Today

[Transk53]

I have had one surreal day. Earlier a work colleague claimed to be six foot. So I did the close up hand measurement, in doing so I realised that he either mistaken, or I have shrunk. After a while I decided that it is my posture. My exercises are limited by the pain that I feel some three plus decades. I cannot do crunches due to my lower back, so I have to do planks to kind of offset the difference in my mind. It obviously also affects the yoga routines on the lower back. It is bearable, maybe just a trick of the mind, but I need a new approach here. I have my normal medically given stretching routines, but these are probably limited. Basically I am up a creek without a paddle. I am hoping some of you lot can tell me what are the best training methods for lower spinal damage. I have heard the big training ball can help, but as I am less than confident, I thought I would throw this out you lot, I have never asked before, so it would mean plenty

 

[donnaTKD]

go to place that does accupunture with the needles that take the tension out of an area --- forget the hype cos i can tell you from first hand experience that it really does work

somewhere else in these boards someone mentioned doing stomach vacuums - they do the muscles in the back of your abs i think. the ball you mention is amazing for getting motion and better movement into your back with no damage whilst sitting on the ball you can use weights and other gym kit and it'll improve everything.

have you looked at supplements ????? try glucosamine - that's like putting WD40 into your joints and stuff

 

[jks9199]

You might also look into the M.E.C.A. Back Wedge; it's done my back a lot of good. It reduces/removes the spinal flexion in doing ab exercises.

 

[K-man]

For what it's worth, most people lose height as they get older and I have read that by age 60 most have lost an inch (or 25mm) or more. That is from pressure compressing the cartilage in the back. Additionally there can be curvature of the spine and osteoporosis. I damaged my back 50 years ago. Apart from times when it seizes up I just live with it. There is always a dull ache and a lot of residual stiffness. But keeping good core strength helps enormously.

You mentioned planking which is excellent for developing the core and as you have discovered, sit ups are not the best exercise for your back, but there is an alternative that you may be able to use as a more effective substitute. Try lying on your back on the floor where you can push your hands hard against the wall behind your head. Bend your knees and raise them until the knees are over your hips and your lower legs are horizontal. While pushing hard with you hands against the wall, lower and raise your legs to the floor, maintaining the bent knees. You can do this with each leg separately or a bit harder is both together. You will find it exercises all the stomach muscles including the obliques and doesn't hurt your back.

Good luck!
:asian:

 

[Buka]

Transk, what kind of lower spinal damage?

 

[Transk53]

Thanks donnaTKD, I do take them but try not to that often. I take cod liver pills as well. jks9199, I will have a look at getting a wedge, thanks for that K-man, just tried that in the office. Thanks for that one, no physio has ever suggested that exercise before.

 

[Transk53]

Transk, what kind of lower spinal damage?

It is basically one of those one in a million type case. The gene that controls the the tailbone growth at the coccyx was not dormant in me, so it started to develop as a baby. The bottom of my spine was left with a Scoliosis type twist at the bottom with nervous system damage. Three vertebra in my neck got squished together as well. Not that it is noticeable to most people, but I have a slight permanent limp. The only kind of good thing about it is that the bones are very strong and left me heavy set. The worst thing is that my center of balance is offset. I can turn around on both feet, but struggle spinning on one. My spine stopped any ambitions that I had to join the British Army (still reckon I could have yomped just as well as the next guy) and to box. Still, for the operations that I had in the early seventies, I got away quite lucky