Lower back pain and stretching exercises

pennywitch

I get occasional periods of lower back pain and find that a soak in a warm bath relaxes things and helps a lot. What prompted me to post though was that I've had to hit the Deep Heat for several mornings in a row after getting out of bed recently, but after celebrating New Year at my son's last night and sleeping on one of his sofas (there was nowhere else) I woke up without a twinge for the first time in ages. No guarantees whatsoever, but perhaps a kip on the sofa for the night might help your wife in a similar way.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Leave it until she's seen her doctor. The vast majority of people with back pain don't have anything seriously wrong - but a small number do. Signs that could mean a more serious condition include numbness 'underneath', problems with continence and pain on both sides - if she has any such symptoms, she must tell the GP, along with reminding them of any inflammatory/autoimmune conditions she might have (as they make a difference in terms of guidance on diagnosis and treatment).

The last thing that is appropriate to do is to go for other treatments until it's established what the cause is.

Murphybear

I have had back problems over the last year. My GP referred me to the hospital physio who did a thorough examination, some manipulation then we went through the proper exercises for my back.

I found this really helpful and, as others have said, much better than random internet exercises found on the internet.

mangog

My top tip would be to look at your mattress! I've been suffering with lower back/hip pain for a few years after a running injury. I had a round of physio through my GP but it didn't seem to help long-term. A few months ago we bought a new mattress and it's made a huge difference! I still have some pain but it's much better than it was - I used to wake up and literally hobble down the stairs because I was so sore and stiff from sleeping on a hard mattress! The one we got is a Simba but there are lots of similar ones out there - the key thing seems to be the lovely supportive memory foam which means my back isn't at a weird angle when I lie down. My hips sink in just enough to keep my spine straight and stops the pressure building up on my sore points. I sleep much better too - I used to wake up in pain every time I had to roll over in the night but that doesn't happen any more.

Admittedly our old mattress was pretty cheap and nasty so you might not find it's a drastic improvement if you already have a nice mattress, but you never know!

BananaRepublic

I am not a medical doctor, so bear that in kind. However, I bet your GP does not know much about back problems, as she/he will have been trained in general medicine. Chances are your GP would refer you to a specialist if she thought it necessary. I’m not putting down your GP, mine are marvellous, just being realistic.

I used to have awful knee problems back pain and trouble sleeping. I took up ice skating, and then ice hockey. I’ve never felt better. Ice skating is a low impact exercise that strengthens your core, and stretches and strengthens muscles in the legs and the back. IMO most of use spend too much time sitting at a desk, or sitting in comfy chairs, which does us no good. Gentle exercise strengthens the muscles and ligaments that support the back, the knees and other parts of our body. If your knee muscles are strong, you are less likely to have knee problems. Same goes for the back. And in my opinion gentle exercise helps the body recover. Plus a low heart rate and lower blood pressure help you feel better and live longer. Obviously you don’t want to leap into long exercise routines, just gradually work up from a few minutes to an hour or more.

Incidentally I once got awful back pain from a fall while ice skating - this was before I wore pads - and a friend gave me some exercises. The key one is to sit down, then lift the left leg, and place the left foot onto the right leg, over the knee, and press down gently but firmly on the left knee for many seconds. Repeat with the right leg. This is a very good therapy for sciatica. Also try standing up, then lifting a knee up to shoulder level, and holding it there for many seconds.

As I’ve said, most of us lead sedentary lives, whereas the body thrives on exercise.

By the way, I’m 55, so not young.

mangog

Wow BananaRepublic! I'd love to take up ice skating (I'm a bit of a figure skating nerd!) but sadly my nearest rink is about an hour and a half away. Maybe one day...

Money_maker

Another vote for pilates once this episode is over to strengthen the core - rehab pilates best to start with. Apparently osteopaths claim that if everyone did pilates then they'd be out of a job...

BananaRepublic

mangog wrote: »

Wow BananaRepublic! I'd love to take up ice skating (I'm a bit of a figure skating nerd!) but sadly my nearest rink is about an hour and a half away. Maybe one day...

There are many sports that are good for the body. Inline skating is good, but you must wear pads, or Nordic skating which is akin to long distance running but with less impact. Martial arts are probably very good, but the gentler ones, that focus on balance and muscle control. Yoga, Pilates etc. I’m tempted to think that yoga might be one of the best.

But yes ice skating is amazing, pure adrenaline.

jenniewb

I have back pain, and I also am hypermobile. Around 30% of the population are and many don't realise. I know that although my way through back pain (it wont ever go away I know this already) is with certain exercises and weight baring training, there are some exercises and stretches which will do exactly the opposite and will cause me back pain or incorrect posture with or form of the exercises I am recommended (by physiotherapists) to do can also cause me more pain.


If you are unsure, don't just guess as it can end up being worse then if you didn't do anything at all and it is also very easy to read about certain exercises or even watch them on various vlogs and then carry them out incorrectly yourself when you try and not even really know.


Get advice, rest but keep moving (so no impact or stretching but don't remain bedbound) and keep an eye on things in case your GP or Physio asks for more details so they know what to suggest. And sleep well. Sleeping can be a miracle cure or pain reducer if you get enough of it.

megan12345

Thanks for starting this thread, I've also been struggling with back pain and have found all these responses very helpful!