please can someone come up with exercises for people with back problems

amen

 

Planks and hip bridges ate great core exercises for those with back problems as well as those without back problems.

Also you can do any of these workouts and they can be good for your back just remember to bend your knees slightly when doing them , that will take the pressure off of your back!! I have bad back problems and this is what I do, I didn't realize by having my knees locked that's where alot of the pain was coming from!!

Original Post by: revjosie

please can someone come up with exercises for people with back problems

Revjosie, I have undergone two back surgeries and my lower vertabrae are fused together.  I am able to do the moves described above and have found since doing most of them the last two months my back is stronger, I have fewer pain days and my energy is increased.  I make sure to maintain my posture and do each move carefully.  

Using a Pool to perform your exercises is a great aid too.  Good luck!

I had major back surgery about 3 years ago (extreme spinal fusion of L4, L5). I couldn't do any exercise for 10 years before my surgery. I'm not a doctor but my recommendation is you consult with a doctor to find out what causes your pain so you don't do exercises that aggravate your problem. Planks and side planks are my favs. I think all the exercises they suggest in the article today are great for bad back except the reverse crunch and squatting. I would stay away from both of those unless you have spoke to a sports doctor about it. Hope that helps!

I found that ball exercises are the best. My spine is slightly curved. here try a few from this site:http://www.ball-exercises.com/exercises/back/index.html

 

x9Livesx, good suggestion! My balance needs much attention and I will be looking into those exercises for me. Thank you for the input!!

Original Post by: janiceterwilliger

I had major back surgery about 3 years ago (extreme spinal fusion of L4, L5). I couldn't do any exercise for 10 years before my surgery. I'm not a doctor but my recommendation is you consult with a doctor to find out what causes your pain so you don't do exercises that aggravate your problem. Planks and side planks are my favs. I think all the exercises they suggest in the article today are great for bad back except the reverse crunch and squatting. I would stay away from both of those unless you have spoke to a sports doctor about it. Hope that helps!

Janice when you had your back surgery did they need to use Rods and Screws?  I ask this becuase you say you have one surgery so I am wondering if you still have these items in. 

I needed to have the Rods and Screws placed in during the surgery becuase my spine was not strong enough without them.  I am fused L3 thru L5.   After a year they were able to go back in and remove these items.  I would be much more cautious if I still had these items in.  My first surgery was just over 18 years ago.  

I agree anyone with back issues should speak to their doctor before beginning.  Most patients of back surgery go through physical therapy and there will learn what they can do to help their backs for life. 

They only used screws and they didn't need to be removed. The doctor said I would have a very small amount of limited mobility. However, I have not experienced any limited mobility. My discs were completely gone and I was bone to bone for about 10 years. I had pain 24/7 with rare moments of relief. I'm sure you can relate, after I read your issue. There were a few things the doc told me absolutely not to "ever" do: No high impact anything and no water skiing.

Now, I work out in the gym weight training and low impact cardio about 3-4 times a week. I am so happy to feel good again. My core strength is improving but that is my weakness along with balance. Like you, I'm always cautious when I do anything because I do not want a repeat of my back pain. 

I wonder why my doc didn't want to remove the screws and yours did?? Only thing I can think of is technology has changed over the years. Thanks for sharing!!

 

 

thanks for all the comments guys but unfortunately my spine is crumbling and i have arthritis from neck to hips. the exercises above are no good for me as i cannot bend my spine nor can i bend my legs in that manner. i have consulted both doctors and physiotherapists and they have not found any exercises that will not aggravate my condition. i was just hoping that someone else might have another suggestion

As always, I'm going to open by stating that I am not an MD or a DPT (although I wish I'd studied that in school...).

 

Perhaps it's the crossfitter in me but I have to stress that the scalability of exercise is something that anyone should understand. Most back problems are most often an end result of poor core muscle development. I'm not talking about the "six pack muscles" (rectus abdominus for you medical types.) but the transversis abdominus which is the giant set of corset muscles that support the spine. Squats and Deadlifts are some of the best exercises to train those muscles. Scalability is key, of course, someone with back problems should clearly not throw their body weight on the bar and begin squatting. However, with a calm, cautious, scaled approach these muscles will help strengthen the muscles that support the spine. Then the rest comes to stretching and mobility. I would suggest everyone check out MobilityWOD which is a crossfitesque approach to mobility that has been developed by Crossfitter and well known Physical Therapist and coach Kelly Starret. His philosophy is that everyone should be able to perform basic maintenance on themselves and he does this in a very clear and concise way.

Again, I don't exactly know the stipulations of back problems that have required surgery, but for every day back pain and soreness a lot of it is caused by taxing weak core muscles!! Exercise, Stretch, Mobilize!

All the best,

Joe

"Rise Above"

With the caveat that I am not certified in any medical profession, I feel that working in water is a good means of exercising when one has back issues. Water's bouyancy reduces joint loading and the antigravitation effect allows for a slight traction in the spine which has been documented to average around 5 mm after about 20 minutes of vertical water training. One should use a bouyancy belt and try to keep it above the known problem area in the spine. Vertical water training allows back-injured people to strengthen virtually all muscles and to provides the means of developing a stronger cardiovascular system which can be painful on land. Try it. You'll like it. I do at least. 

I didn't realize when I posted my earlier comment that you guys had serious back problems!! Maybe instead of asking us you probably should ask your doctors who know how much pressure and what you can and can't do with broken backs! I don't want to hurt any one seriously and this seems the best way to find out.

Having never exercised seriously for years, I found yoga was the best exercise for me as it started conditioning muscles and one can find and modify most of them to fit your needs and it is energizing as well.