Also building your abdominals! Working the opposing/supporting muscle groups for my joints and back have done wonders for making my body feel more sturdy and self supporting overall.
I’ve been fit for most of my life with sports like Soccer, Track, football and then joining the military right out of high school. But that all changed when I got a blue collar job and couldn’t muster the discipline to go to the gym after back breaking work. Now I’m 35 and been back in the gym for almost 4 months and I feel better than I have in years. Course, it also helps that I’ve been eating better and sleeping better too but MAN I FEEL GREAT
Same. Got a desk job, had kids, and got out of shape. Went back to the gym at 39, now 40 and feeling much better. My back pain is minimal to all but gone. I feel better and can be the fun dad I wanted to be. I think the fountain of youth is just taking care of your body and working out.
I'm hypermobile and have been struggling with joint pain these last few years, reaching the point where some days I'd need a cane to help me around. This year I was determined to slow down the degradation on my body. Started really slowly with a bucket of rice and walked backwards (carefully!) on the treadmill to fix my wrists and knees.
Now I have more energy and feel better at 30 than I did at 27. I still have flares every now and then, because the damage to my joints has already been done, but they're less severe and aren't as debilitating because I've conditioned my body to better support itself. I used to have to wear a back brace every single shift at work and now I barely need it. The biggest thing that's made a difference from my previous endeavors is that I'm listening to my body and taking protein before/after my workouts, its really been helping my growth.
You nailed it, listen to your body. Nothing out there will 100% be for everyone. Hypermobility has to be difficult (which I had to look up), especially for recovery. For me, I just needed to get off my butt and move (and eat better). Lifting weights helped my body stop hurting all the time and helped fix my posture. Losing 50lbs also made a big difference.
I've ridden a bike to work for the past 3 years, a mix of biking and walking to college before that, and I walked to high school 3 out of 4 years. Pretty soon I'll have to start driving more though, which I worry will probably worsen my physical health.
I hate to be that guy, but the antagonist muscle groups for the spinal extensors are the spinal flexors. A strong core helps protect the back and will help alleviate low back pain, but the rectus abdominis is, at best, a secondary trunk flexor even though 'crunches' are the top exercise used to target them. The main purpose of 'the abs' are to tighten up and protect the organs underneath from impact. The obliques and transverse abdominis are even more important to target than the rectus.
Disclaimer 😆 there are a whole lot of different causes of low back pain, and while many of the exercises are the same for many of the causes, that does not mean they are all good for all causes. So the number one first step is to actually get an orthopedic diagnosis so you can make sure you are targeting the appropriate structures. End Disclaimer
I may have been over critical in my last response, based on semantics, but you definitely want to work the core out, but not in the sense of doing crunches for the 'abdominals'. The back is tough but luckily most of the work done to help low backs pain work for many of the numerous causes of low back pain. A lot of the basic core stabilizing exercises (on the floor or on a physioball if advanced enough) are a good starting point and many of the core stabilizing exercises have similar roots to the roots of yoga moves. A good balance between flexibility and strength, in the low back and hip, between flexor and extensor groups. Working on pelvic tilts to help find one's neutral pelvic tilt position. Maintain or train for leg strength and alwys use proper lifting mechanics (never twist the trunk with planted feet to pick something up, turn the whole body to face the item then using the hips and legs squat down to pick things up). Well, that is the crux of it without going into a dissertation level write up.
Bob and Brad on YouTube have a lot of videos in low back pain and all the different things that can be done depending on the diagnosis. They are a bit corney but they do a great job of explaining things.
There's a tonne of information missing from your comment.
The post mentions sciatica, which can develop from problems in the hips and sometimes even lower (as the sciatic nerve runs the whole way down your leg). Your back doesn't exist solely within itself and it's antagonists, the hips, glutes and core are all responsible as well.
You also explained that the main purpose of "the abs" are to tighten and protect organs from impact. That's not the reason your core exists. You see, the bottom and upper half of your body are very dense - there's a high amount of bone keeping the structure of everything steady. This isn't true for your core. Your core has only one bone structure maintaining it - the lower spine. The spine isn't capable of holding your top and body half together on it's own, that's achieved by the huge amount of musculature in your mid section, huge relative to the rest of your body ofc. Basically, your core is a big chunk of jelly between the steel beams of your hips and ribs.
Your mid section is not just responsible for crunching (front and side to side both), but also with static holds. You can look at more advanced movements like L sit holds and the like, although tasks like sprinting (more than jogging) is an excellent example of a static core training exercise.
TLDR: if you're working on back issues, work the back (upper and lower), core and legs. Don't forget the legs, especially if you're working through nerve problems like sciatica.
It sounds like you have a bulged disc that's similar to what I had. Try lying on your back and bringing your knees to your chest. This helps close the bulge up so it can heal.
It would if the bulge is opening towards your back. Which is what the OP pic would help with. Now, if you were doing that movement and it made your back feel worse, that might suggest that the bulge is opening towards your front, which is what I discovered when I went to physiotherapy
Maybe for you, but other people shouldn't operate under that assumption. Different injuries and different people are going to benefit from different exercises. There is no one size fits all.
My back problems got so much better once I started doing hip opener routines. It’s not one size fits all advice, but I’m sure some folks out there complain about back issues while really having hip issues as the root cause.
I've been having back pain a few years cause of rough waves at the beach one year, I got massages last winter, but this year I started doing sun salutations (haven't done yoga in a bit) and man I think that helped put off the worst of it. I just have to remember to do it. It's always worse in the winter
That’s why you should do it. The bend comes with practicing the bend. And it is a great excercise for people with lower back problems. Not as effective as deadlifts, but also very good.
It is absolutely the best exercise in my opinion, because it is THE exercise that activates these muscles more and deeper and more effective than any other exercises.
So many people think that it might be dangerous for your back, but it isn’t.
And keep your hips on the floor as much as possible!
If your hips are coming off of the floor, you've reached your range of motion limit. Just do it to that point until you've gained some more flexibility to be able to go a little further, gaining more flexibility, as you go.
Yes! It‘s interesting that deadlifts are always have the bad reputation when in fact bench press and squats are much more often the cause of injuries of the so called "Big 3".
Because you are normally not able to injure your back with deadlifts with the correct form. Because you can just drop the weight. And your muscles will give up much earlier than your tendons or invertebral discs. (Injuries of the invertebral discs happen much more often when doing squats.)
as somebody who herniated a disc doing DLs even while supposedly keeping proper form .... you are able to do it. Shit went out like a gunshot, absolutely no chance to drop the weight.
Same here. I hurt myself a year and a half ago and I'm still paying for it. After all the PT and exercises trying to strengthen that area it's still very tender. Feels like it's just the new normal at 33y...
The reason why DLs get a bad rep is because it is very difficult to do them correctly. And people with lower back issues are often not athletic so they don't have the body feel to be able to correct themselves. So I wouldn't recommend doing them if you have lower back issues, there are better and more effective exercises for that
Climbing is also great for back problems due to it being so core intensive. I haven’t thrown my back out since I started climbing but used to throw out my back a few times a year before then.
despite what everybody is saying here, you absolutely can hurt your back doing deadlifts, especially if you're lifting heavy and your form slips for even a moment. I herniated a disc doing DLs and still have sciatica from it years later. I still do them, but only with relatively light weight now. I'm not saying don't do them, but be very careful, increase weight very slowly, and get your form checked frequently.
Deadlift can help back issues a ton but form is very important. I'd recommend starting with a variation called a Romanian Deadlift (or RDL). The difference is you start at the top with a weight like a kettlebell and bend only as far as you can keep your back slightly arched.
As someone with all the back problems, you need two gyms on alternating days. You need a light lifting aerobic Olympic lifts gym (a place where the idea isn’t to build up your maximum but to build up how many times you can do your minimum) and you need a yoga or Pilates gym that promotes flexible strength.
this is not a muscular development or neuromuscular integration exercise, so it is not like a deadlift in many senses. used at the beginning of rehab as a palliative exercise, it is end range loading, trying to recentrate disc material and desensitize and hopefully decrease inflammation of the posterior vertebral elements. deadlifting is much more effective for future proofing, but with sciatic pain u might not even want to deadlift d/t the pain.
Its called practice with repetition. Just like how your sciatica is not going to get better overnight, these exercises take time. Your PT will help you improve. Just dont do too much and dont go to fast. This exercise works.
The main thing this stretches is the psoas muscle (psoai, plural). It connects from your femur to your lower spine. If you've got lower back pain, stretching this thing is heavenly.
Super great exercise. Here's two tips. 1. Back up to a piece of furniture or a wall so that you bend your knees up. 2. When you stretch, try to push your pelvis into the floor.
If you don't feel flexible enough, try going up as far as you can. Even if it's your elbows or if if you need to put something else under you to support your torso.
I also suggest sitting in a chair, crossing a leg over your lap while keeping the other leg perfectly straight, and then leaning forward for a bit, like 15-20 seconds. Then switch legs and repeat. That helps my sciatica a lot
I've had to do the same thing... was supposed to do 100 reps per day... or... if someone sat on my things and pushed down on my lower back with a roped up towel then only 10 reps was enough. Careful not to headbutt your assistant.
Another variation was to do it alone but breathing in and out at the top position would help my chest and belly flex down more.
Edit/Warning. I'm no expert at any of this just a fellow sufferer. Consult your PT before trying out new moves.
Edit again: More context my back pain was due to the discs shifting/sliding off from center due to sitting at a computer all day. Using a lumbar cushion is basically a permanent fixture of my day. The pain has not come back for a looong time .
Listen to them and keep doing it. Modern life (prolonged sitting. In the car, at the computer, etc) encourages compression in your lower spine. It also encourages certain muscles to get too long, and others to get too short.
As you do this exercise more and more your range of motion should increase, provided you are actually working the technique. Think about what your bones and muscles are doing while you do this. The better mind-body connection you have the more this will work for you.
Yeah, my dad wouldn't be physically capable of doing that. He has degenerative disc disease and bursitis in addition to the sciatica. Also an ankle with a lot of hardware in it from where he broke it in 5 places.
Even more so for my mom, who also had sciatica, when she was alive, but she had a lot, and I mean A LOT of medical problems. Though for her it'd largely be lack of strength. She fucked up one of her ulna nerves in a fall a few years before she died. Had absolutely no strength in her right arm after that.
As a back problem sufferer - this is the one exercise I must avoid. I have had X-rays, CT scans and an MRI. My doctor, physiotherapist, chiropractor and Athletic Therapist know what is best for me. It is def not this!
You are not lying but you dont know what youre talking about. Most <60 people with backpain do not have degenerative damage like you do. Their back pain comes exclusively from their back muscles. The answer is stretching and working your core. It doesnt cost money either the information is freely avaiable
You should absolutely be able to do what she in the video does. It's really nothing crazy. It's like not being able to jog 2km. That's just basic fitness. Do it for the sake of your health.
I am very surprised here that commenters think this is impressive or unusual. I'm sure she is very competent but that's not difficult
This was a game changer for me. Start by just getting yourself into your elbows and letting your back relax into the bend. Hold for a bit, relax, and go again. Do this until you stop hating your life.
You don't look so bendy because you haven't been doing it as long as she has.
This is why I don't like these how to videos. The person demonstrating it is obviously fit and nimble enough they don't HAVE to do it. Makes it hard to judge my own performance.
OMG, I wish I could still do anything remotely like that! All sorts of things would be so much easier.
I have an auto-immune disorder that led to my entire spine becoming fused, from the pelvis all the way to the top. The only part that allows any movement from my pelvis to my head is the joint between the spine and my occipital bone. Been that way for 20+ years now.
If I lie on my back I can't even put my head on the floor. Fully resting, my head sits about 5 or 6 inches off the surface.
I did all kinds of exercises to fight it -- probably not as often as I should have, but I'm told I'm in remarkably good shape for someone like me. I could have ended up much, much worse.
The stiffness makes any kind of spinal injury extremely risky, because impact won't get absorbed the same way at all. There's no bend, only break.
Amazingly, I was in a very bad crash a couple years ago -- hit head on by an oncoming semi truck that swerved into my lane at full speed on a narrow bridge in the mountains. This caused multiple spinal fractures (among a long list of other things: collapsed lungs, 5 shattered ribs, bones poking out all over, smashed up shoulder blade, collar bone, arm, very traumatic brain injury...way too many other things to list them all).
I wasn't easy to extricate, and I wasn't initially expected to live, but I was flown to a hospital where they actually managed to save my life!
The care was absolutely amazing. Like so many places these days, they were vastly overworked and understaffed, and yet they were such an amazing team. All levels working together and helping each other and trying to have fun.
I eventually had to ask a nurse about it. How did that trauma ward ever get that way? Well it turns out the nurses and other levels of care had all gotten together when the work situation started turning really bad, and decided to do whatever was needed to remain a caring and supportive team. They refused to let it change them from being able to do what they all were there for: helping others. Providing care.
But wow, it was so incredible to see. Nurses rushing to help HCA's, doctors actually being appreciative of nurses, cleaning staff being respected and aided and encouraged. Laughing and hugging and joking and helping in every way they could, regardless of whether something was "their" job.
And best of all, most of the nursing staff wore yoga pants. What incredible medicine that was! :)
I got such a grin on my face when a nurse bent down in my room to pick something up off the floor. My wife was there too, and she gave me such a funny look, like, ahem, yes of course I know what you're looking at, sweetie.
I still have no memory of the crash, or anything from a whole month after it, but I eventually saw enough dashcam footage to know there was nothing else I could have done, at all. I did everything that was possible in the situation without risk of harming someone else.
I'm still in recovery, heavy sigh. But I survived! I can still enjoy seeing people being and doing such caring and beautiful things in the world!
Oh, and in a more direct response to the OP: my disease actually started manifesting itself as sciatica, when I was 14.
It would jump from one side to the other, seemingly at random, which bewildered doctors so much. Some doctors thought I was faking the pain as a way of getting drugs. (Meanwhile, my mom was a nurse and could probably have gotten me anything I wanted, if I actually wanted any.)
It was over a decade and soooo many doctors and specialists before I found one that finally had any clue what the actual problem might be.
So I know what sciatica is like. Definitely listen to your physical therapist! Anything that helps you keep moving is super important.
And try not to be too angry at your body. It's pretty amazing that so many of us are even able to keep being here, through everything life can throw at us. Your body is doing everything it can to keep you alive. We can't all move like the woman in the video, but at least we're able to see her and appreciate it! We might as well appreciate whatever our body is doing to make that possible. :)
AHH yes I was given these to do for lower back pain as well.
The reason you don't look like her when you do it is because...you have sciatica and she doesn't. (Not being facetious) So the nerves that have been swollen and pushed and prodded and ground down by bones will not respond exactly as hers will, which are still juicy, padded and full of vigour.
However, if you keep the exercises up to the best of your ability, with a mild challenge to yourself to improve slowly over time, and you meet your targets each time, you will get back to this in time if youre relatively healthy. It took me 5 years to fully get better, as my job kept me pulling it again and again, and took me a while to properly narrow down what was causing it, how to stop doing that, how to feel when it's about to start... Etc etc.
But keeping flexible, supple and "relatively" strong (basically not fragile) is all you need to bring it back
The exercise in the video is great, and will provide temporary relief to the pain pretty well, but what you really need to do is stretch out the nerve gently. Nerve glides will help with that
The “Sitting Sciatic Tensioner” helps the most in my anecdotal experience. Stretching out the entire posterior chain helps as well, as it helps stretch the muscles and tendons that are interacting with those nerves the most
As a back problem sufferer; this exercise is the one that helps the most.
Also building your abdominals! Working the opposing/supporting muscle groups for my joints and back have done wonders for making my body feel more sturdy and self supporting overall.
I’ve been fit for most of my life with sports like Soccer, Track, football and then joining the military right out of high school. But that all changed when I got a blue collar job and couldn’t muster the discipline to go to the gym after back breaking work. Now I’m 35 and been back in the gym for almost 4 months and I feel better than I have in years. Course, it also helps that I’ve been eating better and sleeping better too but MAN I FEEL GREAT
Same. Got a desk job, had kids, and got out of shape. Went back to the gym at 39, now 40 and feeling much better. My back pain is minimal to all but gone. I feel better and can be the fun dad I wanted to be. I think the fountain of youth is just taking care of your body and working out.
I'm hypermobile and have been struggling with joint pain these last few years, reaching the point where some days I'd need a cane to help me around. This year I was determined to slow down the degradation on my body. Started really slowly with a bucket of rice and walked backwards (carefully!) on the treadmill to fix my wrists and knees.
Now I have more energy and feel better at 30 than I did at 27. I still have flares every now and then, because the damage to my joints has already been done, but they're less severe and aren't as debilitating because I've conditioned my body to better support itself. I used to have to wear a back brace every single shift at work and now I barely need it. The biggest thing that's made a difference from my previous endeavors is that I'm listening to my body and taking protein before/after my workouts, its really been helping my growth.
You nailed it, listen to your body. Nothing out there will 100% be for everyone. Hypermobility has to be difficult (which I had to look up), especially for recovery. For me, I just needed to get off my butt and move (and eat better). Lifting weights helped my body stop hurting all the time and helped fix my posture. Losing 50lbs also made a big difference.
That’s great. If you’re still doing the back breaking work, what changed?
They're not doing back breaking work - that was the problem. sititng in an office chair 8 hours a day isn't good for your body, who knew!
I've ridden a bike to work for the past 3 years, a mix of biking and walking to college before that, and I walked to high school 3 out of 4 years. Pretty soon I'll have to start driving more though, which I worry will probably worsen my physical health.
Take extra time on weekends to walk or bike if you can, and get a standing desk! They're great
don't stop homie
https://preview.redd.it/jdn314o5oy6g1.png?width=480&format=png&auto=webp&s=61aef61ef83cc34c8e477f820947a78013f3b239
I hate to be that guy, but the antagonist muscle groups for the spinal extensors are the spinal flexors. A strong core helps protect the back and will help alleviate low back pain, but the rectus abdominis is, at best, a secondary trunk flexor even though 'crunches' are the top exercise used to target them. The main purpose of 'the abs' are to tighten up and protect the organs underneath from impact. The obliques and transverse abdominis are even more important to target than the rectus.
Thanks for this insight. So what would be the best exercise for strengthening your back?
Disclaimer 😆 there are a whole lot of different causes of low back pain, and while many of the exercises are the same for many of the causes, that does not mean they are all good for all causes. So the number one first step is to actually get an orthopedic diagnosis so you can make sure you are targeting the appropriate structures. End Disclaimer
I may have been over critical in my last response, based on semantics, but you definitely want to work the core out, but not in the sense of doing crunches for the 'abdominals'. The back is tough but luckily most of the work done to help low backs pain work for many of the numerous causes of low back pain. A lot of the basic core stabilizing exercises (on the floor or on a physioball if advanced enough) are a good starting point and many of the core stabilizing exercises have similar roots to the roots of yoga moves. A good balance between flexibility and strength, in the low back and hip, between flexor and extensor groups. Working on pelvic tilts to help find one's neutral pelvic tilt position. Maintain or train for leg strength and alwys use proper lifting mechanics (never twist the trunk with planted feet to pick something up, turn the whole body to face the item then using the hips and legs squat down to pick things up). Well, that is the crux of it without going into a dissertation level write up.
Bob and Brad on YouTube have a lot of videos in low back pain and all the different things that can be done depending on the diagnosis. They are a bit corney but they do a great job of explaining things.
There's a tonne of information missing from your comment.
The post mentions sciatica, which can develop from problems in the hips and sometimes even lower (as the sciatic nerve runs the whole way down your leg). Your back doesn't exist solely within itself and it's antagonists, the hips, glutes and core are all responsible as well.
You also explained that the main purpose of "the abs" are to tighten and protect organs from impact. That's not the reason your core exists. You see, the bottom and upper half of your body are very dense - there's a high amount of bone keeping the structure of everything steady. This isn't true for your core. Your core has only one bone structure maintaining it - the lower spine. The spine isn't capable of holding your top and body half together on it's own, that's achieved by the huge amount of musculature in your mid section, huge relative to the rest of your body ofc. Basically, your core is a big chunk of jelly between the steel beams of your hips and ribs.
Your mid section is not just responsible for crunching (front and side to side both), but also with static holds. You can look at more advanced movements like L sit holds and the like, although tasks like sprinting (more than jogging) is an excellent example of a static core training exercise.
TLDR: if you're working on back issues, work the back (upper and lower), core and legs. Don't forget the legs, especially if you're working through nerve problems like sciatica.
Yeah as a person with life long back pain, this move usually hurts my back more. Building abdominals was the only thing that helped me.
I think it depends on why your back is hurting :)
It sounds like you have a bulged disc that's similar to what I had. Try lying on your back and bringing your knees to your chest. This helps close the bulge up so it can heal.
No… no it does not.
Yes... yes it does
It absolutely does not. The complete opposite actually.
It would if the bulge is opening towards your back. Which is what the OP pic would help with. Now, if you were doing that movement and it made your back feel worse, that might suggest that the bulge is opening towards your front, which is what I discovered when I went to physiotherapy
Yup, making the abs stronger seems to help with the back.
Alternating between this and yoga child's pose works wonders for your lower back if you spend a lot of time on an office chair.
If you don't have a yoga mat just do a light quick stretch on the bed.
https://preview.redd.it/3y7mke9jx96g1.jpeg?width=526&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f402eaa3a7dcf6640f8f496c2fe024f06cdc118d
1000 times this. I transition from the OP arched back to the wide leg child's pose. After 3 sets I feel much better.
Same. It hurts to do, but it keeps my back from hurting far far more.
Maybe for you, but other people shouldn't operate under that assumption. Different injuries and different people are going to benefit from different exercises. There is no one size fits all.
My back problems got so much better once I started doing hip opener routines. It’s not one size fits all advice, but I’m sure some folks out there complain about back issues while really having hip issues as the root cause.
Are you pushing with your arms or lifting with your back/core? What’s doing the work here? Or everyone all together
yup. have aherniated dosc down there. this has helped tremendously
Yes it’s great. And you WILL likely improve your range of motion with regular work at it, even if you never get to her level of bend.
Same
I've been having back pain a few years cause of rough waves at the beach one year, I got massages last winter, but this year I started doing sun salutations (haven't done yoga in a bit) and man I think that helped put off the worst of it. I just have to remember to do it. It's always worse in the winter
For sciatica I highly recommend "figure 4 stretch".
Can confirm, I do this with a routine every morning on wake up and every night before bed. This one is the best so far.
That’s why you should do it. The bend comes with practicing the bend. And it is a great excercise for people with lower back problems. Not as effective as deadlifts, but also very good.
I genuinely did not know deadlifting could help with lower back pain until today! I think it's about time I try it out in that case. Thank you :)
It is absolutely the best exercise in my opinion, because it is THE exercise that activates these muscles more and deeper and more effective than any other exercises.
So many people think that it might be dangerous for your back, but it isn’t.
*when done correctly/with good form
Right! Remember to lock your knees, bend at the waist, and lift with a quick twisting motion.
Please don’t do this, it’s a joke.
Oh, I thought it was bending at the lower back.
Bend and snap!
And keep your hips on the floor as much as possible!
If your hips are coming off of the floor, you've reached your range of motion limit. Just do it to that point until you've gained some more flexibility to be able to go a little further, gaining more flexibility, as you go.
Yes! It‘s interesting that deadlifts are always have the bad reputation when in fact bench press and squats are much more often the cause of injuries of the so called "Big 3".
Because you are normally not able to injure your back with deadlifts with the correct form. Because you can just drop the weight. And your muscles will give up much earlier than your tendons or invertebral discs. (Injuries of the invertebral discs happen much more often when doing squats.)
as somebody who herniated a disc doing DLs even while supposedly keeping proper form .... you are able to do it. Shit went out like a gunshot, absolutely no chance to drop the weight.
Same here. I hurt myself a year and a half ago and I'm still paying for it. After all the PT and exercises trying to strengthen that area it's still very tender. Feels like it's just the new normal at 33y...
The reason why DLs get a bad rep is because it is very difficult to do them correctly. And people with lower back issues are often not athletic so they don't have the body feel to be able to correct themselves. So I wouldn't recommend doing them if you have lower back issues, there are better and more effective exercises for that
Climbing is also great for back problems due to it being so core intensive. I haven’t thrown my back out since I started climbing but used to throw out my back a few times a year before then.
despite what everybody is saying here, you absolutely can hurt your back doing deadlifts, especially if you're lifting heavy and your form slips for even a moment. I herniated a disc doing DLs and still have sciatica from it years later. I still do them, but only with relatively light weight now. I'm not saying don't do them, but be very careful, increase weight very slowly, and get your form checked frequently.
Deadlift can help back issues a ton but form is very important. I'd recommend starting with a variation called a Romanian Deadlift (or RDL). The difference is you start at the top with a weight like a kettlebell and bend only as far as you can keep your back slightly arched.
As someone with all the back problems, you need two gyms on alternating days. You need a light lifting aerobic Olympic lifts gym (a place where the idea isn’t to build up your maximum but to build up how many times you can do your minimum) and you need a yoga or Pilates gym that promotes flexible strength.
this is not a muscular development or neuromuscular integration exercise, so it is not like a deadlift in many senses. used at the beginning of rehab as a palliative exercise, it is end range loading, trying to recentrate disc material and desensitize and hopefully decrease inflammation of the posterior vertebral elements. deadlifting is much more effective for future proofing, but with sciatic pain u might not even want to deadlift d/t the pain.
Gotta keep it up for weeks. Gets better for sure. Check out McKenzie Method. 🤘🏼
Its called practice with repetition. Just like how your sciatica is not going to get better overnight, these exercises take time. Your PT will help you improve. Just dont do too much and dont go to fast. This exercise works.
Hence the sciatica. Don't feel bad, I'm there too. Just keep trying.
The main thing this stretches is the psoas muscle (psoai, plural). It connects from your femur to your lower spine. If you've got lower back pain, stretching this thing is heavenly.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psoas_major_muscle
[removed]
Seems like everyone is into it though
Overruled by vibes
Yea that’s wild
Super great exercise. Here's two tips. 1. Back up to a piece of furniture or a wall so that you bend your knees up. 2. When you stretch, try to push your pelvis into the floor.
If you don't feel flexible enough, try going up as far as you can. Even if it's your elbows or if if you need to put something else under you to support your torso.
Why bend your knees up
I also suggest sitting in a chair, crossing a leg over your lap while keeping the other leg perfectly straight, and then leaning forward for a bit, like 15-20 seconds. Then switch legs and repeat. That helps my sciatica a lot
I've had to do the same thing... was supposed to do 100 reps per day... or... if someone sat on my things and pushed down on my lower back with a roped up towel then only 10 reps was enough. Careful not to headbutt your assistant.
Another variation was to do it alone but breathing in and out at the top position would help my chest and belly flex down more.
Edit/Warning. I'm no expert at any of this just a fellow sufferer. Consult your PT before trying out new moves.
Edit again: More context my back pain was due to the discs shifting/sliding off from center due to sitting at a computer all day. Using a lumbar cushion is basically a permanent fixture of my day. The pain has not come back for a looong time .
Don't try to be that bendy. Just be as bendy as you can be without major discomfort.
Also, consider the McGill Big Three. They're often considered the best for back pain
Listen to them and keep doing it. Modern life (prolonged sitting. In the car, at the computer, etc) encourages compression in your lower spine. It also encourages certain muscles to get too long, and others to get too short.
This exercise can help counteract both issues.
As you do this exercise more and more your range of motion should increase, provided you are actually working the technique. Think about what your bones and muscles are doing while you do this. The better mind-body connection you have the more this will work for you.
Can’t have both of y’all coming in here agitating my sciatica. I want your guns and badges. And I don’t want either of you anywhere near this case.
That’s why you need the exercise.
Yeah, my dad wouldn't be physically capable of doing that. He has degenerative disc disease and bursitis in addition to the sciatica. Also an ankle with a lot of hardware in it from where he broke it in 5 places.
Even more so for my mom, who also had sciatica, when she was alive, but she had a lot, and I mean A LOT of medical problems. Though for her it'd largely be lack of strength. She fucked up one of her ulna nerves in a fall a few years before she died. Had absolutely no strength in her right arm after that.
Press ups. Helped me a ton.
I do these for sciatica. Works really good
Don't go up that far, just go slow, a little at a time. You may never reach the top most part and that's okay.
Also, remember to keep your tailbone moving downward ( like, toward your heels and the floor) so you don't tweek your lower back.
I can't believe they're asking you to do this specific exercise, it can hurt your low back if done incorrectly.
Glad to read this, I was thinking of trying it. Except, when I do a position like that it hurts XD
If it hurts, please don't!
If you can't afford a physical therapist, yoga YouTube for sciatica may give you some relief.
I'm so sorry your suffering
Because of my back problems, I now sleep face down with multiple pillows under my chest to maintain that position all night
I know it's a GIF but I was still waiting for a loud SNAP.
Its easy.
But I am drunk so my bendiness is higher I think.
I’ve been prescribed the same backbend. And it provides relief! Just do it as best you can.
As a back problem sufferer - this is the one exercise I must avoid. I have had X-rays, CT scans and an MRI. My doctor, physiotherapist, chiropractor and Athletic Therapist know what is best for me. It is def not this!
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You are not lying but you dont know what youre talking about. Most <60 people with backpain do not have degenerative damage like you do. Their back pain comes exclusively from their back muscles. The answer is stretching and working your core. It doesnt cost money either the information is freely avaiable
Good luck with your sciatica :(
You are not supposed to bend this far the first time, also do not force the pose, try following this video
https://youtu.be/n6jrC6WeF84?si=HM1JfR13Fz14nAoV
McKenzie back exercises. My daughter does the same exercises.
But it will get bend and bend you will get stronger and stronger, and it will hurt less and less
I’d feel like the little mermaid on the rock with waves crashing around me lol
You should absolutely be able to do what she in the video does. It's really nothing crazy. It's like not being able to jog 2km. That's just basic fitness. Do it for the sake of your health.
I am very surprised here that commenters think this is impressive or unusual. I'm sure she is very competent but that's not difficult
Also look into si belts. Theyre cheap and alleviate a lot of pain. I wear one for a cple hrs in the am. Life changing
I do this for my sciatica too. It works.
This was a game changer for me. Start by just getting yourself into your elbows and letting your back relax into the bend. Hold for a bit, relax, and go again. Do this until you stop hating your life.
I know that feeling. My physical therapist even asked me "Is that all you can do?"
Fellow back pain sufferer, you get better over time.
You don't look so bendy because you haven't been doing it as long as she has.
This is why I don't like these how to videos. The person demonstrating it is obviously fit and nimble enough they don't HAVE to do it. Makes it hard to judge my own performance.
OMG, I wish I could still do anything remotely like that! All sorts of things would be so much easier.
I have an auto-immune disorder that led to my entire spine becoming fused, from the pelvis all the way to the top. The only part that allows any movement from my pelvis to my head is the joint between the spine and my occipital bone. Been that way for 20+ years now.
If I lie on my back I can't even put my head on the floor. Fully resting, my head sits about 5 or 6 inches off the surface.
I did all kinds of exercises to fight it -- probably not as often as I should have, but I'm told I'm in remarkably good shape for someone like me. I could have ended up much, much worse.
The stiffness makes any kind of spinal injury extremely risky, because impact won't get absorbed the same way at all. There's no bend, only break.
Amazingly, I was in a very bad crash a couple years ago -- hit head on by an oncoming semi truck that swerved into my lane at full speed on a narrow bridge in the mountains. This caused multiple spinal fractures (among a long list of other things: collapsed lungs, 5 shattered ribs, bones poking out all over, smashed up shoulder blade, collar bone, arm, very traumatic brain injury...way too many other things to list them all).
I wasn't easy to extricate, and I wasn't initially expected to live, but I was flown to a hospital where they actually managed to save my life!
The care was absolutely amazing. Like so many places these days, they were vastly overworked and understaffed, and yet they were such an amazing team. All levels working together and helping each other and trying to have fun.
I eventually had to ask a nurse about it. How did that trauma ward ever get that way? Well it turns out the nurses and other levels of care had all gotten together when the work situation started turning really bad, and decided to do whatever was needed to remain a caring and supportive team. They refused to let it change them from being able to do what they all were there for: helping others. Providing care.
But wow, it was so incredible to see. Nurses rushing to help HCA's, doctors actually being appreciative of nurses, cleaning staff being respected and aided and encouraged. Laughing and hugging and joking and helping in every way they could, regardless of whether something was "their" job.
And best of all, most of the nursing staff wore yoga pants. What incredible medicine that was! :)
I got such a grin on my face when a nurse bent down in my room to pick something up off the floor. My wife was there too, and she gave me such a funny look, like, ahem, yes of course I know what you're looking at, sweetie.
I still have no memory of the crash, or anything from a whole month after it, but I eventually saw enough dashcam footage to know there was nothing else I could have done, at all. I did everything that was possible in the situation without risk of harming someone else.
I'm still in recovery, heavy sigh. But I survived! I can still enjoy seeing people being and doing such caring and beautiful things in the world!
Oh, and in a more direct response to the OP: my disease actually started manifesting itself as sciatica, when I was 14.
It would jump from one side to the other, seemingly at random, which bewildered doctors so much. Some doctors thought I was faking the pain as a way of getting drugs. (Meanwhile, my mom was a nurse and could probably have gotten me anything I wanted, if I actually wanted any.)
It was over a decade and soooo many doctors and specialists before I found one that finally had any clue what the actual problem might be.
So I know what sciatica is like. Definitely listen to your physical therapist! Anything that helps you keep moving is super important.
And try not to be too angry at your body. It's pretty amazing that so many of us are even able to keep being here, through everything life can throw at us. Your body is doing everything it can to keep you alive. We can't all move like the woman in the video, but at least we're able to see her and appreciate it! We might as well appreciate whatever our body is doing to make that possible. :)
In the end it was walking that sorted me - we are all different though.
On decent walking trainers I might add.
I also have sciatica, and this rules after a while
As someone with a herniated disk, do everything you can to build and maintain your core body strength. It is my biggest regret.
McKenzie method. They saved my arse!
Is that cobra, right?
Mackenzie Method
AHH yes I was given these to do for lower back pain as well.
The reason you don't look like her when you do it is because...you have sciatica and she doesn't. (Not being facetious) So the nerves that have been swollen and pushed and prodded and ground down by bones will not respond exactly as hers will, which are still juicy, padded and full of vigour.
However, if you keep the exercises up to the best of your ability, with a mild challenge to yourself to improve slowly over time, and you meet your targets each time, you will get back to this in time if youre relatively healthy. It took me 5 years to fully get better, as my job kept me pulling it again and again, and took me a while to properly narrow down what was causing it, how to stop doing that, how to feel when it's about to start... Etc etc.
But keeping flexible, supple and "relatively" strong (basically not fragile) is all you need to bring it back
And ouch. Time for a chiropractor
Don’t forget the Roman Chair at the Gym and dead-lifts.
I want someone to edit the timing of this clip so it looks like she's vigorously smashing her face into the floor.
You need to do nerve glides — it’s one of the few thin that actually helped my sciatic pain
https://www.verywellhealth.com/nerve-flossing-in-physical-therapy-4797516
The exercise in the video is great, and will provide temporary relief to the pain pretty well, but what you really need to do is stretch out the nerve gently. Nerve glides will help with that
The “Sitting Sciatic Tensioner” helps the most in my anecdotal experience. Stretching out the entire posterior chain helps as well, as it helps stretch the muscles and tendons that are interacting with those nerves the most
That is why you start and progress. Don't expect to do the whole exercise in one go.
Had it for a year do your self a favor get the operation physical therapy is a scam