My Bad Back
I love the way that different websites talk about the symptoms of a bad back, back pain, pain when sitting, pain when lying, standing, pain in your legs, pain when moving. I already know it’s painful. What these sites do not talk about is the sheer inconvenience of it all.
A bad back is an ongoing constant pain. You forget it for a moment and it reminds you painfully of its presence. It wears you down on a daily basis, stops you doing half the things that you want to and makes you feel old well before your time.
My Story
I am in my early fifties and my back has suffered a bit of wear and tear over the years. When I was in my twenties I managed to slip a disc..... twice. I remember it clearly. I worked in a retail job at the time and there had been a large delivery just pre Christmas. It was all hands to the deck so I rolled up my sleeves and got stuck in with everybody else, lifting, carrying, bending and stretching. My back felt a bit sore afterwards but hey, I was young and fit, nothing that a warm bath wouldn't sort out.
3.00 a.m the next day I turned over in my sleep and woke with a jolt as my disc popped out. The worst part was that I lived on my own, four floors up above the shop. Lovely flat, great views but no neighbours. I was lying in bed unable to move wondering what time people would come looking for me. It took me about two hours to work out how to get out of bed. I couldn't stand, so I crawled around the flat. Gradually it eased up enough for me to stand....uncomfortably. I managed to get dressed and get a taxi to the doctor.
He popped it back in for me. A truly great man!. The relief was instantaneous. He told me to take it easy and rest my back for a while which of course, being young and foolish, I ignored. Two weeks later I was back and this time I listened.
In my thirties, I got thrown from a horse, landed badly and cracked one of my vertebrae. Yes that hurt too...... a lot. I actually managed to snap a bit off one. Fortunately not an essential piece so I got away with two months in a steel ribbed corset. Uncomfortable and not very stylish.
Then I got to my Fifties
I had spent the last twenty years working in sales. I would sit in an office and of course I sat badly. I would sit in a car.....badly. I didn't get enough exercise and I could be a bit of a couch potato. I'm not bad. My weight is good, I enjoy walking and an occasional round of golf.
My back was my weak point. If I sat still for any length of time I creaked painfully as I uncurled my back. I used to get lower back pain constantly. It would sit about three inches above my waist line niggling away at me all day and when I lay down at night, I couldn't get comfortable. Whichever side I lay on it hurt. Lie on my back it hurt. Lying on my front made it worse.
I have been to the doctor, to a chiropractor. an acupuncturist. I have tried physical therapy and taken pain killers and anti-inflammatories by the bucket load and still my back hurt. It was the physical therapist who said something that got me thinking.
I am in my early fifties and my back has suffered a bit of wear and tear over the years. When I was in my twenties I managed to slip a disc..... twice. I remember it clearly. I worked in a retail job at the time and there had been a large delivery just pre Christmas. It was all hands to the deck so I rolled up my sleeves and got stuck in with everybody else, lifting, carrying, bending and stretching. My back felt a bit sore afterwards but hey, I was young and fit, nothing that a warm bath wouldn't sort out.
3.00 a.m the next day I turned over in my sleep and woke with a jolt as my disc popped out. The worst part was that I lived on my own, four floors up above the shop. Lovely flat, great views but no neighbours. I was lying in bed unable to move wondering what time people would come looking for me. It took me about two hours to work out how to get out of bed. I couldn't stand, so I crawled around the flat. Gradually it eased up enough for me to stand....uncomfortably. I managed to get dressed and get a taxi to the doctor.
He popped it back in for me. A truly great man!. The relief was instantaneous. He told me to take it easy and rest my back for a while which of course, being young and foolish, I ignored. Two weeks later I was back and this time I listened.
In my thirties, I got thrown from a horse, landed badly and cracked one of my vertebrae. Yes that hurt too...... a lot. I actually managed to snap a bit off one. Fortunately not an essential piece so I got away with two months in a steel ribbed corset. Uncomfortable and not very stylish.
Then I got to my Fifties
I had spent the last twenty years working in sales. I would sit in an office and of course I sat badly. I would sit in a car.....badly. I didn't get enough exercise and I could be a bit of a couch potato. I'm not bad. My weight is good, I enjoy walking and an occasional round of golf.
My back was my weak point. If I sat still for any length of time I creaked painfully as I uncurled my back. I used to get lower back pain constantly. It would sit about three inches above my waist line niggling away at me all day and when I lay down at night, I couldn't get comfortable. Whichever side I lay on it hurt. Lie on my back it hurt. Lying on my front made it worse.
I have been to the doctor, to a chiropractor. an acupuncturist. I have tried physical therapy and taken pain killers and anti-inflammatories by the bucket load and still my back hurt. It was the physical therapist who said something that got me thinking.
My Back was Out of Balance
It made sense really. Each injury I had suffered made my muscles over-compensate. When I slipped a disc they would try to hold my back so that it wouldn't hurt. When I broke the vertabra they would hold me differently. Every action that we take over the years changes our shape, our posture, how we hold ourselves. Our back gradually gets out of line and with so much going on in our spines we quickly end up with back pain.
So What Has Changed For Me?
I rolled out of my side of the bed this morning......... no pain.......
Stretched comfortably...............no pain
Touched my toes, because I can.............no pain
Drove to work...........no pain
Sat at my desk..........comfortably and.............no pain
Got up after working for a few hours, stretched comfortably and.........no pain
Stretched comfortably...............no pain
Touched my toes, because I can.............no pain
Drove to work...........no pain
Sat at my desk..........comfortably and.............no pain
Got up after working for a few hours, stretched comfortably and.........no pain
So what happened?
I found a website about Pilates based exercises for back problems where I downloaded an eBook called “Pilates Relief For Back and Joint Pain”
The book is written by a lady called Jennifer Adolfs, who is a clinical exercise specialist and certified Pilates instructor. As well as running her own Pilates studio she has also written a series of eBooks on how to deal with specific joint problems.
The eBook Pilates Relief for Back and Joint Pain helped to end months of pain for me and got my back working 100% pain free in just over five weeks after years of pain.
What I liked about it was that it focuses on the health and strength of the whole back focusing on core strength. These are exercises that I could do at home easily without any problem. They are aimed at getting the balance back into your body, developing the muscles evenly so that they stop fighting against each other.
So What Do You Get?
There are three levels to the exercises, beginner, intermediate and advanced but you can mix them up right from the start to focus on areas where you are weak. You will get
There are three levels to the exercises, beginner, intermediate and advanced but you can mix them up right from the start to focus on areas where you are weak. You will get
- The core principles of Pilates, how to maintain the correct shape when exercising
- A series of warm up exercises to help with posture
- The Pilates Back and joint Exercise Programme. 21 different exercises to develop your back and abdominal muscles.
- Pictures for every exercise
- Three different levels of exercise for each one with this on how to get the most out of them
- The correct sequence of exercises for beginner with pictures
- Intermediate exercise sequence with picture
- Advanced back exercises with pictures
I now do these exercises about three times a week which takes around an hour. I am gradually working up to the advanced level but still have a way to go.
The great thing is that not only is my back pain free but I have gone down a waist size and feel fitter than I have done for years and all I needed to buy was a pair of joggers!
If you would like to know more then
