Your Lower Back, and You

Search
Go

Discussion Topic

Return to Forum List
This thread has been locked
Messages 41 - 49 of total 49 in this topic << First  |  < Previous  |  Show All  |  Next >  |  Last >>
mooser

Trad climber
seattle
Topic Author's Reply - May 13, 2013 - 04:19pm PT
Bruce: I suspect that one of the big reasons there are differences between the US and other in lesser developed countries is that while we may have jobs that require lots of motion and exercise, we also have (generally speaking) the luxury of hanging out after work and being couch potatoes. Most of those in lesser developed countries don't have that luxury at all, and are regularly in motion. In addition, they don't pack on the pounds the way more and more USAmericans do. Pretty broad brush strokes, I know, but my hunch is that there's something to that.
mooser

Trad climber
seattle
Topic Author's Reply - May 13, 2013 - 04:20pm PT
ksolem: I just went through that Pilates video, and that was actually pretty cool! Thanks for that.
Ksolem

Trad climber
Monrovia, California
Jun 7, 2013 - 04:08pm PT
Been looking into local Pilates offerings. A bit spendy, but doable. For those of you who do Pilates (I have no experience with them), is it best done in a "studio" with a drill instructor, or is a DVD sufficient?

The DVDs out there are pretty variable. Alisa Wyatt has some good ones. Peter Fiasca's Complete Classical Pilates series provides an excellent demonstration/documentation of the work, but offers little instruction.

There is no real substitute for working with a good teacher. One good way to do it without having to sell all your gear is to take a few privates to get a foundation, and then do weekly group classes, with a private thrown in once in a while. Create a regular home practice using what you learn from your teachers. Make sure your teacher knows this is your plan when you start.

A lot of good studios require this (some amount of privates before joining a group) and often you'll get a lower rate on the privates if you commit to a series of group sessions up front. Any good studio will let you come in and observe a class so you can see if you like the idea before you commit. Buying a series of 10 classes at a time should substantially reduce the rate.

In the places where I have worked, the class sizes are limited officially to four but they'll let in a fifth if the teacher okays it. Unless you are very experienced at Pilates, a class of more than five is a waste. Occasionally I attend workshops where a master teacher will lead a large group, but this is different as everyone's technique is already well formed.

mooser

Trad climber
seattle
Topic Author's Reply - Jun 7, 2013 - 06:19pm PT
Thanks, Ksolem. I've been doing some of the stuff your initial link demonstrated, and it's easier now that I've been doing a couple of them a bit more.

I know the real hardmen and women are into this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-50GjySwew, but I know that's a bit ambitious for me at this point in the game.

I've appreciated all the suggestions, and the PMs! Thanks, folks!
kennyt

climber
Woodfords,California
Jun 7, 2013 - 06:27pm PT
I'm sure that the lower back has a mind of it's own
Snowmassguy

Trad climber
Calirado
Jun 7, 2013 - 06:35pm PT
Genetics play a pretty significant role in many conditions that cause lower back pain.
Ksolem

Trad climber
Monrovia, California
Jun 7, 2013 - 07:08pm PT
The spinal cord proper, as a distinct anatomical unit, ends somewhere around L1-2, as it divides into a large array of nerves forming the Cauda Equina (Horses Tail.) These nerves, among them the notorious sciatic nerve, find their way out of the lumbar vertebrae and sacrum through a series of Foramen (holes or openings) in the skeletal structures.

The specific layout of the Cauda Equina, the routing of these various strands of nerves as they reach out to the rectal and genital areas, and down the legs, varies in different individuals.

So, yes it can be said that the lower back has a mind of it's own, and there is certainly a genetic role in lower back issues as well.

Actually the idea that other parts of our nervous system than just the brain are involved in our feelings and emotions, our movement and what we call "muscle memory," is an exciting area of study in neurology today. I have been kind of buddies with the neurologists who have been studying my own somewhat unusual situation, and in conversations with them it has become clear to me that the brain is no longer thought to be exclusively in control of our bodies, nor is it the exclusive repository of memories or emotions. It appears we are more like a network, than a machine controlled by a cpu.
phylp

Trad climber
Millbrae, CA
Jun 7, 2013 - 07:15pm PT
My lower back was horrible in my late 30s and early 40s. Constant pain and sciatica. Now it's quite good - not perfect but very functional and I'm mostly pain free.

Here are what I think were the key changes:

Leaving a job where I had to commute for 2 hours a day and then sit all day. I probably don't sit in a regular chair for more than 2 - 3 hours a day now.

Stretch my hamstrings and hip flexors every day, religiously.

Ice my low back every night after a day that included exercise (ice works for me as well as nsaids).

See a chiropractor about once a month. I used to be a skeptic about chiropractic - before I had ever tried it, but it makes a big difference for me.

Good luck! Phyl
Ksolem

Trad climber
Monrovia, California
Jun 7, 2013 - 10:04pm PT
I mentioned up-thread that i was putting in a standing workstation. So now it's up and running, and it's great!


Yeah I know all you finish carpenters out there will raise an eyebrow to the cheap closet world furniture. And I still have some wiring to properly dress, pictures to hang (they'll distract you from the furniture,) and I'll find a nicer way to get the monitors at the right level than a couple old drawers upside down.

It sure is nice to be on my feet, rid of the chair. I was slightly concerned at first, but now I have logged enough hours standing here to know it's right for me.

And the Gel-Pro floor mat rules.

edit: The counter-top is 38" off the floor.
Messages 41 - 49 of total 49 in this topic << First  |  < Previous  |  Show All  |  Next >  |  Last >>
Return to Forum List
 
Our Guidebooks
spacerCheck 'em out!
SuperTopo Guidebooks

guidebook icon
Try a free sample topo!

 
SuperTopo on the Web

Recent Route Beta