Low back issues as you age

[justinspicher]

I had to google Bas Rutten…..

 

[def90]

Core exercises and get to the gym.

 

[justinspicher]

I would say that low back issues tend to start from a mobility standpoint with stiff hips. If you cant touch your toes with straight legs or do a full ass to heals squat, your gonna most likely have low back issues. Having stiff hips will also cause posture issues that can affect how you walk and do just about anything, causing you to adjust or compensate movement to be able to do certain activities. Just my thought, take that for what its worth.

 

[lak2004]

What's your diet like? Eating foods that cause inflammation might not be helping.

Sent from my SM-S911U using Tapatalk

 

[doc holiday13]

Its likely hip mobility+sitting at a chair all day+not going to the gym enough

when I fixed those things, my back stopped hurting

 

[Red-Fin]

I am just the opposite at 58. Strong as a bull but a lot pain and sciatic nerve issues. Chiropractor helps me a lot. Good luck!

 

[Jesse Jaymes]

Some of this may be irrelevant now.....had a vertebral artery dissection with stroke on Wednesday. I don't seem to have suffered any impairments or deficiencies. But I will probably end up treating myself like Glass for a while. Possibly the rest of my life. Who knows. These are generally caused by a mechanical event. I do not really anything significant.

Maybe packing that buck out as one load phucked me up??? Who knows

 

[ddd-shooter]

Some of this may be irrelevant now.....had a vertebral artery dissection with stroke on Wednesday. I don't seem to have suffered any impairments or deficiencies. But I will probably end up treating myself like Glass for a while. Possibly the rest of my life. Who knows. These are generally caused by a mechanical event. I do not really anything significant.

Maybe packing that buck out as one load phucked me up??? Who knows

Look up “bullet proof back man” on YouTube.
Look up “squat university” on YouTube.
Look up “knees over toes guy” on YouTube.
Look up “athlean x“ on YouTube.

Keep an open mind and modify the info for your situation.
Definitely do less but don’t give up having mobility

 

[FearedFactor]

"Look up “knees over toes guy” on YouTube" ddd-shooter
Love what this guy is doing, best new approach to training i've seen in years

I'm no expert, just another rapidly aging old guy like you all. The best advice I can give is to find a Functional Fitness class near you. The class setting has more appeal than just showing up and lifting weights, the class follows a program so you don't have to plan work outs, just show up do the work out and go home. No pressure to compete like crossfit. You lift weights but you're not trying to max out etc etc I could go on, check it out if you have one in your area.

 

[TheGDog]

I have 3mm to 6mm bulges in the bottom four discs. I'm sure I've had some amount of bulging from 1995 onward. (I went over the handlebars and serious slammed my lowerback/tailbone and turned EVERYTHING down there all kindsa black/blue/purple/yellow.. but didn't actually break anything, because I was training like a beast back then.

Mostly was able to train very robustly until maybe 45yo or so? Then things started ripping on me, so had to change things up a bit.

Then I caught Covid. The super-high fever and months of coughing my brains out really did a number in terms of inflammation. When started to get better, went to local park to use isometric machines. This one sorta like a Military press machine, with a stiff ratio... on like the 5th rep that day.. I heard an audible rip back there! I've not been the same since.

Lot of adjustments to how I do things physically now. And every soo often I go get epidural steroid injections, where they deposit right there into the spine and also the facet-joints (the little winglet things off your vertebrae).

Also... get yourself one of those Electronic Muscle-Stimulator Massage devices where you place the electrode pads on both sides of your affected area.

And do lots of stretches where you lay on your back... bring a knee up to waist height or slightly above.. and rotate that knee across your body to the opposite side.. whilst simultaneously stretching up and back by extending that same sides arm... so you get a stretch down inter-costals and pecs.

But you definitely need to tell your doc and get a (high resolution!) MRI done so they can see if you happen to have disc-bulging. (Which I'm betting you probably do.)

P.S. - At the Gym... use the Precor Elliptical machine! You'll probably notice after a certain level of incline setting... a 30min session at a good stiff resistance will start to hurt more than it should once you pass a certain incline number. Learn to stay below YOUR number. BUT... go talk to any Doctor and they'll tell you... that overall a faster motion like on those ellipticals, that goes thru a decent range of motion, is what you want.

And for ab work... start doing leg-lifts while up on the Roman Chair. IF it's hard for ya at first... just raise your legs bent at the knees. Then focus and eventually progress to straight-legged.

-G

 

[doc holiday13]

Look up “bullet proof back man” on YouTube.
Look up “squat university” on YouTube.
Look up “knees over toes guy” on YouTube.
Look up “athlean x“ on YouTube.

Keep an open mind and modify the info for your situation.
Definitely do less but don’t give up having mobility

x10

Up till 2 months ago i kept having some reoccurring issues with my back. I'm not even 40 yet. I've been doing a lot of expercises as shown at Squat University. Magically back pain has gone away and I'm doing stuff that would have previously(last 2 years) impaired my back.

Yoga is a great low impact way to start fixing yourself

 

[307]

I have 3mm to 6mm bulges in the bottom four discs. I'm sure I've had some amount of bulging from 1995 onward. (I went over the handlebars and serious slammed my lowerback/tailbone and turned EVERYTHING down there all kindsa black/blue/purple/yellow.. but didn't actually break anything, because I was training like a beast back then.

Mostly was able to train very robustly until maybe 45yo or so? Then things started ripping on me, so had to change things up a bit.

Then I caught Covid. The super-high fever and months of coughing my brains out really did a number in terms of inflammation. When started to get better, went to local park to use isometric machines. This one sorta like a Military press machine, with a stiff ratio... on like the 5th rep that day.. I heard an audible rip back there! I've not been the same since.

Lot of adjustments to how I do things physically now. And every soo often I go get epidural steroid injections, where they deposit right there into the spine and also the facet-joints (the little winglet things off your vertebrae).

Also... get yourself one of those Electronic Muscle-Stimulator Massage devices where you place the electrode pads on both sides of your affected area.

And do lots of stretches where you lay on your back... bring a knee up to waist height or slightly above.. and rotate that knee across your body to the opposite side.. whilst simultaneously stretching up and back by extending that same sides arm... so you get a stretch down inter-costals and pecs.

But you definitely need to tell your doc and get a (high resolution!) MRI done so they can see if you happen to have disc-bulging. (Which I'm betting you probably do.)

P.S. - At the Gym... use the Precor Elliptical machine! You'll probably notice after a certain level of incline setting... a 30min session at a good stiff resistance will start to hurt more than it should once you pass a certain incline number. Learn to stay below YOUR number. BUT... go talk to any Doctor and they'll tell you... that overall a faster motion like on those ellipticals, that goes thru a decent range of motion, is what you want.

And for ab work... start doing leg-lifts while up on the Roman Chair. IF it's hard for ya at first... just raise your legs bent at the knees. Then focus and eventually progress to straight-legged.

-G

Almost every bit of advice offered above can worsen discogenic low back pain.

Stability, and lessening bending/twisting cycles on a sensitive disc, is what will allow it to heal/scar and stabilize.

Movement strategy, and exercise selection are critical, but more bending, twisting, and stretching might feel temporarily helpful, and can continue to sensitize the disc on an endless loop of pain.

 

[TheGDog]

Almost every bit of advice offered above can worsen discogenic low back pain.

Stability, and lessening bending/twisting cycles on a sensitive disc, is what will allow it to heal/scar and stabilize.

Movement strategy, and exercise selection are critical, but more bending, twisting, and stretching might feel temporarily helpful, and can continue to sensitize the disc on an endless loop of pain.

Well there IS also the Periformis to consider, and the stretching DOES definitely help with that.

 

[Mikido]

To all you with lower back pain….or ANY pain…..the solution is simple:

SWIM

Your lack of movement causes these issues. No one complains about ankle pain, or jaw pain, or eye lid pain. EVERYONE complains about their back, or their stupid sciatica, or their neck.
If you can’t squat comfortably to poop in a hole in the ground, you don’t move your body enough.

Get off you butt and move your body. Swimming is the best way I’ve found.

 

[doc holiday13]

After reading this I am glad that I never got into the heavy lifting thing. Having lower back issues sounds horrible. I have always focused on mobility, still do. Being able to lift a ton of shit is pointless if you can’t move the next day.

I've been lifting heavy for years. lifting heavy isn't a problem and won't hurt you. lifting improperly or beyond your ability will hurt you. I have a couple bulged disk in my back from 20 years ago. I'm 6'4" and currently 39. 6 years ago I was deadlifting 385# without pain or issue . There are several things that will kill your back
1- Sitting in an office chair all day. I don't care how ergonomic it is. it shrinks your psoas and weakens you back stabilizers
2- Lack of Mobility in the hips and low back. strength training and mobility training are NOT independent of each other. Those two items go hand in hand and the importance of them exponentially increases as you age. Yoga and kettlebell exercises go a long way.

nobody wants to hear this bit Cam Hanes is in his mid late 50s..... I guarantee that guy is flexible

 

[justinspicher]

@docholiday13,

I won’t disagree with you about heavy lifting not hurting you, its more about how you lift. I was just saying that I am glad that I didn’t get into it and not ever doing any heavy lifting never limited me in my life thus far.

To those who do it and do it well, I applaud you. It just wasn‘t for me.

 

[TheGDog]

To all you with lower back pain….or ANY pain…..the solution is simple:

SWIM

Your lack of movement causes these issues. No one complains about ankle pain, or jaw pain, or eye lid pain. EVERYONE complains about their back, or their stupid sciatica, or their neck.
If you can’t squat comfortably to poop in a hole in the ground, you don’t move your body enough.

Get off you butt and move your body. Swimming is the best way I’ve found.

Come back to us in 20yrs my friend. But even then... if you've never done hardcore dirtbike riding action, and the crashes that come with. Along with pushing yourself, HARD, with weights... well.. just come back to me when you have, alright sport?

 

[Mikido]

Come back to us in 20yrs my friend. But even then... if you've never done hardcore dirtbike riding action, and the crashes that come with. Along with pushing yourself, HARD, with weights... well.. just come back to me when you have, alright sport?

I have. I’m in better shape now at 40 than ever. And those aches/pains/discomforts I felt in my lazy early 30’s are gone. Same goes for my 80yo father who puts 60yo’s (like you?) to shame. And that man actually had a hard life (unlike you, or me

Not trying to hate on you at all, but the spirit of your comment reminds me of my older cousins (50-60’s) who have a good excuse for everything that ales them, but don’t have a good excuse to try something different or get off their butt.

can’t wait to revive this thread in 2044!

 

[307]

I have. I’m in better shape now at 40 than ever. And those aches/pains/discomforts I felt in my lazy early 30’s are gone. Same goes for my 80yo father who puts 60yo’s (like you?) to shame. And that man actually had a hard life (unlike you, or me

Not trying to hate on you at all, but the spirit of your comment reminds me of my older cousins (50-60’s) who have a good excuse for everything that ales them, but don’t have a good excuse to try something different or get off their butt.

can’t wait to revive this thread in 2044!

I’m sorry you wasted your 20’s and 30’s being in poor shape. Good for you to make the best of what is left at 40+.

 

[TheGDog]

I have. I’m in better shape now at 40 than ever. And those aches/pains/discomforts I felt in my lazy early 30’s are gone. Same goes for my 80yo father who puts 60yo’s (like you?) to shame. And that man actually had a hard life (unlike you, or me

Not trying to hate on you at all, but the spirit of your comment reminds me of my older cousins (50-60’s) who have a good excuse for everything that ales them, but don’t have a good excuse to try something different or get off their butt.

can’t wait to revive this thread in 2044!

Well.. my route was training since HS up to 45yo, when things started tearing on me left and right. I still do regular exercise.... but it's toned down significantly, because those medical bills are no joke.