Best way to deal with an aching lower back?

[590Mike]

Uhhh derrrr I think I could just write it out,(usually we give a handout).

Ok For this exercise you need to lift a solid object that is held between your knees. About the size of a basketball works fine.
Sit on a bench or bed lean back and support your weight on your arms. Apply pressure medially (squeeze) with your knees against the solid object. On Exhalation attempt to lift the object with your knees together. Relax. Repeat six times. ( 1X or 2X daily) To activate the psoas muscle you need to lift the knees i.e. flex the hip joint.

Give this a try, I think you will be surprised how quick it helps.

[Snagly]

After all the good advice, I wanted to update the Board as to what I learned in the run up to my BC Death March and how it turned out:

1. My core may have been in OK shape, but based on the websites and exercises recommended by 590Mike and others it was very clear very early on that my lower abs and lower back were woefully underdeveloped. One of the websites I visited struck a chord when it said, "Whatever group you work out first in the week and first in your routine is where you are going to (keep) spend(ing) your time. So I switched my routine to put core first.

2. I went to a half dozen websites and collected a bunch of printouts for wimpy-looking leg lifts, ball lifts, trunk twists, bridges, planks, etc. All pretty much Girly Stuff. Except that when I started, I couldn't do them properly. Certainly not 3 in a row. (I now do strings of 7-9 in a row . . . somewhat properly!) That reinforced that I was more unfit than I'd realized.

3. Pre-departure, I read up on proper posture and tried to practice it at rest and when walking around.

4. I found a Simms Back Magic on sale on the web and bought it as a backup (so to speak).

As a reminder to new people on this thread, my particular back problems combine sciatica (right side) mostly in abeyance, a mechanical fault that every 12-18 months leads to the facet joint between L4 and L5 dislocating, and general lumbar lower right hand side muscle pain. Oh, and six years ago I partially tore the piriformis muscle in my upper right butt. At any one time I could have 0-4 issues running.

First things first, I tried on the Simms brace and found that it was well designed for pulled back muscles but as my back muscles didn't hurt at the time in when back in the package and stayed there the rest of the trip.

Second, I started out well with no pain despite Day 1 being ten straight hours on the water (with the odd break to drive to a different hole). Day 2 I developed muscle pain across the entire lower back late in the day. Rested overnight and OK. Day 3 it was the beginning of the old familiar "ball of fire" nerve pain in the lower right side while the rest of the back was OK . . . and so on. Day 6 I woke up and couldn't get out of bed: the facet joint was out of alignment. Previously I treated this with in-patient hospitalization and serious muscle relaxant injections, plus physio. This time I found an expired muscle relaxant pill in my travel kid, popped it and lay down for most of the next 24 hours . . . the back fell back into place and everything else seemed to reset back to zero so on Day 7 I was back fishing . . . gingerly . . . for a few hours. Days 8 and 9 were half days and then went all out on Day 10 (last day) without mishap. Managed to drive to the airport, get on a plane and fly home (eventually: long trip).

I guess a cynic would conclude that, as my back was probably worse than ever, those exercises didn't help much. I suspect that it was the opposite case: if I hadn't done the 3 months' prior prep, I probably wouldn't have made it as far as I did. There's an age (and cumulative injury-) related non-linear decay curve that people begin to experience at some stage in their lives, and I'm now well and truly on it.

If I'm going to be able to fish with less back pain, I'm going to have to do better in respect of exercise, posture and diet. I suspect that none of this is news to the Older Guys. But if there are any fitness buffs on this Board who don't spend a lot of time on their core, I urge them to alter their workouts and start doing so. I'm probably 20 years in arrears. And the number of dips, chin-ups and push ups you can do doesn't seem to have a lot of influence on how well your back is going to hold up once you hit 50, plus or minus.

Thanks (again) to those who posted links and suggestions: it was (and remains) good stuff.

[Mark Kranhold]

My brother just tried Simms back support wading belt and said it helped tremendously! I have always found a good flask of JD does the trick for me

[Fly Right]

My advice if you have not done so to have your back evaluated by a medical professional, preferably an orthopedic surgeon. It could be that you have a herniated disc or some other structural problem that is exacerbated by wading and long periods of standing on uneven surfaces such as a riverbed. If that turns out to be the case there are many forms of therapy that can be utilized to address your specific problem. Of course core strengthening and flexibility work are usually part of the equation and your medical professional can help you make educated decisions in that regard.
Sort of all that we go back to core, flexibility and weight loss if necessary. If you are having trouble getting started try hiring a good personal trainer who can address your situation with proper program design. A few sessions will get you pointed in the right direction.

good luck

[Snagly]

My orthopedic surgeon has a summer house in Maui based on my career cumulative visits for feet, ankles, knees, shoulder . . . and back. (Tournament slalom waterskiing for many years without great technique was a key contributor, as was youth basketball).

Doc's sage advice, "If we can avoid cutting open your back, then that's the starting point." I've had a couple of keyhole laproscopies (sp?) which helped lot. General advice from 3rd party docs is for fusing a couple vertebrae and removing a disk. Ouch.

Glad the Simm's worked. I think it's going to be ideal for people who have strained backs from, say, heavy lifting.

[jbird]

I ended up with a string of doctors visits this summer for my lower back problems. Turns out I have a herniated disc and 2 bulging disks and a badly misaligned lumbar vertabrae. I have access to fantastic doctors here at the Marshfield clinic so Im satisfied with my diagnosis. Surgery is the very last thing they wanted for me. I went thru a series of physical therapy sessions with a bunch of, "Lift this way, stretch this way, strengthen your core... blahblahblah." Bottom line is, us poor fools whove screwed up our backs need to protect them. The best way to do that is to keep the core strong and joints limber. (wish I could say ive been doing that more )

One interesting thing I did learn is my hamstrings were very tight and may be a big contribution to lack of flexibility. Which causes me to put more stress on my lower back during general activities. Flexible hamstrings will allow you to bend more at the hips rather than the spine.

Snagly, Im sorry to hear that your back effected your trip, but it sounds like it coulda been worse too. bad backs are the WORST! Look at pro golfer Fred Couples. This guy has access and money for the best back treatment on earth. But his back continues to be a bugger for him and has effected his career for many years. Some backs just cant be fixed it seems.... Sucks.

[Snagly]

Amen on the tight hamstrings and/or tight glutes contributing to lower back issues. My physio's "prescribed" routine starts with rolling then dynamic stretching to loosen the glutes before I even try to do anything to/ with the back.

And my trip turned out great! Despite missing some fishing time, my sore back largely coincided with iffy water conditions. When the water was in good shape, I was fishing hard and tolerable discomfort. So reason for the update post was to share some info and emphasize what you've done as well: remind fellow board members that they should be treating their core as a ("the") primary group of muscles to focus on when they work out. I've got my teenage sons working on their cores ... certainly not high on the average high school boys' normal set routines.

Off to the gym!