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| I'll try to make this brief.
I've had an injured lower back for about 10 years. it started as a skateboarding injury, and has just never gotten better, as I am very active, and stubborn. I am a sculptor by career, and often work side jobs requiring heavy lifting. I also ride my bike about 40 miles a day, but not for the last few months due to back problems. i should add that I spend a lot of time in front of a computer as well.
for the last year, my back has been so bad that something so simple as reaching for a doorknob will sometimes cause my back to pinch, causing me to collapse uncontrollably to my knees. I often walk through my day half bent over because I simply can't stand up the rest of the way. I am 30, and in a few years I will be walking with a cane or worse.
I've tried going to a chiropractor, but it only makes things worse. three different chirpractors have had the same results: they are far too aggressive, and my back far too sensitive. I have begun going to a Network Spinal Analyst and it seems to be helping some. at the least, it doesn't make it worse.
I was going to a really great ashtanga class, but it was far too much for my back and my wallet. someone gave me rodney yee power yoga dvd, but it was too much for my back as well. I got Rodney Yee's injured back yoga DVD, but I can't do it. I can't sit crosslegged at all, and much of the first part of the dvd is crosslegged.
Does anyone have any suggestions? any simple poses to start with that would help me work up to ANYTHING?
oh, and I am particularly interested if anyone has any ideas for sleeping. i'm currently sleeping on a futon mattress on the floor and it's killing me, but soft beds make it worse. I almost feel like i need to sleep on the floor.
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| Quite a predicament.
If you are asking about yoga support for your body to heal the back issue then I'd recommend a highly trained therapeutic yoga teacher. I haven't any idea where you are located so I can't steer you specifically. If you give me your general geographic location I'll see what I can do.
I'm often reminded, in these sorts of situations, of something Einstein said:
No problem can be solved with the same consciousness that created it
If we embrace that then we understand that some radical shifts need to occur in the scenario you describe.
If the load on the lower back continues (lifting heavy weights, sitting for extended hours in a chair at the computer, and 280 miles of cycling per week) there's no logical reason to think the results would be any different than they are now. It's simple cause and effect, we make choices and they come with consequences. Different choices, different consequences.
The second element is looking at diet and lifestyle. Both have to be meticulous in nature and supportive to the immune system.
You may be correct in asserting that lying on the floor would be good for you - or a very firm mattress with a board under it. There are other positional changes for sleeping that might help as well.
The third element is finding the right teacher, booking several sessions, and developing a protocol of asana and pranayama that will also support your immune system (and thus your healing).
While not insurmountable, this sort of thing is a big deal and needs to be seriously addressed if it is to heal and not recur.
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| Yes, that is what I am asking. I need to do whatever I can do to fix this, I really can't take it anymore.
I live in Kansas City, MO. I'm already not cycling. my NSA person told me to stand at the computer, so i've been trying that. I'm also trying to come up with ideas for smaller work, so I don't have to lift so much.
my diet is probably part of the problem. right now (i can hear the flack now) I smoke about a pack a day, and really am having trouble quitting. I eat fairly healthy (15 yr vegetarian), lots of grains and greens and fruit, but i also drink a lot of coffee. I'm fairly sure that the combo of stimulants with my high stress career has a lot to do with it. I have been slowly transitioning to mate', which at the least doesn't make me feel so amped. I am very curious what specific diet would help healing my back, and have been trying to research it, to no avail.
I completely agree with the einstein consciousness quote. i feel that is likely my biggest problem. i used to meditate fairly frequently, but have let go of it. trying to find a style of meditation that works for me, formerly did sant mat (surat shabd yoga), but have issues with the new guru that are inhibitive. tried zen meditation, but I feel I need to learn it from someone that knows, as reading about it leaves me confused as to what the practice is exactly.
thanks so much for your advice. |
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| My teacher periodically does a workshop at The Yoga School of Therapeutics in Overland Park. Perhaps start taking some classes there. Granted, you've missed him but perhaps the studio is sound enough to get some foundations for your forward progress.
There is no question that carcinogens will interfere with effective function of the immune system. No flack, just simple stuff. Coffee is a diuretic and, at very least, leaches the necessary minerals from your blood stream. I'd advise taking Calli tea from Sunrider. Though there may be other things for cleansing toxins this one I can vouch for.
I could be very specific on the diet but it would be relatively pointless without a significant effort/commitment to eliminate caffeine and tobacco (not to mention alcohol). But we all have to start somewhere. |
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| thanks. Yes, I know, it is sort of pointless until I can quit smoking. I don't drink alcohol at all, so that's not an issue. Thanks so much
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| What I've done for sleeping is this: extra firm mattress and I use a body pillow on either side of myself. When I sleep on my right side, I position my entire left leg along top of the body pillow. My left arm is resting on the pillow as well with my lower arm and hand not higher than my shoulder. I keep my neck bolstered as well.
I prefer back sleeping. When I roll to my left, I do the same positioning with the body pillow as I described with my right. For me, if my foot drops lower than my leg, I develop shin pain.
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| I was once at a point I could do no exercise at all (no Martial Arts, no Yoga, no bike riding) due to a back injury that put me in the hospital. I was an impatient auto mechanic and instead of refusing to pull the engine since the hoist was broken I pulled a 4 cylinder engine by hand.
Acupuncture worked for me but you must find a qualified acupuncturist. Over the years I have been to 2 the first was a graduate of the New England School of Acupuncture and the second (who was better but I may be bias here since she is now my wife) was a graduate of Beijing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. If you want to pursue this look to the NCCAOM website for practitioners in your area.
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| @ purnayoga You're replies are always informative. |
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| I am a Pilates instructor and a Yoga teacher.
It does not matter how the injury occurred, and without seeing you it would be very difficult to tell, but mostly back pain is because muscles are either too weak or too tight. I know it sounds simple, but bear with me.
I have trained a lot of students with back pain who are vegetarian - sorry. Muscles are made of protein, and if you are not getting enough protein, your muscles will remain weak. Some of my students literally do not have the muscle strength to hold themselves up! Being a good vegetarian is not easy. So, I would first go and see someone who could advise on a high protein vegetarian diet.
Secondly, when the muscles close to the spine (core muscles) get injured, they set off faulty movement patterns by turning the wrong muscles on and the right muscles off. This can lead, strangely enough to the muscles that hold you up being turned off in an attempt by you brain to minimize the pain.
I would highly recommend you see a Pilates specialist, who can train you to "turn you core muscles back on".
I certainly don't want to disrespect highly qualified yoga therapists, but after completing two recognized yoga teacher training's, I know the level of anatomy training given, and the level is much higher in a Pilates training. So, if a class is all you can afford I would advise a small Pilates class.
As I said, I cannot see you, so I could be wrong, but at least half the people suffering from back pain will not benefit from being made more mobile (traditional yoga), conversely, they need to be stabilized, from their deepest muscle outwards.
I hope this helps. |
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| Hey yoga is the best option if you are facing backpain problem. Go through it under good trainer. |
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New User
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| I broke my shoulder falling off a bicycle 10 years ago, but it disturbs my all the time I hope yoga will help my |
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LONG LONG LONG time back injury
