Reddit reviews Low Back Disorders, Second Edition

http://www.amazon.com/Back-Disorders-Second-Stuart-McGill/dp/0736066926

Dr. Stuart McGill really pioneered the "train the core to resist motion, not create motion". His research showed repeated flexion-extension cycles of the lumbar spine (crunches, situps) could be damaging.

I posted this a while back when someone was complaining of back problems: From Dr. Stuart McGill

It's five simple exercises that have been shown effective in preventing lower back pain and maintaining a healthy back and posture in general.

His more in-depth book is called Low Back Disorders if anybody likes to get down and dirty with the science of it. I've read it and it's great, but probably only for those who enjoy technical reading.

Tall people definitely have to be more proactive about back issues, but it would be a disservice to call back pain "normal" just like it's a disservice when people predisposed to being overweight accept it as "normal" and just eat however they want. We can't just sit however we want, but that's ok.

For the most part, you can have a lot of control over it. Your posture and musculature, body awareness are all key.

Take a step back and focus on rehab treatments.

First see a doctor. Get an MRI of your back if you haven't. You probably have some messed up discs. This doesn't mean you need surgery, the 5-ear outlook for people who have and do not have surgery is remarkably similar. But you should make sure you only have a minor herniation and not something really bad. If you don't have numbness you probably don't.

For exercise and rehab, I like these articles and her books for the basics:

http://www.drbookspan.com/clinical.html#Summary

You could be further injuring yourself doing stupid stuff: bending weird while reaching above your head, your posture while you watch tv, etc. That stuff makes a HUGE difference, more important than any particular exercises you might do.

She talks a lot about how to adjust other exercise programs for injuries. Things like Yoga should be good for you back, but there are some motions in there you will want to know to skip or change. There's plenty of hard core stuff in there that will tire you out plenty if you do it right.

This book for a technical approach, written more for doctors: http://www.amazon.com/Back-Disorders-Second-Stuart-McGill/dp/0736066926

Assuming you didn't actually damage something serious on that roller coaster ride, here's what worked for me: Go to a university library and find Low Back Disorders by Stuart McGill. It's a dense, academic book but it has a short exercise program for strengthening your core. Dead simple: front and side planks, crunches, bird-dog, cat stretch, with some subtle instructions about alignment and bracing. Follow the recipe even if it feels too easy. You'll get stronger, the pain will disappear, and you will stop doing the exercises until you hurt again.

Here's the TL;DR of McGill's book: you can attempt to treat back pain through strength training, flexibility training or endurance training. Strength and flexibility will probably make the problem worse. The most effective way is through endurance training. So do low-impact exercises that avoid overloading your back muscles, and concentrate on held postures to help build that core strength.

EDIT: Of course respect_cat is right about the sketchiness of internet medical advice, but all the same, I proselytise McGill to everyone. Good luck!

Thanks for the recommendations. As a masochist who does SMR with a PVC pipe, I have to say the trigger point book looks like a great resource.

I also wanted to add one for anyone with back issues:

Low Back Disorders by Stuart McGill

hello,

going through the same thing! i am also 25, herniated my L5-S1 disc about 4 months ago. initially, i thought it wasn't anything serious as the pain was manageable. i did everything i shouldn't have been doing right after herniating my disc; the wrong stretches, not resting and sitting. at that stage, the pain was about 5/10. after 2 weeks, it went to a 10/10. went to an acupuncturist (didn't do anything) and massage therapist (felt good but i didn't experience any healing benefits).

started to self treat my self using the internet and books as a source. did stretches, mckenzie exercises and massages. didn't go too well.

i then saw an orthopaedic surgeon who gave me steroids and nerve meds (didn't do anything) and told me not to do any form of exercise as i needed to rest to start the healing process. he told me, if i needed to, to walk around the house for a half a minute or so. when i saw him again, i was improving slightly, and he got me to get an epidural shot. this did nothing. at this point, he told me i could wait it out and see if i would get better or opt for an operation. i decided to wait and go see a physical therapist.

the physical therapist has been a HUGE help. gave me exercises to do every 30 minutes that spared my spine and ensured there was minimal compressive loads on my back. i also started to take anti inflammatories 2 weeks ago (i'm not keen with meds and they affect my stomach) and will only be taking them for the 2 weeks. they have helped quite a lot with the pain.

overall, i have improved quite a bit from 4 months ago. the first 2 months i wasn't able to see anyone for my back as i was travelling in a rural part of a country where no one spoke english. so technically, i've been at this for 2 months.

my advice, after having done a lot of research on the internet and reading a lot of books due to not being able to do anything else;

• rest, rest, rest. when you're able to move a bit more without being in too much pain, move as much as you can! even if it's for a few seconds.
  
• you don't need to be stretching out your back. your back needs to be stiff to ensure stability.
  
• be careful with stretching. it might feel good for the moment, but it could actually make your situation worse. most of the time, the pain is from the nerves, stretching out your muscles won't fix that. you need to deal with the root cause, which is the disc impinging on the nerve.
  
• do core exercises that utilise your whole body. don't focus on just one muscle.
  
• learn about correct posture and neutral spine
  
• no sitting position is good for your spine. minimize sitting.
  
• find a good sports physical therapist (i have no experience with chiro's)
  
  take what i've said with a grain of salt, the above are my experiences with this debilitating injury. and do your own research! you'll have the time to do so, since you're not mobile ;)
  
  lastly, i think this book is very helpful. check it out:
  http://www.amazon.com/Low-Back-Disorders-Second-Edition/dp/0736066926
  
  
  

Imaging did nothing for you. Here's my source:

http://www.amazon.com/Low-Back-Disorders-Second-Edition/dp/0736066926/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394309955&sr=8-1&keywords=low+back+disorders

Sciatica is caused by a disorder in the lower back. Your rehab routine would be the same regardless of cause. Aggravating factors would be different though, but imaging wouldn't help you here. I'll venture a guess that you're flexion intolerant without needing to see your imaging.

You can think that the bulging discs are the source of your pain, but it's not guaranteed. Again, that imaging is useless.