Back Health

[lo n slo]

11 hours ago, soflabasser said:

Good subject. I strongly suggest anyone with back problems to seek help from a Orthopedic or Neurosurgeon since they are Board Certified in Medicine. Other treatments from other professions might alleviate some of pain, but these other professions cannot do much if you have a herniated disk, spinal stenosis, etc.There are cases where certain treatments can make back problems even worse, such as spinal manipulation of a patient with a herniated cervical disk.With that said, I have been powerlifting, freediving, running marathons, hiking, etc for almost 20 years now and my back is as good as when I was a teenager. I still deadlift over 500 pounds for reps and what has helped me the most is making sure that my core is functionally strong by doing functional strength exercises. I stay away from machines and bodybuilding, and stick to compound exercises, calisthenics, and I don't push myself anywhere near my best since I want to avoid injury.

i’d like to hear more about your workout recomendations

[flatcreek]

This will be my 4th lumbar surgery,I'm 61.1st was a microdiscectomy,2nd was a micro with cancer on the spine,3rd was a double bilateral laminectomy.was hoping to avoid this fusion but neurosurgeon says I gotta do it.if you have back pain don't ignore it,go have it examined by the pro's.they saved my life in 1999.take care and good fishing to all of you.

[NorcalBassin]

I'm going to be in the minority with this take, but I'd actually recommend being cautious about pursuing an MRI/CT right away unless someone suffered a traumatic acute injury with significant neurological symptoms (e.g., cauda equina, gross strength loss, etc). There is very little to no correlation between severity of symptoms and findings on diagnostic tests for low back pain, and a lot of medical professionals start chasing MRI/CT findings instead of just addressing the symptoms. Retrospective studies show people getting advanced diagnostic tests for an acute onset of low back pain take longer to recover from their injury and cost significantly more money to treat.

 

Research also shows there's one thing that determines whether or not someone will get a fusion. It has nothing to do with severity of pain, symptom distribution, neurological findings, size of herniations, etc... the one thing is your zip code. If your local specialist likes to perform fusions as a treatment option instead of the absolute last resort as it's intended you're much more likely to get one whether or not you actually needed it.

[flatcreek]

Agree fusion should be last resort.i put in for titanium Coflex device as a less invasive procedure than fusion but denied by my insurance co.if I were 65 Medicare would pay for it in Ga, Tenn & Alabama.it has been proven highly successful alternative in Germany & the U.S.I'd just soon take an arse whupping as have a fusion but that's how the mop flopped in my case.Go with conservative treatment as long as you can folks.My point is just take care of that back

[Gundog]

@NorcalBassin I agree about some doctors preferring to operate over rehab. My doctor tends to do that more than he should. That is why a second opinion is always needed when surgery is recommended. 

[soflabasser]

22 hours ago, lo n slo said:

i’d like to hear more about your workout recomendations

 

1. Get approval from your Orthopedic or Neurosurgeon to workout and ask him/her what exercises to avoid.

 

2. Avoid all exercises that make your back pain worse.

 

3. Stay away from the leg press, its by far one of the worst exercises that can cause your back pain to increase. There are much better exercises for your lower body that does not put so much pressure on your lower back like the leg press does.

 

4. Never, ever push yourself to the max. Always train below your best if your goal is to be healthy and strong late in your life.

 

5. Understand that your health is #1 and that you have to train smart to avoid injury.

 

 

 

[lo n slo]

ok, so i went to see a neurosurgeon at the beginning of February, had an MRI, began physical therapy, and finally had my follow up with the neurosurgeon today. MRI showed a degenerative disk issue, minor bulging, and arthritis in my L4 - L5. therapy has gone well and my sciatica is minimal but still flares up. i haven’t taken anything for pain in almost a month. already being in good physical condition and active has been a saving grace for me. although i pay much more attention to core strength training and stretching now. so no surgery for me at this time and i feel blessed. i will be 60 on my next birthday. good back health to all of you guys.

[Smokinal]

^^^Good to hear no knife lo-n-slo!

 

Hopefully, and I trust everyone has , been doing their core and back strengthening exercises. The season is almost on us and we will be standing, 1 foot on TM, for 4-8 hrs a day soon; hopefully

[soflabasser]

6 hours ago, lo n slo said:

ok, so i went to see a neurosurgeon at the beginning of February, had an MRI, began physical therapy, and finally had my follow up with the neurosurgeon today. MRI showed a degenerative disk issue, minor bulging, and arthritis in my L4 - L5. therapy has gone well and my sciatica is minimal but still flares up. i haven’t taken anything for pain in almost a month. already being in good physical condition and active has been a saving grace for me. although i pay much more attention to core strength training and stretching now. so no surgery for me at this time and i feel blessed. i will be 60 on my next birthday. good back health to all of you guys.

 Glad to hear that you got proper treatment and you are taking care of your health. Looking towards to hearing reports of your fishing trips.

[lo n slo]

10 hours ago, soflabasser said:

 Glad to hear that you got proper treatment and you are taking care of your health. Looking towards to hearing reports of your fishing trips.

thank you man ?

[burrows]

Dr says I need a backyotimy

[Gundog]

On ‎3‎/‎17‎/‎2018 at 7:26 AM, Burros said:

Dr says I need a backyotimy

You definitely need a second opinion. I recommend Dr. Pepper.

[Fairtax4me]

On March 14, 2018 at 7:29 PM, Smokinal said:

^^^Good to hear no knife lo-n-slo!

 

Hopefully, and I trust everyone has , been doing their core and back strengthening exercises. The season is almost on us and we will be standing, 1 foot on TM, for 4-8 hrs a day soon; hopefully

Man I wish I could leave the water after 8 hours and feel like I'm not leaving something on the table. In summer I usually fish sun-up to sun-down. Usually take a small break somewhere out of the heat mid afternoon. If the fish aren't biting I move to a different lake or a pond if there's something close by. 

 

 

Ive had some minor back issues for the last few years. Nothing I've ever thought I needed to see a professional over, but it is something that has become more of a concern in the last year or so. I'm a mechanic by trade, so my back tends to get used a lot without getting a decent warm up or actual work out. Actually moving and staying active has been the biggest help for the lower back pain I usually have. Last week at work I did something (don't remember exactly what) and noticed some minor pain, but the next two days it was worse, but only when I moved a certain way. So after a few days of doing almost nothing I feel fine again, but I know that if this becomes repetitive, it will be a bigger problem in the future. Didnt expect to find a thread here about back health, but I do think if I can trust anyone's advice it should be from fellow anglers. Good info here, thanks to everyone who has posted!