[rodge827]

Hey All,
Over the last 24 years I have worked as a self employed paperhanger and have found the need to address my back problems regularly. Being a golf enthusiast doesn't lend itself to good back health either. 
The nature of this thread is to share what I have learned and for others to post with their own experiences.

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with any products and will recieve no compensation for the mentioning and recommendations there of. Nor am I physician, PT, DC, or the like.

Over the years I have tried many different things, chiropractic, accupuncture, pills, and stretching. In January of 2010 we were visiting my inlaws in Phoenix, Arizona. My wife had a few Spa Finder gift cards to use, and set me up with a deep tissue sports massage at The Biltmore Spa. Part of the routine was to fill out a form for the massage therapist to evaluate before she begins. While performing the massage she began to explain to me a good routine to do to help reduce and hopefuly get rid of my back issues.
Since I have put her plan to work my chiro visits are noticably less, pills (Aleve, ibuprofen,Tylenol, etc.) are to a minimum, and I haven't had a major crisis in over a year. By major crisis I mean DOWN AND OUT! for about 1-2 weeks, half a dozen or more chiro appointments and loss of work. Remember I'm self employed, if I'm at home, I aint workin' = no income!

Here is the plan she recommended that I try:

Do this slowly at first and build up to a regular routine. Only you will know when you have had enough or can advance. If you have severe back issues contact your doctor and use some common sence. 

1) Use a Foam Roller...... these are great to loosen up myofacial tissue in the legs and back. Gofit makes 2 sizes with a DVD of the exersises you can do. These are cheap ($25-$40) and can be bought at Target, Dicks, etc. Plus there is a lot of info on the net about foam roller use and places to buy them. Use the link as a guide to search for your own needs.
http://www.gofit.net/foam-roll.php

2) Use a Balance Ball as a chair. I use one at my desk and it has helped to build up the muscles that support my back for better posture. These range in price from about $10-$40. Use the link as a guide.
http://www.gofit.net/premium-stability-balls.php

3) Tennis Balls...., yeah thats right tennis balls! Place two in a clean sock and tie them in as tightly as possible. Lay on the floor, shirt off, and place your spine in the middle of the balls. With control roll on the floor keeping the balls on each side of your spine. Bringing your elbows closer to your sternum will expose these areas rather nicely. This will help to loosen up all the tight muscles where they connect to the spine. This can be a little tough at first, but will get easier after a while. Take 1 tennis ball and place it under the scapula in the "pocket" between the rib cage, and roll on the floor to loosen those muscles. This helped me with range of motion and helped to reduce shoulder pain.

4) Use a Back Bubble $400....This is a product that she recommended to me for low back issues. I purchased one and it paid for itself in one year by the reduction in my chiropractic visits. I go every 10-12 days now on average, before the Back Bubble it was a standing weekly appointment. From 50 appointments to about 30 appointments at $25 a pop.
I addition to the chiro savings my adjustment pattern has changed, which according to my DC is a good thing.
http://www.backpainrelief.com/

If anyone has something they want to add please feel free to do so. I've been at this a while and just thought I would share what I have learned and now implement on a regular basis. I will usually do this or some form of this routine for 3-4 days take a day off and do it again.

FWIW at 46 my back feels better than it did at 26.

Chris 
   

 

[dwk]

I can attest to points #1 and #3 (although I use lacrosse balls rather than tennis balls). I'm (hopefully) coming out of a back spasm incident which had it's root in major muscle dysfunction in my hips. It's taken several weeks of very consistent and painful release work, but the roller/lax ball combo has been very successful. IMHO release via these techniques is substantially more effective at addressing tightness than is stretching - not to say that stretching isn't beneficial or important, but I ended up as a mess despite doing somewhat regular stretching.

I'm still waffling on #2 - I'd like to get a different chair but I'm not yet convinced that the ball is ideal. A combo of a ball, a kneeling chair and a standing desk that I could rotate through would be perfect.....

[srb]

The exercise/balance ball works great as a gentle back roller and massager.  Lying with your back on the ball and your feet flat on the floor, use your legs to roll the ball back and forth.  I have mine a little underinflated from normal.
 
Steve

[prokennex]

I've been having problems associated with my spine for about 4 years. Usually the pain would begin in the lower back after lifting or twisting the wrong way. The  pain in the lower back would subside but I would then have pain all the way down the leg to my big toe.
The radiating leg pain took for ever to leave. Physio and chiropratic didn't help that much. I had a nerve root block (cortizone injection) which did help to some degree. Usually 4 months after the injection the leg pain subsided.

Two years ago, I finally had surgery on the L4, L5 disc which included removing some disc and bone. The technical name for the surgery was called a laminotomy.
Took about 6 months to recover from the surgery. After 10 months I was playing tennis again.

A few months ago I was doing roman chair exercises for my core and slowly my lower back became painful again. The difference this time is the pain doesn't travel down my leg and is remaining in my lower back and is worst when I sit. This is the complete opposite to what I usually experience which was pain in the leg when standing (spinal stenosis) and relieved when sitting. Now it's stiffness and pain in the lower back when sitting and walking actually helps it.
I'm 50 by the way and like to exercise.

[rodge827]

I can attest to points #1 and #3 (although I use lacrosse balls rather than tennis balls).

I'm using lacrosse balls now also.
I felt tennis balls were a good place to start.

[prokennex]

What's better for decompression the back bubble or an inversion table?

[dwk]

I'm using lacrosse balls now also.
I felt tennis balls were a good place to start.

Yeah - starting directly with the lacrosse balls wasn't particularly enjoyable. Easing in isn't a bad idea.

[Mark Korda]

Hi Chris,I too am a self employed painter and paper hanger,but I'm 54.Your recommendations are great,and I'm going to make a copy.One little mis step and my lower back goes on the fritz and I walk like Walter Brennan for 2 weeks before it goes.Working out is key.When your gut gets a little bigger it puts more strain on your back,when it's not I've noticed no problem.I've had this since my early twenties.I have a chiropracter freind and have seen that all.The biggest joke is the thing called the activator,a small spring loaded devise that gives the impact of a small tap of your pinkie finger,with only a thousand visits until your employer gets so sick of the bills he lays you off,that was 15 years ago,and 2 man lifts of 475 pound granite golf tee markers(signs)for each hole.The worst thing I've done latley is sleeping on an un-opened futon for over 10 years!,I got too much stereo crap stored in back of it....Keep the faith brother!...Mark Korda

[rodge827]

What's better for decompression the back bubble or an inversion table?

prokennex,
When I asked my DC about an inversion table he told me to look at one where your lower legs hang over the top. His reason was the reverse pull on the knees, and the probability that I may develop knee problems in the future.

So I put the inversion table on hold, went to get a massage, and found out about the Back Bubble.

The Back Bubble is a realy cool device. There are a number of different exercises that can be done. It also takes up very little space. The BB can be inflated and deflated as needed. Travel with the BB is a snap, it will fit right in your suitcase. I took it to Myrtle Beach last year and to my daughters in Cleveland. I use it with a chin up bar that fits over the door.

BB Pros: Light weight, takes up no room, easy to travel with, easy on the joints, multiple exercises, great for the lower back.

BB Cons: Cost's more than an inversion table.

As you can see I really like my Back Bubble, worth every cent.

Chris     

[prokennex]

Tks Chris for the info

I worry about my knees also. All the tennis on hard courts for the last 24 years is starting to take its toll.

I didn't realize how flexible the back bubble was that you could actually take it with you. It  certainly has me interested.

Tried "back to life" and  Dr Hoe Belt didn't live up to their reputation so I'm a little skeptical. I heard good things about the rollers but never actually tried them.

The back bubble could very well be my next purchase.

Tks again
Ray

[doug s.]

i never saw a back bubble until i saw this thread, so i cannot comment on it.  but i have been inwerting w/a standard inwersion table, (not one where your legs hang over the top), since ~1999, and i have never had any knee issues.  i ruptured a disc in my lower back in 1989 and had chronic back pain ever since - every day i had a dull ache in my back, and i would be incapacitated once or twice a year due to the pain.  within 2-3 weeks of inwerting, my back pain was completely gone.  the only time it returned is when i got lazy and stopped inwerting for ~6 months; it took that long for the pain to return.  i highly recommend inwersion tables.  it cleans out your head, too.  when i realized i would be on this overseas assignment for a lot longer than the initial 8 weeks it was supposed to be, (i am now into my 9th month), i bought one over here when my back started aching again.  and again, it is better.

doug s.

[Mikeinsacramento]

I've tried all that stuff, mostly under the supervision of a physical therapist.  None of it worked for me so I took ownership of the problem.  About nine months ago I began doing three sessions of ab work each week that last about 30 minutes each.  I'm 51 and there aren't many younger than I that can do my workout.  My back feels better than it has since I was 35.  And I'm hitting a golf ball farther than ever.

[doug s.]

I've tried all that stuff, mostly under the supervision of a physical therapist.  None of it worked for me so I took ownership of the problem.  About nine months ago I began doing three sessions of ab work each week that last about 30 minutes each.  I'm 51 and there aren't many younger than I that can do my workout.  My back feels better than it has since I was 35.  And I'm hitting a golf ball farther than ever.

i agree ab work is important for your back.  i usually do 50 crunches while i am inwerted.  nowhere near a 30 minute workout, but still extremely helpful...

doug s.

[rodge827]

Gents,
Using the foam roller, the balance ball and Back Bubble do help to build the core some. About a month ago I started using a Bosu to do crunches with, and can seriously feel a difference in posture and flexibility.
http://www.bosu.com/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BOSU/story.html?article=4452

@Mike- Great to see you found something that works for you. It always feels good to hit it further. I'm not hitting it much further, but with the increased flexibility I'm not rushing off the top...hitting it straighter than ever.

Chris

[soundbitten1]

I had a troublesome back for years before taking up yoga recently. So far so good. 

[jdoris]

Also a long time sufferer.  My back has never been better; knock on wood.

A few observations:

1.  Much lower back trouble involves trouble with the psoas muscle.  Worth knowing which yours is, since some treatments for back, like the knee to chest stretch, is contraindicated for psoas.  If your trouble is still mystifying, worth looking into psoas; it often presents as very low abdomen pain, on one side or the other, but also as back pain. (For you painters, if you've ever hung sheetrock, especially by yourself, you may have torched your psoas, since pressing the board to the studs with your pelvis is just the kind of thing that can strain it.)

2.  Caution is recommended for Yoga.  30,000 ER visits a year in US!  Many Yoga teachers incompetent or negligent.  I did it a few years for several times a week with little improvement.

3.  For me, Pilates has been a revelation.  Lots of muscles besides just your "abs" support your back, and these need to be worked too.  With a bit of training, pretty easy to do on own.

4.  Weirdly, doing deadlifts and squats with pretty heavy weights has been great for me (the weightlifting book "Starting Strength" is good on spines).

All of this individual, of course: some, like me, may prefer Pilates to Yoga, and others the opposite.  Probably barbell training not right for everybody!  Trial and error, and good luck!

John

[Nels Ferre]

Good thread, thanks for the info.

I've had back problems for 20+ years. I don't have to be doing anything strenuous to throw my back out- I did it once getting out of bed. 

If I move "just the wrong way" I'm done for. Unfortunately, I've never figured out what "just the wrong way" is. My Dr. said if (when) it happens again, he will insist that I see a surgeon. No point in that, because I won't allow the surgery- I've gotten by this long on pain killers and muscle relaxers when needed (6-8 bad bouts in the last 20 years.)

[WGH]

I have had lower back pain on and off for 25 years due to a lumbar strain. Years of concrete form setting and heavy construction has taken it's toll. For the last 16 years a lumbar muscle would spasm, clamp down on my spine and sciatic nerve and lay me out for a week, then its a diet of Hydrocodone, Naproxen, and Cyclobenzaprine until I can move again.

I'm not overweight and have an active lifestyle including hiking about 30 miles per month in the rugged mountains around Tucson but nothing helped cure my weak back muscles until I meet Maria while hiking. Nope, it wasn't love that cured my back, Maria Loose is a personal trainer that has been in business for over 30 years.

I have been working out twice a week for for 21 months and have not had another serious spasm. Like John mentioned, there are a lot more muscles involved than just your abs. I suppose you could figure out what exercises to do on your own, but there is also working out with good form. Without good form you could do more damage in the long run and the only way to get good form is to have a professional coach watch your every move. And there is balance too. Get old, fall over and die. You gotta work on your balance. And balanced workouts too - working out opposite muscle groups in the same session.

To stay pain free I'll have to workout for the rest of my life. A few weeks ago I was moving 170 lb planks of mesquite, last week I moved 1600 lbs of fir into my storage garage so the possibility of injury is still fairly high. The exercises, weight training, and cardio has helped tremendously and has made life a lot less fragile.

Wayne

[wharfrat]

A great and timely thread!

Anyone have issues with upper back problems?  Mine started wrestling with my then 3 year old.
10+ years later I am dealing with cervical disk deterioration and accompanying nerve/muscle spasms.
At times the pain has been so bad I must sit in a chair to sleep.

I find the foam roller helps stretch both the muscles in my upper back vertebrae and connective tissue.
Another set of movements helping is using monkey bars at my local playground to stretch my trapezius muscles.

[prokennex]

The exercise is really tricky. If I stick to the exercises shown to me by physio I'm ok. It's when I stray and try to do more is when I get in trouble.
Like doing these hyper extentions on the roman chair too many; thats what caused this current back pain.

If I do weights, I do the lighter weights as I find the heavier weights actually compress my spine pinching the nerves in my neck or back leading to the radiating pain down the arms or legs.
 This is usually my main complaint sciatica and thats what I had the surgery for. The surgery did relieve most of the leg pain although it can return if I push my self to hard.

Acupunture and some of those homeopathic herb type antinflamatory pills didn't do much.

I think I will try the yoga probably be good for my tennis game  and the back bubble.

Ray