Lower back pain?

Have a look around this site orthoinfo.aaos.org/.../view_exercise.cfm Causes orthoinfo.aaos.org/.../thr_report.cfm

Sarah--I would see if you can't find back strengthening exercises that you could do--the trainer at school is developing a program for me that uses those swiss yoga balls because after throwing my back out last year, my back has never felt 100%...I feel a lot stiffer in lower back motion and I have some low back aches and pains that are pretty continual after I've started swimming regularly.... So maybe a simple program like that might work for you as well?

Sarah, it is also possible that your body position is causing your in-pool pain. To contradict Rich's 1st reply (post 2), we have a guy on our team who suffers from lower back pain. When his back starts getting tight, he grabs his pull buoy and takes off like a bat out of hell. He has concluded that his body position sans buoy is less than optimal and that trying to maneuver through the water that way was not only slowing him down, but also putting his back in a very awkward position and thus hurting him. The buoy brought his legs up to the surface and kept his spine in line and eliminates back pain.

Well my back is starting to feel better which is good. The x-rays revealed that there was nothing wrong (with what they could see)...The Doc recommended physical therapy, but I am not sure that I can afford as many sessions as they want me to go to. I think I will go to one session and see if they can just give me a program to work with.

Thanks for everyone's input! I have been prescribed physical therapy because the doc couldn't figure out what is wrong with my back. The pain keeps getting better for a few days and then re-flairs again. Hopefully the physical therapist can give me something to make my pain less and my back stronger:cheerleader:

Sarah, it is also possible that your body position is causing your in-pool pain. Sounds plausible. Focus on your lower back when you're swimming and if it's a likely problem area, try to straighten it somewhat.

As another swimmer with a bulged disk, I am always on the lookout for articles about back pain. The Webmaster will get mad at me if I post the entire article, so here are a few excerpts. If you want a copy of the entire article, send me an e-mail. -------- When It’s O.K. to Run Hurt By GINA KOLATA Published: January 11, 2007 The New York Times JUST before the end of last year, a prominent orthopedic surgeon was stretching to lift a heavy box and twisted his back. The pain was agonizing. He could not sit, and when he lay down he could barely get up. So the surgeon, Dr. James Weinstein of Dartmouth College, decided to go out for a run. “I took an anti-inflammatory, iced up, and off I went,” Dr. Weinstein recalled. When he returned, he said, he felt “pretty good.” It sounds almost like heresy. The usual advice in treating injuries is to rest until the pain goes away. But Dr. Weinstein and a number of leading sports medicine specialists say that is outdated and counterproductive. In fact, Dr. Weinstein says, when active people consult him, he usually tells them to keep exercising. The idea, these orthopedists and exercise specialists say, is to use common sense. If you’ve got tendinitis or sprained a muscle or tendon by doing too much, don’t go right back to exercising at the same level. The specific advice can differ from specialist to specialist. Some, like Dr. Weinstein, say most people can continue with the sport they love although they may need to cut back a bit, running shorter distances or going more slowly. Others say to cross-train at least some of the time and others say the safest thing to do is to cross-train all the time until the pain is gone. You might end up cycling instead of running, or swimming instead of playing tennis. But unless it’s something as serious as a broken bone or a ripped ligament or muscle, stopping altogether may be the worst thing to do. “We want to keep you moving,” said Dr. William Roberts, a sports medicine specialist at the University of Minnesota and a past president of the American College of Sports Medicine. “Injured tissue heals better if it’s under some sort of stress.” He and others acknowledge that the advice to keep moving may come as a surprise and that some doctors feel uncomfortable giving it, worried that their patients will do too much, make things worse and then blame their doctor. “I’m not convinced this is part of every doctor’s training or that everyone is ready to make it part of mainstream medicine,” Dr. Roberts said. “You have to work with athletes a while to figure out how to do it and how to do it well.” “The easy way out is to say, ‘Don’t exercise,’ ” said Dr. Richard Steadman, an orthopedic surgeon in Vail, Colo., and founder of the Steadman Hawkins Research Foundation, which studies the origins and treatment of sports injuries. That advice, he added, “is safe and you probably will have healing over time.” But, he said, “if the injury is not severe, resting it will probably prolong recovery.....” But medical experts caution that people have to be careful if they try to exercise when they are injured..... Dr. Weinstein’s advice for injured patients is among the boldest — he said it’s based on his basic research and his own experience with sports injuries, like knee pain and tendinitis of the Achilles and hamstring. Before exercise, he said, take one anti-inflammatory pill, like an aspirin. Ice the area for 20 minutes. Then start your usual exercise, the one that resulted in your injury, possibly reducing the intensity or time you would have spent. When you finish, ice the injured area again. The advice involving an anti-inflammatory pill, Dr. Weinstein said, is based on something surgeons know — in most cases, a single anti-inflammatory pill before surgery results in less pain and swelling afterward. It also is consistent with Dr. Wang’s research because, at least in theory, it should forestall new inflammation from the exercise that is about to occur. The icing is to constrict blood vessels before and after exercise, thereby preventing some of the inflammatory white blood cells from reaching the injured tissue..... I pulled my lower back out for the first time last week (I *think* doing a flip turn, of all things), and this article was a godsend. After a week of staying out of the pool and not getting any better (getting worse, actually), I cautiously got back in (after taking some ibuprofen) and swam strictly freestyle without any flip turns. By the end of that first workout back, I even did some turns. The next day I felt MUCH better and while not 100%, I'm on the road to recovery. This turned out to be great advice and I recommend it to anyone with acute, rather than chronic, back pain.

The following article appeared on the net today. Acupunture appears to help considerably. www.dailymail.co.uk/.../healthmain.html (although...the placebo acupuncture was nearly as good lol) I started getting back pain when I gained 30 lbs (a 15% increase in body weight...not insubstantial). Trying to get rid of it before I do any permanent damage.

I pulled my lower back out for the first time last week (I *think* doing a flip turn, of all things), and this article was a godsend. After a week of staying out of the pool and not getting any better (getting worse, actually), I cautiously got back in (after taking some ibuprofen) and swam strictly freestyle without any flip turns. By the end of that first workout back, I even did some turns. The next day I felt MUCH better and while not 100%, I'm on the road to recovery. This turned out to be great advice and I recommend it to anyone with acute, rather than chronic, back pain. Unless you're recovering from surgery or have a major problem, not exercising is not the answer. Anti-inflammatories, if taken constantly, can impede healing. Inflammation, while painful, speeds healing. I'm in the "keep moving" school of thought.

Hi, can you elaborate more on this "pushup exercise" or any other McKensie Method for treating back and neck pain? Thanks. I've been experiencing back and neck pain for a few months, yes, both neck and lower back! MRI shows I have C5-6 Spondylosis (neck) and L5-6 Herniated Intervertebral Disc (aka slipped disc). I'm in my early 30s, used to lead a very active lifestyle until a few months ago, sigh. Any advices on rehab/strenthening exercises will be appreciated, thanks. Another thing, is microdiscsectomy a safe procedure? And how long after the surgery before one can resume swimming and daily chores? I'd love to hear people's experiences. Doc says if I don't improve I might have to do that. I'm concerned with any surgery involves one's spine and nerves. This is a great forum. Best to take all your medical advice from your health care professionals. A herniated disc can be one of four stages. Bulge, Protrusion, Extrusion or Sequestration (the latter being considered a medical emergency). Depending on the location of the herniation, bending in one direction might be helpful while bending in the other direction could lead to catastrophic results. Am I trying to scare you? The answer is an emphatic: Yes. At least, in your case, you (and your health pros) "know" exactly where your spinal problems are (and. BTW, I'm pretty sure that after L5, comes S1 (there's no L6) but your doctors know that.) And the treatment from L to L might be different from L to S. Trust your (good?) doctors, Chiros and Physiotherapists. Most of them know what they're doing, while each one of us here, speaks about what we know: our own experience (in my case, recent L3-L4 lateral extrusion and a three-year old L4-L5 protrusion Sciatica and Pseudo-sciatica Piriformis Syndrome at the same time). Good Luck (Most of us feel your pain).