other forms of exercise for lower back issues?

[jewll27]

So as of this week, my riding is being cut down to once a week because of a lease ending. Riding has been my primary form of exercise because of my back injury.

In 2011, I broke my transverse processes on my L5, which is also displaced about 25% but stable and my L5-S1 disc is herniated. I cannot walk or run b/c of the pressure it puts on my sciatic nerve, and Im out of commission for at least a few days. Riding overall was great, minus the muscle spasms, but I could walk until they passed and keep going. My doctor actually told me that riding is great for a back injury because of the core muscle use and posture.

So my question is, what other exercises do you do? Yoga is an obvious one, and I do try to do it several times a week. I was considering kick boxing at a local place because they have a chiropractor that comes in twice a week. I also have the attention span of a peanut and get really bored really fast.

Im stuck in the place of I need to lose weight so I need to exercise, but exercise if the wrong kind, can put me out of commission for days. And losing weight is an important thing to helping reduce my back pain. HELP!!

[WinsomeTK]

Swimming? My physio says it’s great for back injuries, low impact but still good for core/back muscles. I have a hard time being consistent, but the few times I went made me feel better after the initial soreness.

[mtngirl]

Exercises using a large balance ball

Physical therapist had me doing all sorts of things using a large balance ball…the kind you sit on. At one point they had me sitting on the ball, with each foot on a smaller ball while playing “catch” with another ball, or waving a large bow like thing back and forth. REALLY helps to strengthen your back and core muscles.

At first my PT was puzzled by how well I could balance on the ball…had to remind her that I was used to sitting on something that moved. :lol: It became a sort of game or challenge for the other PTs to try and come up with exercises to try and get me off balanced.

[shadytrake]

[QUOTE=mtngirl;7239332]
Physical therapist had me doing all sorts of things using a large balance ball…the kind you sit on. At one point they had me sitting on the ball, with each foot on a smaller ball while playing “catch” with another ball, or waving a large bow like thing back and forth. REALLY helps to strengthen your back and core muscles.

At first my PT was puzzled by how well I could balance on the ball…had to remind her that I was used to sitting on something that moved. :lol: It became a sort of game or challenge for the other PTs to try and come up with exercises to try and get me off balanced.[/QUOTE]

The ball! OMG the plank with rotating circles is the best/worst! See the link.

To do the circle planks, put your knees down and feet up. Lean forward to the plank and with your elbows in plank position rotate clockwise 15 circles and counterclockwise 15 circles. Keep your core tight, back flat, feet up. It is a killer!

http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/diet-fitness/exercise/core-abdominal-and-lower-back-exercises11.htm

[canadianbacon]

If you get bored swimming laps look into trying an aqua-aerobics class, those are great for keeping stress off the joints and a great workout. You could also try joining a master swim club, they will have a training plan for your swims so it won’t be as boring as just doing an hour of laps by yourself, plus the social aspect helps keep you motivated. There are also aqua-running programs, basically you wear a float belt and run in the deep end of the pool, so it’s running without the impact.

[GaMare]

Pilates is a huge help for me. Swimming is good but make sure your stroke/form is correct. If you aren’t comfortable and hold your head back/up to pull your face out of the water, you can end up straining your back

[beaujolais]

I was looking into Pilates (the “back friendly” type). To me, it still seems many of the exercises would be contraindicated for a bad lower back, from what I learned at PT.

[Bristol_Bay]

[QUOTE=sonomacounty;7245201]
I was looking into Pilates (the “back friendly” type). To me, it still seems many of the exercises would be contraindicated for a bad lower back, from what I learned at PT.[/QUOTE]

Unless you can spend the money for private sessions with a certified Pilates instructor, I’d be wary. Unless you are really engaging your core, some of the mat exercises can strain tour back. Mat classes are fantastic and much cheaper, but it’s worth the money to learn how to do the exercises properly first.

[Ray]

Pilates with a very well-trained instructor, especially someone who is also a physical therapist. I hurt my back (falling off horse, what else) and did Pilates for back rehab at a PT place, really made all the difference in the world

can you ride a bike ? either outside or in the gym ?

[beaujolais]

Thanks so, much, Bristol & Ray. Totally agree with both of you. I go to PT twice a week, do core exercises there, including the recumbent bike. On my non PT days, I do their exercises at home. Thanks again !

[wateryglen]

Just a simple suggestion: Hike/walk up hills. Be sure to raise your knees/legs up higher than normal like marching. Find a field with tall grass and walk around in it. Marching! Start with marching in a pool and increase the # of minutes you do it. Lift knees high in the water…over & over. Then start dry land marching! Use a walking stick to help balance.
Hey I paid a PT $$ to learn this and it helped w/one of my discs recovery1!!
Wear good shock absorbing shoes. Gradually increase the time.

[Kyrabee]

I would also look at a major diet review and adjustment.

I had foot surgery last January. That surgery kicked my butt. I was off my foot for 3 months and it was frozen when it came out of the boot. Of course then I had to wait to get into physical therapy.
The kicker is that I have chronic tailbone pain and I can’t sit to do any exercise…like an exercise bike. So, I tried getting back into walking and started having lots of pain and spasm in my hip and thigh. I couldn’t even lift that leg more than six inches without pain. Arghh…

Anyway…I have lost 30 lbs over the last few years (yes, very slowly but it is gone:yes:). I did gain 7 lbs while I was off the foot but have peeled that right back off . My only consistent exercise has been riding and I have gotten back to walking although not long distances or duration ( a mile ish and 20-30 minutes).
I initially cut wheat out of my diet about 18 months ago. Simply by that change, I lost 12 lbs. Then about 6 months ago, I started doing the fast diet where you do 500 calories on 2 non consecutive days of the week and eat “normally” the other 5-- which for me is aiming for lower carb with lots of veggies. That is what quickly peeled off the extra 7 I gained after surgery. I quit that in October when I developed stomach problems secondary to NSAID’s (ibuprofen, naproxen and the like) but finally have that healed and would like to get 10 more pounds off and plan to return to that. My weight has held steady by sticking to my lower carb diet without the fasting days.

I guess what I am bloviating about:lol: is that IF you can clean up your diet, exercise, while important, will help you not have to spend hours in the gym. I am post menopause and am somewhat amazed that I could lose weight now and keep it off when all that eluded me in my younger years. I also weigh myself daily…it really helps keep me on the right track. I wouldn’t have gained the 7 lbs during my surgery but I was non weight bearing and couldn’t manage the scales on 1 foot with a heavy boot:sadsmile:. I am going to find a yoga instructor and try that. I had a hip x-ray and I have some arthritis but not enough to be responsible for the symptoms. I think they are back related so I need to do some serious core work and see if it helps while I keep trying to ramp up the walking. I hate doing things that make me hurt!

Susan

[Bristol_Bay]

[QUOTE=wateryglen;7356088]
Just a simple suggestion: Hike/walk up hills. Be sure to raise your knees/legs up higher than normal like marching. Find a field with tall grass and walk around in it. Marching! Start with marching in a pool and increase the # of minutes you do it. Lift knees high in the water…over & over. Then start dry land marching! Use a walking stick to help balance.
Hey I paid a PT $$ to learn this and it helped w/one of my discs recovery1!!
Wear good shock absorbing shoes. Gradually increase the time.[/QUOTE]

There is a local guy who had terrible back pain, and he started walking the stairways that are woven throughout some of the hilly areas around Los Angeles. It resolved his back pain, and he wrote a book about all the hidden stairways in the area. It’s called Secret Stairs.

DH sprained his back playing basketball many years ago. He had to give up running because of that. When I met him, the only exercise he could do was walking. He picked up a book of hiking trails that I had lying around, and decided to go on a hike. Then we joined a gym. Between the hiking and the gym, his back hasn’t gone out in years. He lost his back brace.

There is really something to this idea.

[Bristol_Bay]

This was in the paper today!

http://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-78839715/

A testimonial to the restorative power of stair walking. In fact, I have plans for a stair walk tomorrow. If you don’t live in a hilly area, the bleachers at the local HS would do.

[beaujolais]

What is it about the stairs, specifically, that helps so much? Thanks.

[infiniti]

Spinning! So I also have a bad back but its a little different as its nerve damage. I started a spinning class to see if I could get a good cardio workout without the pressure on my joints (bad knee and shoulder from same incident). The first class was ok, I sat out the standing parts and then slowly added in maybe 30 seconds and now I can actually do almost all standing parts. The class I take also includes light upper body weights that they incorporate in (its called “Zenergy”). But the biggest improvement I’ve seen from the class is my strong core! I was surprised but it has made a huge difference for me. To ensure success in any exercise, be honest with yourself and kind to your body. Don’t push yourself too hard and sit out parts that bring on discomfort.

[magnolia50]

I gained weight after a car accident that left me with neck issues, my previous job always kept me really in great condition, since I can no longer do it I have tried various types of exercise but with discomfort. I have done yoga for years and continue but I love spinning, so much that I got my own spin bike! always talk with your doctor first, spinning is great cardio!

[DancingArabian]

Calories in < calories out = weight loss

Zumba is fun!