Lower back pain?

... Has anyone else delt with lower back pain? How long was it before you started to feel better? i routinely suffer a pinched nerve in my lower back (1-2x/yr, maybe 3-4x/yr). it usually takes about 3 weeks before i feel completely recovered on bad sessions, maybe as little as a week on mild ones. this happens usually with the simplest of actions. in recent times it has been bending over the lavatory to wash my face/hands, or to get something (any size) out of the fridge. it usually happens w/o any warning what-so-ever, but sometimes i "see" it coming. if i immediately start doing gentle forward bends and maybe some floor stretches for the back it can significantly shorten the recovery time. i highly recommend a regular yoga practice as preventative maintenance, but if your condition is current and severe you should consult a physician first. if you do take up yoga i strongly suggest you get a teacher.... like swimming, doing it wrong can be worse. my worst years for this were in my 20's, when i was a carpenter (i'm now pushin' 50). those were my most intensive yoga years too. if i did even just a little bit every day (usually a dozen or so sun salutations in the a.m. and some standing and some floor back asanas in the evening) i could prevent this ever happening. when it did happen the pain was merciless, and it cut into my pay, so i was VERY motivated to prevent it. once it happened simply from sitting bolt upright from lying on my back. i firmly believe stress plays a big part in this for me. addressing that issue as well has helped a lot (in everything really). i still do back stretches, but not often enough. (just last month i pinched that nerve again bending over to wash my hands.) i routinely "crack" (adjust) my back doing yogic back twists. i've even felt my back adjust (most recently yesterday) while i swim, especially with front crawl when i can get the most stretched out. i find my yogic conditioning for balance has helped me immensely in my swimming practice. it is a thought process as much as anything else. when the process becomes as automatic as breathing, then you know you are getting somewhere. i am constantly trying to lengthen my strokes, which i can most easily monitor by occasionally paying attention to my stroke count. in a SCY pool it is about 8 (full) cycles/length for the big four (an IM), on a good day. i'm not the fastest fish in the pond, but i'm faster than most (of the general population anyway), and very efficient. :cool:

... Has anyone else delt with lower back pain? How long was it before you started to feel better? i routinely suffer a pinched nerve in my lower back (1-2x/yr, maybe 3-4x/yr). it usually takes about 3 weeks before i feel completely recovered on bad sessions, maybe as little as a week on mild ones. this happens usually with the simplest of actions. in recent times it has been bending over the lavatory to wash my face/hands, or to get something (any size) out of the fridge. it usually happens w/o any warning what-so-ever, but sometimes i "see" it coming. if i immediately start doing gentle forward bends and maybe some floor stretches for the back it can significantly shorten the recovery time. i highly recommend a regular yoga practice as preventative maintenance, but if your condition is current and severe you should consult a physician first. if you do take up yoga i strongly suggest you get a teacher.... like swimming, doing it wrong can be worse. my worst years for this were in my 20's, when i was a carpenter (i'm now pushin' 50). those were my most intensive yoga years too. if i did even just a little bit every day (usually a dozen or so sun salutations in the a.m. and some standing and some floor back asanas in the evening) i could prevent this ever happening. when it did happen the pain was merciless, and it cut into my pay, so i was VERY motivated to prevent it. once it happened simply from sitting bolt upright from lying on my back. i firmly believe stress plays a big part in this for me. addressing that issue as well has helped a lot (in everything really). i still do back stretches, but not often enough. (just last month i pinched that nerve again bending over to wash my hands.) i routinely "crack" (adjust) my back doing yogic back twists. i've even felt my back adjust (most recently yesterday) while i swim, especially with front crawl when i can get the most stretched out. i find my yogic conditioning for balance has helped me immensely in my swimming practice. it is a thought process as much as anything else. when the process becomes as automatic as breathing, then you know you are getting somewhere. i am constantly trying to lengthen my strokes, which i can most easily monitor by occasionally paying attention to my stroke count. in a SCY pool it is about 8 (full) cycles/length for the big four (an IM), on a good day. i'm not the fastest fish in the pond, but i'm faster than most (of the general population anyway), and very efficient. :cool: