UKC

I know I touched on this some weeks ago so apologies for any repetition.

For about six weeks or so I've been having problems with back pain. It's not a constant pain but it was occurring when I seemed to bend or twist "wrongly" if you know what I mean. It felt like a sort of cramp pain which eased after a matter of seconds. However the frequency has been enough to seriously curtail my walking activities and I'm now getting a bit p****d off not to mention unfit.

I've had three sessions with an osteopath - I couldn't be arsed to go to the GP merely for him to tell me to take paracetamol(treating the symptoms, not the cause) I have to say that the osteopathy seems to have helped with it being less debilitating and more localised. She has said she doesn't need to see me again unless I feel I need more sessions. She has "prescribed" some exercises and said to ease myself back into longer walks. I also put Biofreeze on it.

What I'd like to ask is if any forum members have used any sort of back support for back problems. I just want to get back on to the hills again but I'm aware that there is still a weakness there which manifests itsself from time to time.

If any others have been in a similar predicament I'd be interested to hear.
Thanks.

Without having a scan I think that the things you mention, osteopath and back support are in fact “treating the symptom and not the cause”.

I had a hip problem but treated the cause by having a hip replacement. I also have a knee problem and know the cause but choose to treat it with pain killers and a support.

Sciatica could be one of the causes of your problem. I had this many years ago but it disappeared after a month or two. The cure at the time would have been a spine operation, very dodgy.

Hope someone can come up with something more constructive.

When I had an injured back, I found these videos really good, particularly the second one. 

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/back-pain/treatment/

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/nhs-fitness-studio/chronic-back-pain-pilates-...

If you'd have been to see your GP they'd probably have told you that 6 weeks is perfectly normal for mechanical back pain. They'd check you didn't have any of the concerning features and then advise you should take some pain relief, keep moving around and see a physio.  You could shortcut this by seeing a physio directly, but I'd hope the osteopath would have given you some appropriate exercises.  There's no point searching for a "cause" to treat unless in certain limited circumstances. 

You don't want a back support, you need to keep moving around.  

If you would be interested in some non-medical non-invasive approach, I can personally recommend pilates, which has "fixed" a number of issues in my lower and middle back, and neck. It astonishes me how basically standing or lying on the floor and wriggling around can be such a thorough workout.

The two key goals are to increase core strength and flexibility.

I understand that humans are quite badly designed, back wise, from how, back in our evolution, we moved around on all fours. Once things are (hopefully) sorted, working on increasing back strength could be seem to be a good plan, which is what I did in a rudimentary way following tweaking my back, which seems to largely helped towards it not happening again (more application towards that aim may help further).

I can only speak from my own experience, but I swear by something called Bowen Technique. I broke T11 bouldering when I was 19 and have had occasional issues for 20 years since. I saw various osteopaths and chiropractors who sometimes helped but generally just cost a lot of money. When I had really bad sciatica about 12 years ago someone mentioned my 'magic back man' and I went to see him. He explained that his treatment was designed to reset your muscle memory and that the treatment should take 48 hours for the specific treatment he gave me. 36 hours later ater I was bouncing off the walls! I  only go when I have crippling back pain and consistently he's fixed it 1st time.

For me yoga and pilates worked. Wasn't quick, took about a year of daily exercises but after a few years of back pain not to have it anymore is amazing.

Lots of Youtube back pain yoga videos. Try some, you will learn which stretches and movements feel good for you. 

Good luck

Possibly irrelevant but possibly helpful:

My job is largely desk based and I got a standing desk about 2 years ago. The best desk set up with the comfiest chair were just not doing enough for me. Around the same time I had a physio referral where I learnt some stretching exercises for my lower back, hips and glutes that I now do daily which take about 20 min.

90% of my previous lower back/hips/glutes pain which was debilitating at times has now disappeared.

Being still for long periods was always a problem, and keeping moving always made me feel better.

I can tell from my climbing that I am now much more flexible than I was and my core is now much stronger too.

+1 for Pilates classes.  I genuinely don't know what state I'd be in without them.

Hi,

Not used a support…suspect it may not a lot of help other than keeping the area warm.

As others have said core Pilates exercises can really help. I currently do variations on this core based routine from FitnessBlender.

youtube.com/watch?v=7XyaQNZJv4s&

A road bike for me - not been on it for a while for one reason or another (crap weather, a week in Scotland, catching Covid) and my back as been beginning to give me grief. I went out on my bike  yesterday, and it's a lot better now. 

Some years ago, I stood hard on the pedals and there was a resounding 'clunk' from my spine.  I thought that that was either very, very good, or very, very bad - turned out to be the former.  Also, I got knocked off my bike and landed square on my backside.  That hurt a lot, but knocked me straight too.  Previously, I used to have no end of problems - the bike basically keeps me shuggled straight.

Pilates - changed my life

Would a few of the people who said pilates changed my life like to expand on that a bit please. Would be interesting to hear more as I slide into my dotage (45).

Oh hi. Of course, it is better to see a doctor, but you can try some back stretching exercises. I was suffering from back pain almost the whole last summer. And fixed it in one week of exercises.

When I had an injured back I would start a 30 min pilates video feeling stiff and immobile. By the time I got to the end I felt almost normal. Quite miraculous!

That's the longer video I linked to above.

Hi,

As a long term sufferer of a bad back you come to the conclusion that there is really not a quick fix. Or even a slow fix.
As someone above says even if you get a scan and a pointer at what the problem is it still doesn’t necessarily help cure the problem.

For me the Pilates focus on core strength and engaging the core muscles correctly trains your body to do this all the time, which really helps ward off back issues.

Pilates classes cost roughly the same as the gym, obviously depending where you are and how many in the class etc. The teacher should assess you and put you into an appropriate class for your needs and abilities.

I started in a beginner class last year after getting problems with my neck that weren't going away. The class consists of stretches, balance and core strength exercises, and a lot of spine twisting and bending ones.

You can do the exercises at whatever level is comfortable for you, and there's a lot of emphasis on back safety. I come out of the hour-long session feeling that I've had a thorough work-out without really doing anything other than wriggling, bending and the odd plank. It's weird.

I have much better flexibility in my lower back, and my middle back which was semi-rigid after a motorbike accident decades ago has started to loosen up. The neck problems have gone. Furthermore, I can put my socks on without falling over. Life is good

Thanks guys! Will try the nhs one first, no major problems just a few niggles.