Need advice for fitness with back issues

[shawna_moy]

Hey everyone!

I am determined to get fit again after I let my own back issues get the best of me! The problem is that I have no clue what some good strength training exercises I can do without killing my back (until I can get my strength up). For your info in answering this, I have hip bursitis, sciatica and lower lumbar arthritis, but it's not going to rule my life anymore!

If anyone has/had the same issues and can give advice on where to begin so I don't hurt myself I would GREATLY appreciate it!!

[STFU&TRAIN]

Hey everyone!

I am determined to get fit again after I let my own back issues get the best of me! The problem is that I have no clue what some good strength training exercises I can do without killing my back (until I can get my strength up). For your info in answering this, I have hip bursitis, sciatica and lower lumbar arthritis, but it's not going to rule my life anymore!

If anyone has/had the same issues and can give advice on where to begin so I don't hurt myself I would GREATLY appreciate it!!

 

Hey Shawna,

I feel your pain, I've always had issues with my lower back, and 3 years ago, stupid me, cracked a disk in my vertebrae on a trampoline playing with the kids. My back got much worse. Once healthy again and training, I was scared to put strain or even train much with my back. It was a big mistake on my part. I needed to get my back stronger, So I looked at many things:

 

Exercises: Deadlifts, good mornings, bridges, superman variations, Hyperextensions

Posture: I work a desk job, so I make sure I sit straight, don't sit forward much or cross my legs. Also when walking

Legs and core: getting my legs stronger, especially my hamstrings!! Never released how underdeveloped they were and how much effect it had on my lower back! Also straightening your core will help a lot, planks work best for me and is a better exercise than crunches.

Diet: The extra weight around my midsection didn't help.

Sleep:This was also another big one for me, I had been a stomach sleeper for most of my life. It took a long time for me to get comfortable sleeping on my back, and a little on my side.

Stretches: Cat stretch, child pose, knee to chest, etc....

 

There's a lot of good information out there, this is just what I do and how I approached it. My family doctor wanted me to start taking pills for the pain, and I refused. I hate taking meds for anything, sometimes, yes its needed. But in my case, I felt there was other alternatives.

 

I hope this at least puts you on the right path!

[Tinuviel]

Hi Shawna, welcome to the forum. I can totally sympathize, I've had back issues too. In my case, I had a laminectomy two years ago for a ruptured disk at L5-S1 that was causing horrific sciatica. Then I just found out this spring that I have degenerative disk disease in all 5 lumbar vertebrae, with facet spurs on four of the five and some foraminal stenosis. I agree with focusing on proper posture and strengthening your core, and experimenting with sleep position changes for pain relief as needed. I would use caution as you start to strength train. Are you new to lifting or returning after a flare up? In my case, my physical therapist gave me some permanent restrictions, recommended alternatives, and gradually allowed me to return to my previous routine. My personal no-no list: dead lifts, overhead lifts (snatch, overhead press, etc.), barbell lunges, Russian twists. The idea for me is to limit how much I load my axial skeleton (think everything but arms/legs), and avoid lots of twisting, especially with higher than body weight amounts. Alternatives: leg press instead of deadlifting, walking lunges with dumb bells instead of a bar on my shoulders. He let me start squatting with a barbell again just a couple months ago and advised me to increase the weight very gradually. Whatever moves you decide to try, I recommend focusing on getting perfect form down first, increasing weight gradually, and listening to your body. If it hurts, and it seems to make your back worse, then change to something else. One of my best resources has been my therapist. If you have a good PT or chiro you trust ask them to help you put a safe routine together. Or if you can, find a reputable trainer who has experience working with people with chronic back issues. I've also found some workout apps that have been helpful. Full Fitness and iMuscle are great ones. You can pick the body part you want to work on and it will show you what exercises you can do to target the area and give written and visual instruction on how to do the move. Full Fitness has little videos built in showing somebody doing the exercise, and iMuscle has a virtual "person" with muscles exposed (like an anatomy textbook) doing it. You can sort through by body part or equipment on either app. They're only a couple dollars each and totally worth the money. Good luck!

[shawna_moy]

Thank you both for your feedback, I'll take both and get something together that works best for me. I used to work out until I was on a machine and all of a sudden I couldn't stand up again. I'm basically terrified to try anything and I know it's to my detriment. You guys have really helped me and it makes me feel a lot better that I'm not in this alone and someone else feels my pain!