Locking Bar Eglu Classic

[ali-s]

I was wondering if anyone has used Pilates to help with back pain.

 

I have had an extreme back pain since the middle of May. A month later I went to see my GP and was prescribed co-codamol. Two weeks ago my back muscles went into complete spasm and I was signed off work until the end of August. Up until 2 weeks ago I hadn't taken any time off work, my job involves some heavy lifting and I am on my feet for 8 hours, I really don't know how I lasted so long. I was prescribed Diazapam and more Co-codamol. I was instructed to try and keep active but rest when I needed and try to have a walk every day, which I have been doing.

 

A check up with my GP today and my back has improved and the muscles are relaxing a little, I have been prescribed 2 more weeks of Diazapam. She suggested I join a Pilates class to strengthen my back. I am very nervous about doing any twisting, bending exercise at the moment as I do not want to be in the awful pain I was in 2 weeks ago.

[Egluntyne]

I did my back in a couple of years ago and find yoga massively helpful. A friend, who has a very temperamental back has recently swapped from yoga to pilates and says the improvement in mobility and decrease in pain is impressive and she is delighted with the results.

[Jools]

It will depend on the cause of your back pain. Certainly exercise is helpful, but some may do more harm than good for your precise problem.

 

I have a monthly chiropractor's appointment and he's always been very helpful in advising what specific exercises are good for me and which I really shouldn't do. It might be worth finding someone local who can give you the once over and advise.

 

Good luck - back pain is horrible!

[Snowy]

If your GP has suggested pilates, he/she is obviously confident that your back pain is muscular (as is 99% of back pain), in which case pilates is ideal. I recommend it to patients and everyone I've spoken to that has tried it says it has helped.

[coco]

My husband was in a bad car accident and as a result had very bad back pain. His physio reccomended he did Pilates as it helps build the core muscles which in turn balances everything else. I suffer from lower back pain occasionally and doing the odd pilates stretch does help.

[Janepie33]

If you find a good Pilates teacher and explain your symptoms to her/ him, they will advise you which exercises will help you and which to avoid.

I have suffered lower back pain on and off for years (but nowhere as severe as yours) and have seen a Chiropractor, an Osteopath, a Physiotherapist, a Pilates teacher , a yoga teacher and a Reflexologist. Oh, and my GP too! The best results came from the Pilates exercises and once you know what you are doing, you can pop on the floor and repeat the exercises that you know help, as soon as you experiences any twinges.

One helpful thing the Osteopath told me was to swing my arms from side to side in a gentle twisting motion every time I was waiting for the kettle to boil! It felt a bit daft, but it seemed to ease my symptoms. I also joined a walking club and found that regular walks also helped my back.

 

Hope your back gets better soon. I know how horrible it can be.

[Happy chickens!]

My OH used it to good effect, but I didn't get on with it. Don't think it can do any harm if your doc has suggested it, so give it a go! Hope something works soon.

[Chickendoodle]

Pilates at a basic level is very very gentle. The movements are tiny and nothing should hurt. The intention is to strengthen the core muscles which support the back and the most basic exercise is to lay on the floor with your knees bent and you just tighten the inner stomach muscles whilst the teacher ensures that your back is in the correct position.

 

I suffered from a bad back for years and I can highly recommend Pilates with the right teacher - obviously some are better than others. You need to find a teacher who will only take a small class of say 12 people or so, so that attention is given to each person on each exercise. The teacher needs to be able to check each position and make small adjustments.

 

Don't go for a class in a gym where anyone can join in - you need a progressive class which takes you through the various exercises week by week in a structured format. Initially I did 3 sets of a basis 6 week course before progressing to the next level.

[ali-s]

Thank you for the replies.

 

I have spoken this morning to a Pilates teacher. She runs classes locally. I have booked myself on the six week beginners course which starts on 23rd August, this gives my back 2 more weeks to improve. I explained about my back pain and the teacher has told me that if any of the exercises are not suitable for me to do she will give me an alternative or ask me to skip that exercise.

 

I like the idea of a walking group and shall see if there is one local to me. I love walking and there are some beautiful places to walk around here. Two weeks ago I struggled to walk to the end of our drive and back, yesterday afternoon I walked about 2 miles and in the morning I did 1 and a half miles. My little Pappilon Archie is in his element with all the walks he is getting.

 

My GP also suggested I go swimming but I do not have a costume. I ordered 2 from Bravissimo but they didn't fit. I must have a long body because the costume wasn't fitting properly on my bum , the straps were too tight and my bust was squashed and a funny shape The whole costume when I had it on was stretched to it's limit from crotch to shoulders . I am a size 10 and 5ft 7 in. Any ideas where I can get a costume with a longer body?

[Chickendoodle]

Sounds like you have found a good teacher there.

 

With regards to the swimming I would be careful as I was told that unless you use the right technique you can do your back more harm than good. I am one of those swimmers who just does breastroke and I keep my head up out of the water - that apparently puts strain on the neck and back.

 

Assuming you can swim properly, unlike me, try Landsend for a cossie as they do long bodied ones. I am only 5ft2ins but I am extremely long waisted (I am very tall sitting down ). Alternatively go for a tankini as they give the same coverage as a costume but are in 2 bits.

[Guest]

There is lots of things to help with back pain, most of which you probably know by now...

 

Personally I always try not to take meds if I can help it, but bear in mind if you do take meds that you can (not knowingly) build up an immunity to pain killers and they will then reduce in their effectiveness and also they never treat the root cause of the problem.

 

Back pain can be caused by all sorts of things such as bad posture, sitting down all day, slouching on the sofa, sudden exercise/movement without warming up, out of shape abdominal muscles, lack of stretching and twisting etc.

 

The past ways to stop back pain are, you've guessed it (pretty much the opposite of above!):

 

Improve your standing posture (neutral position, shoulders back, stomach held in, imagine you are being held by a piece of string above your head).

 

If you sit down a lot, take regular breaks and move about. When you are sitting as with standing always adopt a good seating posture with a small natural curve in your lower back. It's so tempting to relax and slouch but trust me I have been there and got the excruciating back pain you are now having and my pain has disappeared completely!

 

Stretch regularly, this can be in the form of yoga or pilates or just a few simple back exercises, one of those exercise balls can also be really helpful. The following exercises will help: rolling your shoulders forward and back, stretch your arms to the ceiling, then bend over and touch your toes, lie down and arch your back like a cat, with your back flat on the floor and legs 90 degrees in the air slowly lower your legs to the floor on one side and then the other, turn your neck from left to right and up and generally perform all the stretches you can do on your back muscles. There are loads of good vids on youtube and some good back exercise guides on the net.

 

Finally once your good with the stretches it's time to tackle the dreaded exercising! - Yes seriously a few sit ups a day and some other stretching and twists will really help to relax your back muscles and build some abdominal strength so your spine isn't doing all the hard work of keeping your body upright.

 

Hope this helps!!

[Jools]

You sound just like my chiropractor!!

 

About swimming, again it depends on your problem, mine is a dodgy disk in my low back. I exacerbated it about 15 yrs ago when I was doing a lot of swimming before work to stay in shape - typical! Breast stroke is worst for this because unless you have a perfectly symmetrical leg stroke, then you are constantly twisting your back. Crawl is better, but obviously a tad more arduous!

 

Walking is great though - I often take the dogs out for a mile or two after a hard day in the garden to stretch it out and relax. And then pour a glass of red when I get back.

[Lesley]

Pilates really helped with my lower back problems but I haven't been able to get back to it since my knee injury as I'm unable to kneel down at all. I really miss it. I have monthly appointments with a sports physio now.

 

I also had problems with swimming and my (then) osteopath recommended that I adapted my preferred breast stroke style so I swim 'breast stroke arms, crawl legs' which suits me and doesn't exacerbate my back problems.

[ali-s]

I think I will try to get a tankini and hopefully get it as seperate pieces, so a different size bottom and top.

 

I will have a personal swimming coach to help with my swimming technique (although he doesn't know it yet), I favour the granny breaststroke style with a screw kick. My OH is the head coach of the local swimming club, he should be able to sort out my swimming style. He does a lot of this whenever I have been swimming, I think that is the reason I stopped swimming and threw out my costume.

 

I woke up this morning with hardly any back pain at all Although I don't like like taking the diazepam they are working and the muscles are relaxing, I can only take them for 2 more weeks for obvious reasons. I am not taking the co-codamol any more