole spine out and I feel real good after hanging.

 

[Kmac]

Interesting, I never knew the hammies had anything to with lower back pain. With all these stretches in this thread we should be some stretched out dudes lol

 

[Hawk]

Hope you back achers can find a little relief. I hate to make light of a very crappy problem, but I'll tell my back story. I've only had lower back pain for two weeks of my life and it was probably the worst pain I've ever felt. I couldn't walk for a couple days and would never wish that pain on anybody.

The cause? Getting hopped up on CFML, thinking I was Hulk Hogan, and picking up Erica to toss her on a mattress. I woke up the next morning feeling very stupid and very sore. Lesson learned!

 

[RxGus]

good to know. My hamstrings are horrible. I have no flexibilty in them what so ever. I guess I'll have to start working on those too haha.

Interesting, I never knew the hammies had anything to with lower back pain. With all these stretches in this thread we should be some stretched out dudes lol

Someone skimmed my post :act-up:

 

[coolbreeze]

Man we are all getting old arent we, soon we will be starting the "how did I hurt myself sleeping?" thread.

 

[Spank818]

Man we are all getting old arent we, soon we will be starting the "how did I hurt myself sleeping?" thread.

Or worse... a "how I got Carpal Tunnel Syndrome while being on THP all day" thread.

 

[Kmac]

Someone skimmed my post :act-up:

Whoa now, Ive read every single post in here actually. My comment was just in general about the hammies. I cant skim in my own thread :angel:

 

[Tmex]

Lmfao dude this gave me a good laugh haha.

Hope you back achers can find a little relief. I hate to make light of a very crappy problem, but I'll tell my back story. I've only had lower back pain for two weeks of my life and it was probably the worst pain I've ever felt. I couldn't walk for a couple days and would never wish that pain on anybody.

The cause? Getting hopped up on CFML, thinking I was Hulk Hogan, and picking up Erica to toss her on a mattress. I woke up the next morning feeling very stupid and very sore. Lesson learned!

 

[Kmac]

I was just wondering if the back pain happened before, during or after the chick throw down on the mattress.

 

[Spank818]

I was just wondering if the back pain happened before, during or after the chick throw down on the mattress.

I want to find out if he leg dropped her too and if she tapped out.

 

[Hawk]

All three.

I was just wondering if the back pain happened before, during or after the chick throw down on the mattress.

Posted via Tapatalk.

 

[Bridges]

It would have been even funnier if hawk had hanks' last signature of "I tapped that" underneath the post haha

 

[Kmac]

Work is so slow today its giving me lower back pain. I think THP gives me lower back pain too.