HEALTH Back pain? How I fixed my 30+ years of backache.

[tm1439m]

My back has hurt for many many years. It felt like it was pinching my spinal cord somewhere in the middle of my back. The more I worked or longer hours the worse the back pain. Sometimes it was all I could do to stand up straight. My back wants to curve like a banana. I never went to a doctor about it but did go to a chiropractor many years ago. They said never ever work construction or do any hard physical exercise or sports. Ha ha, that is all I do even now.

About a year ago I was at my brother in laws and saw this little contraption laying on the floor. I asked what it was.

He said you lay on it and it stretches your back. It is supposed to help with back pain in some instances.

So he laid on it, his wife laid on it and then my wife laid on it. In all instances they could bend their back to the point of shoulders almost touching the floor.

I laid on it and my shoulders were still about 8" off the floor. Ouch that booger hurt. I always knew my muscles had given in to the pain to the point of my spin curving but did not think it was quite this bad.

I don't give up easy. I asked my wife to order one and she did. It was around $20.

I started using it every day at least once and more often when possible. I never pushed myself and just laid back to the point of resistance each day. As time passed the point of resistance became farther and farther putting my shoulders closer and closer to the floor.

Fast forward to now and I can all but touch the floor with my shoulders when I lay on it which pretty much matches what my family was doing that first day I saw it. I consider that a huge success.

I still get a slight pinch when I over due it working or playing but most days there is no longer pain in my back. Before this little contraption every day was a pain day for me. It was just a matter of how much pain I felt. Bad or worse.

This may not seem like a big deal to most of you but if you have back pain it may help you like it did me. You gotta know what your limitations are though. It could hurt you worse under some circumstances so use it at your own risk and discretion. Might want to ask your doctor if you have one.

Good luck to anyone who may try this thing out!!

https://www.amazon.com/Back-Stretcher-Pain-Relief-Acupressure/dp/B08F5F1QRC?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1&psc=1

 

[Mary Contrary]

Wow. Thanks!! I'm gonna order one. My lower back aches real bad and I take NOTHING for it. A machine at the chiropractors cost thousands and you have to pay first.

 

[colonel holman]

excellent for certain patients. i have one in my clinic. have recommended it often for certain patients. but note that back pain represents more than a dozen different types of mechanical problems, each with its own proper treatment approaches. but this is safe to try, using its lowest arch setting, for 3 min max to start with

 

[colonel holman]

Wow. Thanks!! I'm gonna order one. My lower back aches real bad and I take NOTHING for it. A machine at the chiropractors cost thousands and you have to pay first.

I know the machine you speak of. It is basic traction made to look extra high-tech by attaching a laptop to it. FDA has forced them to back off their exaggerated claims. generally poor outcomes. the device in the OP is also a form of traction, but applied in a more favorable position… and a wee bit cheaper

 

[colonel holman]

generally best for disc-related conditions

 

[xtreme_right]

I have one similar. It’s painful to use at first. Like you said, your shoulders don’t touch the floor. The problem then is, you’re like an upside down turtle. It’s hard to get up or flipped over bc it’s painful and awkward.

I started out using it on the bed so it had some give. Then I moved to the floor but had a pillow for my head and shoulders.

 

[Delta]

I just stretch my Psoas muscle. You can look it up. It runs from your knee to the middle of your back--and it causes the middle of the back to hurt. I just lay on my back on a bed or tall bench and let one leg drop over the side. Ideally I get that leg bent at the knee and, reaching down, grab my ankle and pull the knee back. The object is to stretch out the thigh. Do both legs. Weird that the back issue is that thigh muscle, but it never fails. My massage therapist taught me that.

 

[Issy]

Thank you for sharing this. Just ordered one. It sure is worth a try! Sometimes by the end of the day it just feels like gravity has scrunched my spine. Just being able to "arch" it back out is sure worth a try!

Issy

 

[kochevnik]

Thanks for this - always looking to improve my health. Ordered one too.

BTW the green version on that page is only $12.

I have for many years used Miracle Balls - given them away to people too.

Out of stock now like lots of things - but highly recommended.

The Miracle Ball Method: Relieve Your Pain, Reshape Your Body, Reduce Your Stress [2 Miracle Balls Included]: Petrone, Elaine: 8601300471242: Amazon.com: Books

The Miracle Ball Method: Relieve Your Pain, Reshape Your Body, Reduce Your Stress [2 Miracle Balls Included] [Petrone, Elaine] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Miracle Ball Method: Relieve Your Pain, Reshape Your Body, Reduce Your Stress [2 Miracle Balls Included]

www.amazon.com

 

[kyrsyan]

A stretch a friend taught me that works well. Lay on the floor and put your feet in a chair. 90 degree bends at hips and knees. It works. Now getting back up off the floor can be fun... but it works.

 

[Walrus Whisperer]

If I tried to lay down on that thing, I'd need the fire dept to come rescue me

 

[Millwright]

Adaptable to high-speed trick sex?

Or just injuries from a bad dismount?

 

[vestige]

If I tried to lay down on that thing, I'd need the fire dept to come rescue me

Bragging

 

[Walrus Whisperer]

Bragging

You haven't seen my old MRIs.

 

[Pinecone]

If I tried to lay down on that thing, I'd need the fire dept to come rescue me

Not laughing at you, WW, but laughing with you. I hope.

 

[energy_wave]

Severe Lower Back Pain & Radiculopathy-Degenerative Disc Disease-Herniated L Disc Miami Florida Man

RT 16:17

 

[China Connection]

Lumbar Back Pain Relief Equipment Massager - Magic Stretcher
74 reviews

$43.95$69.00
or make 4 interest-free payments of $10.99 AUD fortnightly with

More info
visibility
22 People are viewing this right now
Color: GREEN
Blue
Purple
Green


Blue - $43.95 AUD Purple - $43.95 AUD Green - $43.95 AUD

• check_circle 1 Year Warranty - Free Shipping Over $100
• store Click & Collect available at Melbourne Warehouse

Guaranteed Safe & Secure Checkout

Having back pain all the time? Eliminate that in just 5-10 minutes a day!
HELPS RELIEVE CHRONIC BACK PAIN POSTURE CORRECTION
Preventive care for your lower back and posture. Daily activities involving extended use on the computer, sitting all day, or physical activities can lead to spine and posture imbalances.
This device helps to gently stretch out compacted muscles to ease muscle tension and strain and to alleviate back pain.

MULTI-LEVEL DESIGN
There are three different stretching arches that will exercise your back in a healthy way. Easy set-up, designed for ease-of-use by people of all ages. Lightweight and portable, perfect for accompanying you as you travel, use at home or even at the office!

BENEFITS

• Mitigates chronic back pain
• Corrects postural imbalances
• Restores the natural curvature of the back
• Improves flexibility in shoulder and back muscle
• Alleviates Herniated, Bulging Disc Pain, Spinal Stenosis, etc.

Is it suitable for my height?
This model is a 'one size fits all', which means that it fits no matter how tall you are. Just ensure that you feel comfortable when positioning it under your back before easing it into the stretch.

Non-padded or Padded?
If you want a cushioned feel for a more comfortable and relaxing stretch, along with the acupressure effect, use the padded version. If you don't mind the hardness and the pressure nodes, simply remove the foam strip to use the non-padded version.



How do I use it?
Set Up and Begin
To assemble the back stretcher, kneel on the ground and wedge the back end of the back stretcher against your knees. Then slide the front end into one of the three slots, depending on which stretch level you wish to use.

Stretch Arms, Back and Leg
After the back stretcher is placed in the appropriate position, lay your back along it with the base of the stretcher at the base of your spine. Slowly inhale and exhale while slightly contracting your core. Keep your legs bent with feet planted firmly into the ground or straighten them to increase the stretch. After a few breaths, raise your arms so that they lay flat on the ground above your head. Return to your original position and get up when you are ready!

Stretch to the Maximum
Experiment by placing the stretcher in different positions and see which area provides the best relief or deepest stretch. Remain in this position while calmly breathing for a few minutes at a time, and try to get a cumulative total of 5-10 minutes a day in this stretched position. Use whenever you feel tightness in your back region for optimum benefit.

Feel the massage and relax!

 

[Peter]

May have to try this. Anyone use an inversion table? A friend swears by one and was thinking of trying. Ortho told me no damage other than wear & tear for age, just a lot of
inflamation...working on stretching routine.

 

[Nich1]

Most of the time, products at Amazon are available elsewhere for lower price and often have free shipping. Ebay has products that are either similar or the same, if you are interested.

 

[Knighttemplar]

I do press ups, sort of like push ups but your hips dont leave the floor. They really help with back pain.

 

[inskanoot]

How to Stretch and Strengthen the Psoas

Learn how to skillfully stretch and strengthen the mysterious psoas muscle.

yogainternational.com

How to Stretch and Strengthen the Psoas

Julie Gudmestad






Most yoga students are aware that the psoas is a central player in asana, even if the muscle’s deeper function and design seem a mystery. A primary connector between the torso and the leg, the psoas is also an important muscle off the mat: it affects posture, helps stabilize the spine, and, if it’s out of balance, can be a significant contributor to low back and pelvic pain. The way that we use the psoas in our yoga practice can either help keep it healthy, strong, and flexible, or, conversely, can perpetuate harmful imbalances.

The psoas is a deep-seated core muscle connecting the lumbar vertebrae to the femur.

The psoas major is the biggest and strongest player in a group of muscles called the hip flexors: together they contract to pull the thigh and the torso toward each other. The hip flexors can become short and tight if you spend most of your waking hours sitting, or if you repeatedly work them in activities like sit-ups, bicycling, and certain weight-training exercises.

A tight psoas can cause serious postural problems: when you stand up, it pulls the low back vertebrae forward and down toward the femur, often resulting in lordosis (overarching in the lumbar spine), which is a common cause of low back pain and stiffness; it can also contribute to arthritis in the lumbar facet joints. On the other hand, a weak and overstretched psoas can contribute to a common postural problem in which the pelvis is pushed forward of the chest and knees. This misalignment is characterized by tight hamstrings pulling down on the sitting bones, a vertical sacrum (instead of its usual gentle forward tilt), and a flattened lumbar spine. Without its normal curve, the low back is weakened and vulnerable to injury, especially at the intervertebral discs.

The way that we use the psoas in our yoga practice can either help keep it healthy, strong, and flexible, or, conversely, can perpetuate harmful imbalances.

To help you create balance in the psoas and keep your low back healthy, it is important to first understand the anatomy. Then you’ll see why the psoas is integral to asanas as diverse as navasana (boat pose) and setu bandha sarvangasana (bridge pose), and how to engage and stretch this massive muscle for optimal benefit.

HOW TO FIND THE PSOAS
Although the psoas is one of the most important muscles in yoga poses, it is also one of the most misunderstood. Many students and even teachers have only a vague idea of where it is located. The psoas originates from the lumbar vertebrae and forms a strip of muscle almost as big as a wrist along each side of the spine. Looking at the front of the body, you’d have to remove the intestines and other digestive organs, as well as the female reproductive organs, to be able to see the muscle in the very back of the abdomen. It proceeds down and forward, crossing the outer edge of each pubis, then moves back again to attach on a bony prominence of the inner upper posterior femur (thigh bone) called the lesser trochanter.

The psoas affects our posture and helps stabilize the spine. If it’s out of balance, it can be a significant contributor to low back and pelvic pain.

Along the way, the psoas picks up its synergist, the iliacus, which originates on the inner bowl of the pelvis (or the ilium) and joins the psoas on its path downward to attach to the femur. The two muscles work so closely together that they’re usually referred to as one, the iliopsoas. The other hip flexors include the sartorius, the tensor fascia lata, the rectus femoris, the pectineus, and the adductor brevis. Besides flexion, these muscles might also contribute to the internal or external rotation of the hip. This action is important for yoga practitioners to understand because the psoas may try to externally rotate the hip in poses where we don’t want external rotation, such as backbends or forward bends.

AWAKENING THE PSOAS

Now that you have a picture of the psoas in your mind, let’s see if you can feel it contracting. When the psoas contracts, it will pull the femur and the spine closer together (hip flexion). If you are lying on your back, contracting the right psoas will help lift your right leg off the floor as in supta padangusthasana, or reclining big toe pose. If the back of your leg is flexible, you may be able to bring it toward your torso past perpendicular, but the psoas stops contracting at about 90 degrees, when the leg is vertical. At that point, gravity is no longer pulling the leg back toward the floor, so the hip flexors can relax. On the other hand, if the back of your leg is tight and you can’t bring your leg to the 90-degree point, the psoas contracts the entire time you hold your leg up, even if you have a strap wrapped around your foot. By definition, this is an isometric contraction: the muscle is working, but not changing length. Anytime you’re holding a body part against the pull of gravity, it’s an isometric contraction.

NAVASANA

Navasana is another yoga pose that strengthens the psoas isometrically. You can feel the basic action of the psoas in navasana while sitting on a chair. Sit tall on the front edge of the chair, with your arms stretched out in front of you, parallel to the floor. Then lean toward the back of the chair without touching it, while keeping your chest lifted. As soon as your body inclines backward past vertical, gravity is trying to pull your torso down toward the earth, and the psoas contracts to hold you cantilevered.

To apply this action in navasana, move to the floor and sit tall (up on your sitting bones, not rolled back on your tailbone) with your knees bent and feet flat. Wrap your fingers lightly around the tops of your shins and give a little pull to help lift your chest, then lean back until your elbows are straight. Let go of your shins, keeping your arms parallel to the floor, feet on the floor, and chest lifted. While this is a mild beginner’s version of navasana, you’ll be doing some nice isometric strengthening of the psoas as well as of your back and abdominal muscles.

If you’d like to move into the full pose, tip your torso back a little farther, lift your feet off the floor, and find your balance. Even with your knees still bent, the psoas has to work harder, as it’s now holding up the weight of your torso plus the weight of your legs against gravity’s pull. You can stay here for several breaths, or go ahead and challenge the muscle even more by straightening your knees. In the full expression of navasana, the psoas acts like a guy-wire between your spine and the thighs to hold the beautiful V shape of the pose. This is a challenging pose, working not only the psoas, but also the abdominals, the back muscles, and the quadriceps; if you are a beginner, try working regularly on the preparatory steps to gradually build strength for the full variation.

Cont’d.

 

[inskanoot]

RELEASING THE PSOAS
After you’ve warmed and worked the psoas through contraction, it’s an ideal time to stretch and lengthen it. In order to stretch any muscle, we must do the opposite of its action; in this case, we’ll need to extend the hip, moving the lumbar spine and the femur away from each other. Because the psoas is a big and potentially strong muscle, you’ll be able to lengthen it most effectively by stretching one side at a time in poses such as anjaneyasana (lunge pose) and virabhadrasana I (warrior pose I), where the hip of the back leg is in extension.
VIRABHADRASANA I

A good way to isolate the psoas stretch, whether you’re a beginner or an experienced practitioner, is to practice virabhadrasana I in a doorway. Find an open doorway (or a pillar) and step up close so that the right side of your body is just behind the door jamb. Step your left leg through the doorway, and place your right foot two to three feet behind you, with that back heel off the floor. Stretch your arms overhead and rest your hands on the wall. Bend both knees slightly, and align your pubic bones, navel, and breastbone with the door frame.

The whole key to stretching the psoas is in the tilting of the pelvis. Remember, a tight psoas tries to tilt the pelvis anteriorly (pulling the spine and top of the pelvis forward and down), so you must tilt the pelvis posteriorly to stretch the hip flexors. The door can help you achieve this action: simply move your pubic bones toward the door jamb, your upper pelvis and navel back away from the jamb, and draw your breastbone toward the jamb. These actions help you tilt the pelvis posteriorly, move the lumbar spine toward the back of the body (instead of letting the tight psoas pull it forward and down), and lift the rib cage vertically up out of the low back. Altogether, you’ll be lengthening the psoas and relieving compression and discomfort in the low back.

When you’re ready to deepen the stretch, straighten the back knee fully (let the back heel stay off the floor, especially if you’re a beginner or have knee or low back problems), and gradually bend the front knee more. If you’re not getting a deep stretch on the front of the right hip, redouble your efforts to bring the pubic bones toward the wall, and the navel away, and bend the front knee more. Hold the pose for a minute or more, keeping your breathing slow and steady to help the muscle relax into a deep stretch. Then repeat on the other side.

SETU BANDHA SARVANGASANA

Now that you’ve stretched your psoas, you’re ready to work on backbending poses, which require full extension in both hips. In setu bandha sarvangasana, for instance, tight and short psoas muscles will tilt the pelvis anteriorly as you lift your pelvis off the floor, causing sharp compression in the lower lumbar vertebrae. So it’s important to prepare your body for backbending by first stretching the hip flexors, especially if you lead a sedentary lifestyle.

When you’re ready to work on bridge pose, lie on your back with the knees bent and the feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart, heels pulled in close to your sitting bones. Place a block between your feet, grounding down through the big toe and inner heel, and squeeze a second block between your knees. The blocks ensure that your thighs remain parallel throughout the pose to prevent the psoas muscles from externally rotating the hips while extending them, which can contribute to low back compression and knee pain.

By incorporating poses that strengthen and lengthen the psoas, you can release habitual muscle-holding patterns, improve your low-back alignment, and create a more balanced posture.

When you begin to lift your pelvis off the floor, lift your tail-bone first. This simple action sets the pelvis into a posterior tilt, and, if your hip flexors are lengthened enough, helps you keep space in your low back. As you continue to roll up into bridge pose, press your pubic bones up into the skin of your lower abdomen. Hold the pose for 20 to 30 seconds. Repeat the pose two more times; as the hip flexors lengthen, you may find that you can go deeper and lift higher.
A well-balanced asana practice helps keep your muscles strong enough to do their job and flexible enough to allow full range of motion of associated joints. By incorporating poses that both strengthen and lengthen the psoas, you can release habitual muscle-holding patterns, improve your low-back alignment, and create a more balanced and spacious posture.
This article originally appeared in the Spring 2011 issue of Yoga International.

Related Topics
sequences

 

[phloydius]

generally best for disc-related conditions

Not looking for medical advise. But,

When you say disc-related conditions: Are you including a couple of exploded discs, several bulged discs, and bad arthritis of the spine?

Thanks.

 

[artichoke]

May have to try this. Anyone use an inversion table? A friend swears by one and was thinking of trying. Ortho told me no damage other than wear & tear for age, just a lot of
inflamation...working on stretching routine.

For inflammation and strained muscles, try DMSO applied on the skin, lie face down for 15 minutes if you can stand it (it will tingle), then wash it off. Your breath will smell like garlic the next day. I've gotten my back happy again a couple times that way.

 

[Marseydoats]

May have to try this. Anyone use an inversion table? A friend swears by one and was thinking of trying. Ortho told me no damage other than wear & tear for age, just a lot of
inflamation...working on stretching routine.

I love my Teeter Hanger, but I can't use it anymore. Hanging upside down makes me feel like my eyeballs are going to explode. I even went to the ophthalmologist thinking it was glaucoma. All he did was tell me not to use it anymore. I had figured out that for myself. It did really help my back though.

 

[Sacajawea]

I wonder if that contraption is adjustable low enough for someone who has part of his spine stabilized in a steel cage?

 

[Peter]

For inflammation and strained muscles, try DMSO applied on the skin, lie face down for 15 minutes if you can stand it (it will tingle), then wash it off. Your breath will smell like garlic the next day. I've gotten my back happy again a couple times that way.

Thanks Artichoke! Have heard about this. Do you link link to brand you like?

 

[cyberiot]

Awright, ya sold me one. My back is very straight and stiff. But y'all knew that.

Today's price for the green model is $12.39.

 

[colonel holman]

Not looking for medical advise. But,

When you say disc-related conditions: Are you including a couple of exploded discs, several bulged discs, and bad arthritis of the spine?

Thanks.

Bulging or herniated discs tend to respond to lumbar extension stretches.

HOWEVER, relying on MRI to determine cause of low back pain is very problematic. Why? Becuase MRI’s can lie to you. Some will not like hearing that, ut it has become clear. Take 1000 adults with NO back pain and do an MRI on each of them. 65% will show herniated discs, bulging discs, spinal stenosis, and significant arthritis… but NO pain. Study been done over and over again.

So if you have low back pain and MRI shows these findings, you can NOT conclude these are the source of the pain. “Exploded” discs is a hysterical term used by docs to talk you into undergoing their surgery business. Similar to the line “you have the spine of an 80-year old”. These terms create “iatrogenic” back disability: disabilty caused by the doc scaring the crap out of you with fear-mongering terms.

Being told you have a terrible horrifying back problem usually makes that problem worse just from the fear, which activates several of the brain’s pain centers. Then the lack of activity and anxiety that goes with it creates lots of weakness and stiffness and hyeractive pain nerve systems. Yes, you have a real back problem, but those terms and the emotional changes that go with them can greatly magnify the pain and its accompanying disability.

We actually see pain levels drop when we educate the patient about these bad cycles (pain neuroscience education appoach). They are then more willing to move and do their exercises with less fear, leading to mechanical improvements. The body then adapts to herniated discs, just like those folks with no back pain but with significant herniations of multiple discs, but have no pain.

Discs have no pain receptors. Pain comes from disc leaning against other structures that are pain-sensitive. Disc material is 80% water and will shrink away from sensitive structures over time. In fact the larger massive herniations (sp called exploded discs) tend to re-absorb better over time than the smaller bulges.

The key is to restore movement at spine to encourage structures to be mobile enough to shift “out of the way” from the disc displacement, plus improve flexibility of outer muscles such as hamstrings and hip flexors (psoas) to reduce loding the spine with functional activities. The device in the OP tends to do that, shifting structures away from disc materials.

So chronic back pain is the product of a mechanical disruption that presses against pain-sensitive structures. 95% of these resolve on their own (may take up to a year). But many become chronic from changes in the brain brought on by fear, anxiety, catastrophizing (the doc says I am permanently screwed with “the spine of an 80 year old”, plus “once you hurt your back it will never be right again”), followed by inactivity (I must stop normal activity because it will kill my back). These brain changes are why they can kill off and burn out your nerves in your spine, yet despite that the pain comes right back. At that point the pain is no longer running from your spine to your brain; the pain is now running from your brain to your spine. The pain has become imprinted on your brain (which is identical to phantom pain in an amputee: the missing leg hurts like hell, but it is gone).

All of this leaves a spine that is mechanically unable to tolerate simple activity because it is so weak and stiff and hypersensitive.

Much of this made much worse by invasive surgeries.

I am back pain specialist with 40 yr experience at this.

 

[colonel holman]

I love my Teeter Hanger, but I can't use it anymore. Hanging upside down makes me feel like my eyeballs are going to explode. I even went to the ophthalmologist thinking it was glaucoma. All he did was tell me not to use it anymore. I had figured out that for myself. It did really help my back though.

Glaucoma is a risk factor with the inversion traction (teeter). I advise inversion traction often… but I tell my patients to tilt back no more than 45 degrees, not totally upside-down. And stay there no kore than 5 minutes. Fully inverted may increase eye pressure too much and may also create too much traction, causing irritation to sensitive spinal tissues. Subtle low-dose is safer and often more effective

 

[colonel holman]

I do press ups, sort of like push ups but your hips dont leave the floor. They really help with back pain.

THIS is the key to disc herniations-bulging. The McKenzie extension stretch. But must be selected appropriately, for those who have increased symptoms with forward-bending and reduced symptoms with backward bending (tested in standing). great for discs but can worsen spinal stenosis symptoms. One of the best approaches to disc issues

 

[colonel holman]

A stretch a friend taught me that works well. Lay on the floor and put your feet in a chair. 90 degree bends at hips and knees. It works. Now getting back up off the floor can be fun... but it works.

tends to be very effective with a recent acute strain, as this places spine tissues on a relaxed state, nothing pulling on anything sensitive. add small towel roll under lower back to maintain a slight swayback position further eases strain on discs

 

[colonel holman]

my ebook on all this…

https://hebertphysicaltherapy.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/low-back.pdf

 

[LittleYellowFlower]

Adaptable to high-speed trick sex?

Or just injuries from a bad dismount?

Does this require that oiled Kevlar suit that was mentioned last night?!? ROFL


Thanks for sharing, @tm1439m! Ordered one! I still have a little L pain, some T pain and a good bit of C pain from an old injury where I let herniated disks “heal” rather than surgery. I think arthritis must have set up in the old herniations. My posture is a little off due to the pain and I don’t want to get older and it get worse. Heck I’m not even half a century…not just yet anyway. Lol

Anyone think it may also help sciatic impingements?

 

[artichoke]

Thanks Artichoke! Have heard about this. Do you link link to brand you like?

I still have the one I bought 20 years ago. It's a gel in a plastic container, 99.9% pure laboratory solvent, says in clear letters "not fit for human use", mine is distributed by FWI, Tulsa Oklahoma which may just be because I happened to live in Tulsa so maybe I went to an ag store there to get it.

 

[Sportsman]

May have to try this. Anyone use an inversion table? A friend swears by one and was thinking of trying. Ortho told me no damage other than wear & tear for age, just a lot of
inflamation...working on stretching routine.

I'm been using an inversion table for 20 years or so. It keeps me standing upright without pain. Used to be a steady chiropractor patient after the ortho said I'd need surgery to fix disc problems (I refused). With taiji and an inversion table, I totally dismissed the chiropractor. Some people it helps, some it doesn't. I use it about ten to fifteen minutes before bedtime whenever I'm in pain or have had a long day standing.

 

[Peter]

I'm been using an inversion table for 20 years or so. It keeps me standing upright without pain. Used to be a steady chiropractor patient after the ortho said I'd need surgery to fix disc problems (I refused). With taiji and an inversion table, I totally dismissed the chiropractor. Some people it helps, some it doesn't. I use it about ten to fifteen minutes before bedtime whenever I'm in pain or have had a long day standing.

Thanks Sportsmam!

 

[ioujc]

THANK YOU COLONEL HOLMAN!!!

You have said MORE in the few minutes you have given us than the doctors I have been to for over 25 years!!

I did learn a GREAT deal from the Physical Therapist I was going to, but had to stop because I injured (rather badly) my ACL. It is to the point the fibula is sub-luxing and wobbling. I have actually gotten it to improve significantly but am not sure what is going to happen>>>>I am scheduled for an MRI, but I really hesitate on surgery.

In addition to spinal stenosis and three discs that are herniated>>>>I also have an essentially straight spine, with rather severe lorodosis on the last several vertebra. One doctor told me that it looked like I should have actually have a tail!!

However, I have refused surgery because about 20 years ago a doc told me this:
"Don't ever let anyone do surgery on your back. I am retiring at the end of today and I can tell you this now; back surgery essentially does not work, and with your back, all they will do is really mess it up. It will not help it will only make it worse."

As a result, I have tried to do everything to keep my back in shape. However now, my spine is starting to deteriorate and I KNOW that surgery t this point probably would not work, simply because I am in my late 60's and since the bones are already deteriorating, they probably would not heal well either.....instead I do as much as I am able as far as cycling, keeping my arms strong and my weight down as much as possible.

I think I will try several of these items listed here>>>>>being VERY CAREFUL >>>>>in order to relieve the pain and keep my back as flexible as possible.

I am babbling at this point, but I wanted to thank you especially Colonel Holman and also all who have contributed ideas and things they have found that worked>>>>THANK YOU ALL!

 

[Sammy55]

Thanks, all, for your comments and information! My dh and I both have back pain. I have arthritis and sciatica pain, too. I ordered two of these stretchers (two different kinds) from Amazon. One comes with a massager tool for the bottom of your feet. We're going to give them a try and see if they help!

 

[phloydius]

I am back pain specialist with 40 yr experience at this.

I can't thank you enough for the information.