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petsfed
Nov 14, 2008, 3:17 PM
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Last monday, I pulled a muscle in my lower back. I was doing a body tension intensive move and felt almost an electric shock go from (for want of a better term) the top of my ass crack up my spine a ways. My core is fairly strong in front (eg abs) but I think my lower back is not that strong.
Once I'm healed (I had to cancel on a trip over this one, and my rock climbing students are seriously laughing at me over this one), what are some exercises I can do to help prevent this in the future?
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jdefazio
Nov 14, 2008, 3:21 PM
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It sucks getting old, dude. 
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erclimb
Nov 14, 2008, 3:23 PM
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first, are you sure it's a pulled muscle? i've pulled muscles before but never felt an "electric shock"; in fact, i didn't feel any pain at the moment but knew i had torn something, which was proven within a couple hours as i developed a constant deep throbbing pain...the electric pains i've felt have usually been pinched nerves
all the athletic trainers/physical therapists i've asked have recommended crunches...strengthen the abs to protect the back
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shockabuku
Nov 14, 2008, 3:42 PM
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The Roman Chair has always been good for my lower back but not everyone has access to one. If not, use an exercise ball or lay over the arm of a well padded couch. In addition I use a yoga exercise where you get in a pushup like position but facing upwards, fingers pointing away from your feet, then lower your hips and raise them so that your body is straight. That said, yoga in general is great for your core strength and probably has more balance than the average workout.
It has seemed to me that once you get to the point where you hurt your back once, you better keep with these exercises for the rest of your life because your back is just more likely to get hurt again.
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shockabuku
Nov 14, 2008, 3:50 PM
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Oh yeah, consider seeing a chiropractor. I've had three back injuries that have been significant enough to seek treatment. Twice I went to a regular doc (first) and the recovery was slower and involved a lot more expense and muscle relaxers that make me stupid and cranky.
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shockabuku
Nov 14, 2008, 5:23 PM
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petsfed wrote: jdefazio wrote: It sucks getting old, dude. Yeah, once you hit 25, its pretty much downhill from there.
You think that's sarcastic, but it's really the truth. You just crested the hill and the slope isn't very steep but believe me, it's going downhill and gets steeper every year.
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petsfed
Nov 14, 2008, 5:33 PM
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shockabuku wrote: petsfed wrote: jdefazio wrote: It sucks getting old, dude. Yeah, once you hit 25, its pretty much downhill from there. You think that's sarcastic, but it's really the truth. You just crested the hill and the slope isn't very steep but believe me, it's going downhill and gets steeper every year.
I turned 25 ten days ago! I didn't think the peak would be so damn sharp!
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hafilax
Nov 14, 2008, 5:50 PM
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I just did something similar. My uncle is in sport medicine and told me to do the following exercise to stretch it out. Start on your hands and knees with a straight back. Rock back and forth 40 or 50 times slowly increasing the range as it stretches out. Mine was tight enough that I couldn't move far at first by by the end I could touch my butt to my feet. I was able to climb after a week but it's still tight in the morning after 3 weeks.
As for preventative strengthening, I've been thinking about yoga. Do you to any superman type exercises?
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jdefazio
Nov 14, 2008, 6:10 PM
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angry
Nov 14, 2008, 6:35 PM
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shockabuku wrote: petsfed wrote: jdefazio wrote: It sucks getting old, dude. Yeah, once you hit 25, its pretty much downhill from there. You think that's sarcastic, but it's really the truth. You just crested the hill and the slope isn't very steep but believe me, it's going downhill and gets steeper every year.
I'm 30 and way the fuck stronger than I was at 25. I've actually got less injuries right now too.
My plan in life is to pull a Lee Sheftel.
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shockabuku
Nov 14, 2008, 6:54 PM
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angry wrote: shockabuku wrote: petsfed wrote: jdefazio wrote: It sucks getting old, dude. Yeah, once you hit 25, its pretty much downhill from there. You think that's sarcastic, but it's really the truth. You just crested the hill and the slope isn't very steep but believe me, it's going downhill and gets steeper every year. I'm 30 and way the fuck stronger than I was at 25. I've actually got less injuries right now too. My plan in life is to pull a Lee Sheftel.
I'm 41. I'm not generally stronger than I was at 25 but I do climb better and have better contact strength, but then I didn't really start climbing much till I was around 30. Injury rate is probably about the same but a lot of that has to do with being more smarter, or, well, less dumber is probably more accurate. Recovery time is significantly increased however.
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Ains
Nov 24, 2008, 3:25 AM
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Crunches make you look good in front of the ladies, but don't stabilize your back much. Think of them as secondary "core" muscles. They in fact are not "core" muscles at all though.
There are many reasons and causes for low back pain and not always due to a weakness. If it were that simple not as many people would have low back pain. You can see a chiropractor if you want to be told your whole back is out of alignment when in fact it is likely just as God made it, but may get some TEMPORARY pain relief or you could see a physical therapist who can give you the same pain relief (if they are a decent manual therapist) and teach you some exercises and tell you what YOU can do for yourself at home. In either case a manipulation can be effective if it is warranted. There may be something about your posture or leg/pelvic alignment that might make you more prone to injury. OR you just did one funky move your back didn't like. May just get better on its own too. If it lasts more than a week and it's affecting how you move or what you want to do I would see someone sooner than later to avoid adopting a some altered movement patterns and being bummed out for longer.
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thatguyat99
Nov 24, 2008, 3:51 AM
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I'll second the comment on the roman chair or the exercise ball. Plus doing supermans.
I've also found that flutter kicks have helped me. They
really work your lower abs and hip flexors which has helped my lower back a lot.
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Toast_in_the_Machine
Nov 24, 2008, 3:51 AM
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petsfed wrote: shockabuku wrote: petsfed wrote: jdefazio wrote: It sucks getting old, dude. Yeah, once you hit 25, its pretty much downhill from there. You think that's sarcastic, but it's really the truth. You just crested the hill and the slope isn't very steep but believe me, it's going downhill and gets steeper every year. I turned 25 ten days ago! I didn't think the peak would be so damn sharp!
As someone who pulled their back out at age 20 doing pelvic thrusts (and not to that stupid RHPS), I have to warn you, it will never go away. 20+ years of joy. The doc’s, PT’s, and Chiro’s will give you all kinds of good advice. The only thing that will really help is vicoden and alcohol. Please save for after the climb. And yeah, it does suck getting old.
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Ains
Nov 24, 2008, 3:01 PM
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Yeah, do this one before any strengthening in your case. Sounds like you eccentrically strained a lumbar extensor and it got angry at you. It needs to calm down before you do any of the more strenuous back strengthening exercises--roman chair (this will definitely hurt you if your back is still hurting from the injury) or supermans. But those exercises are good when you are healthy without back problem. You can ease into "supermans" by just doing arm OR leg lifts before you begin the alternating form.
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gunkiemike
Nov 25, 2008, 12:12 AM
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Toast_in_the_Machine wrote: As someone who pulled their back out at age 20 doing pelvic thrusts (and not to that stupid RHPS), I have to warn you, it will never go away. 20+ years of joy. The doc’s, PT’s, and Chiro’s will give you all kinds of good advice. The only thing that will really help is vicoden and alcohol. Please save for after the climb. And yeah, it does suck getting old.
Did you ever get the injury properly diagnosed?
My story - have had intermittenet back "wierdness" for a year or so. Attributed it to bad sitting posture (slouching) and a worn out mattress. Bought new memory foam mattress and it helped tremendously. Then 3 months ago I got overly energetic doing some trail clearing. Gave 100% effort trying to move heavy logs. No pain at all, but by the end of the day I was whipped. A few days later my lower back was still tight and sore. And it HASN'T GONE AWAY 3 months later. Pain when I bend forward at the waist, unless I reach out to support myself. Even brushing teeth is uncomfortable. Standing and even vigorous climbing are no problem. Discomfort comes and goes (I have good days and bad days), and varies from localized sharpness to diffuse sense of tautness. Bilateral, usually, just above the small of my back. Kidney/urinary function seems normal. Had Lyme 2x last 3-4 years but doxy relieved symptoms each time.
I haven't been to MD yet, and won't go to a chiro cuz I'm convinced they'll say I'm subluxed and need to come in weekly forever.
Thoughts, anyone?
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Toast_in_the_Machine
Nov 25, 2008, 12:30 PM
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gunkiemike wrote: Did you ever get the injury properly diagnosed? Thoughts, anyone?
Yup, had it properly diagnosed. Nope, didn’t help. You definitely should get it looked at, mostly to confirm that which you already suspect.
May I recommend taking up posting on RC.com as a therapy method. You can try to break the posts / day records, you’ll rest your back (depending on how you sit), and you think you’re getting better at climbing. What more could you ask?
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petsfed
Nov 25, 2008, 5:51 PM
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Toast_in_the_Machine wrote: gunkiemike wrote: Did you ever get the injury properly diagnosed? Thoughts, anyone? Yup, had it properly diagnosed. Nope, didn’t help. You definitely should get it looked at, mostly to confirm that which you already suspect. May I recommend taking up posting on RC.com as a therapy method. You can try to break the posts / day records, you’ll rest your back (depending on how you sit), and you think you’re getting better at climbing. What more could you ask?
Well, I'm going crack bouldering in an hour, so we'll see how I feel. My rule thus far is to wait a week and a half after any pain before climbing, and if I feel pain while climbing, stop immediately.
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shockabuku
Nov 25, 2008, 6:01 PM
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gunkiemike wrote: Thoughts, anyone?
Herniated disk?
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robdotcalm
Nov 26, 2008, 6:34 PM
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For a long time I had intermittent low-back pain—from annoying to very limiting. Usually it came about suddenly, e.g., just bending over. Sort of the common garden type backache. About 15 years ago, I heard a lecture from a local neurosurgeon. Main points he made. For common backache, most therapeutic modalities, e.g., muscle relaxants, massage, chiropractic, heat, cold, are no better than ToT (tincture of time). Most attempts at diagnosis aren’t helpful. For example, abnormal x-rays are just as common in people with backaches than in those without.
He recommended some special exercise machines for the lower back that his physical therapist was trained to use. For those wanting to do it on their own, he recommended a Roman Chair for back hyperextensions. I bought a Roman Chair and started using it. Worked fine for my back, but it bothered my left knee, which has had a history of injuries. So I sold that and bought a Back Revolution, which allows me to do dorsal hyperextensions with my knees bent. Following the doctor’s advice, I don’t go very far into the extended position. I do a couple of sets of 18 extensions, once or twice a week usually stopping at the top to hold the extension for a couple of seconds.
I’ve been free of backaches since I started this routine. Will it work for you? Who knows given the unique nature of each individual’s back. If your back problem becomes recurrent, it’s probably worth a try.
Cheers,
Rob.calm
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onceahardman
Nov 26, 2008, 6:58 PM
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Mike, this is both for you, and for Toast...
I use the McKenzie method almost exclusively.
A McKenzie-trained therapist should be able to tell you within 2-3 visits whether the therapy will be helpful.
http://McKenziemdt.org
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Toast_in_the_Machine
Nov 26, 2008, 9:25 PM
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Thanks for the post. I did a little browsing looking for critical / academic reviews. Didn't find much, but didn't find much against it either. Only article I found was mildly conclusive.
I will probably by the book for upper back and let my wife try it out. I'm a lower back guy, she is upper back / neck. We're a helluva pair.
Nothing says "I love you honey" like a physical therapy book for x-mas.
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