Lower Back Pain
David J Cusano
again, which usually meant easing off workouts, if not stopping all
together to recover. Lately, however, I have been getting the pain more
frequently. I was wondering if anyone deals with back pain and if so,
how? I was thinking about going to a doctor, but if there was something
that I could do myself to prevent this, I would like to know what.
I make sure I stretch after workouts and try not to slouch on the erg. I
don't think that the problem was caused by rowing, but it seems to
aggrevate it. Not while I am on the erg, but afterwards. I do a lot of
driving, including a 45 minute commute to and from work everyday. Any
suggestions?
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David J. Cusano
Cus...@ACSU.Buffalo.Edu
Mechanical Engineering
University At Buffalo Rowing, Lightweight Men 94-99
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LongboatCo
You probably should go to a doctor; but if you can, have your GP refer you to a
sports specialist who might be more prone to prescribe some physical therapy
that will allow you to work through it, rather than drugs that will just mess
up your stomach.
I have had two back injuries in my rowing career: the first was the result of
doing heavy squats all winter without any back exercises to balance things out.
When I got on the water I pushed hard too early and my back needed a month to
"catch up" to my legs. It was a matter of doing relatively easy workouts for
that month, sometimes uncomfortable, but never in pain.
The second was a pull in my lower back resulting from an insufficient warm up
on pretty rough water. Although I am skeptical by nature, after three weeks of
being miserable, my wife talked me into visiting a chiropractor. He did his
thing and told me to go home and do yardwork. I ended up digging holes for a
split-rail fence. Within two days I felt great. No drugs - just work.
Granted, this is purely anecdotal, but my point is that most primary care
physicians tend to just prescribe muscle relaxers and tell you not to do what
it is you love to do. A sports specialist might be more in tune with the type
of injury you have, and more sypathetic to your need for a daily exercise fix.
(fine print disclaimer): Purely my two cents, and in no way intended to be
taken as professional advice.
I hope things work out for you.
George
The Longboat Company
www.LongboatCo.com
Braca Sport Oars and Sculls
Michael Sullivan
>
> I have always had a moderate amount of lower back pain every now and
> again, which usually meant easing off workouts, if not stopping all
> together to recover. Lately, however, I have been getting the pain more
> frequently. I was wondering if anyone deals with back pain and if so,
> how? I was thinking about going to a doctor, but if there was something
> that I could do myself to prevent this, I would like to know what.
>
> I make sure I stretch after workouts and try not to slouch on the erg. I
> don't think that the problem was caused by rowing, but it seems to
> aggrevate it. Not while I am on the erg, but afterwards. I do a lot of
> driving, including a 45 minute commute to and from work everyday. Any
> suggestions?
regular abdominal work. It's WONDERFUL for avoiding
back trouble. Static stretching program is also very
helpful, but ab work is essential.
Mike
suet...@my-dejanews.com
<Pine.GSO.3.96.981119...@callisto.acsu.buffalo.edu>, David
J Cusano <cus...@acsu.buffalo.edu> wrote:
> I have always had a moderate amount of lower back pain every now and
> again, which usually meant easing off workouts, if not stopping all
> together to recover. [snip, snip] I do a lot of
> driving, including a 45 minute commute to and from work everyday. Any
> suggestions?
I recently went through one of my bouts with lower back pain. My doctor
assessed the amount that I was sitting -- I was driving into town (45
minutes), rowing (60 minutes), working (sitting all day), driving home (45
minutes), dinner (20 minutes), relaxing at home (varied). Turned out I was
sitting a lot and he figured that was the source of my back problems. I was
told that I was still mobile due to my rowing -- even though it involved
sitting. The prescription? Take more breaks and keep my back mobile. Stand
up. Lay down. But don't sit! I also place a heating pad under my lower back
when I sleep, since I have been told I have an arthritic lower back (broke it
many years ago). The colder weather and chilly rain beating on my back (I
live on the West Coast) while rowing seems to make it unhappy.
I also stretch, do weights to complement and compensate for rowing, andn visit
my chiropractor regularly.
...........
sue thomas
Victoria, BC
-----------== Posted via Deja News, The Discussion Network ==----------
http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Discuss, or Start Your Own
scoo...@my-dejanews.com
disorders. I am particularly interested in personal experiences about
"sucking weight," the mental aspects of sucking weight, and how they reflect
the mentality of a person with an eating disorder. If you are comfortable
sharing your story with me, please reply to my e-mail address (do not reply
to newsgroup).
I think this topic is not discussed openly within the rowing community and
needs to be so that those "unnatural" lightweights who struggle to maintain
their weight can talk with others who know how difficult it is physically and
mentally.
Thanks,
former lightweight rower
scoo...@my-dejanews.com
methods and the experience of "sucking weight" resembles eating disorders. If
you have any personal experiences that you feel comfortable sharing with me,
please send them to my personal e-mail address (do not reply to newsgroup).
Also, I am interested in the role that lightweight coaches have in their
rowers' weight loss experience. If there are any coaches out there with
experiences or methods of interaction to share, please respond as well.
I think this topic is not discussed often enough among the rowing community,
even on lightweight teams. Not talking about such problems exacerbate the
feeling of going at it alone and increase the risk of improper dieting and of
developing a serious eating disorder.
Thanks,
a former lightweight rower
st96...@brandeis.edu
Chris Killion
with a back belt. It is one of things you see on warehousemen or other people whose
jobs require heavy lifting. It is not exactly a chick magnet. It has not gotten me
many style points either. But it has kept my back from hurting and allowed me to
continue rowing. Good luck.
Chris.
David J Cusano wrote:
> I have always had a moderate amount of lower back pain every now and
> again, which usually meant easing off workouts, if not stopping all
> together to recover. Lately, however, I have been getting the pain more
> frequently. I was wondering if anyone deals with back pain and if so,
> how? I was thinking about going to a doctor, but if there was something
> that I could do myself to prevent this, I would like to know what.
>
> I make sure I stretch after workouts and try not to slouch on the erg. I
> don't think that the problem was caused by rowing, but it seems to
> aggrevate it. Not while I am on the erg, but afterwards. I do a lot of
> driving, including a 45 minute commute to and from work everyday. Any
> suggestions?
>
Deemclough
benefit you, and yes, doing some standing back extensions since it does sound
like you do sit quite a bit. Also, check your posture while sitting in the
car- are your ears over your tips of your shoulders or are you sitting with
your head forward of the rest of your body- this may also be a factor...
If in a few weeks of more focus on the abs and improving your posture doesn't
help, I would recommend getting a referral from your PCP to a physical
therapist...preferably one with LOTS of success with low back pain and whose
preferred mode of treatment is lots of exercise!! (not lots of hot packs and e
stim) You may need to check around for people with referrals for a good PT ,
but it will be worth it. As a PT, I know there are lots of us out there with
varying degrees of experience and also varying focus' but try to find one that
wil best suit your needs...
Good luck!
John B
I interviewed him about his story and his technique.
http://youtu.be/CBa3qTcJbCs
ATP
"John B" <john....@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:8dc46791-060e-4a9a...@googlegroups.com...
> sculling to reduce his low back pain from disc herniation. He went on to
> repeated successes in Indoor Concept 2 competitions.
> I interviewed him about his story and his technique.
> http://youtu.be/CBa3qTcJbCs
>
John Greenly
> I have always had a moderate amount of lower back pain every now and
> again, which usually meant easing off workouts, if not stopping all
> together to recover. Lately, however, I have been getting the pain more
> frequently. I was wondering if anyone deals with back pain and if so,
> how? I was thinking about going to a doctor, but if there was something
> that I could do myself to prevent this, I would like to know what.
>
> I make sure I stretch after workouts and try not to slouch on the erg. I
> don't think that the problem was caused by rowing, but it seems to
> aggrevate it. Not while I am on the erg, but afterwards. I do a lot of
> driving, including a 45 minute commute to and from work everyday. Any
> suggestions?
I have zero medical expertise, but I can report having great success myself with exercises that were recommended to me by a friend who struggled with back pain for years and told me that these exercises saved him from surgery. Go to foundationtraining.com. The most basic exercise is called the "founder" (look under videos on the website, it's the last one in the list). Doing it regularly has gotten rid of my back pain, improved my posture and my rowing too. The basic idea seems to be that most of us sit far too much. This leads to tight hamstrings and a weak lower back that make us bend at the lower back instead of at the hips when we lean down- or come up to the catch in rowing- and that starts the problems. These exercises address those things really well.
best of luck to you,
John G