Diet/Exercise/Health/Wellness Support Thread

Parent Cafe
49681

It’s hard to be a guide. We had a famous blind runner who came to Dallas a few times a year to run, race and speak. Some of my friends guided him. One woman lost focus for a minute and walked him right into a pole!

10K done. It was a small race sponsored by our church to benefit a worthwhile organization and ai got roped into it. The course is very hilly and hard, and I was afraid I might be totally by myself out there. It turned out that there were just enough people that I had someone near me most of the race. It felt very hard to me but I made it. 1:00:52 and won my age group. My splits were very even, even with having to stop for a few seconds in mile 6 for an emergency vehicle coming down the cross street. It felt horrible. My prize was a lame certificate. I’m not complaining- more money for the cause- but it’s pretty worthless.

49682

One hour yoga then 1/2 hour walk/run intervals on the treadmill.

Had some books to return at the library so I decided to walk (2 mile round trip). Weather is cool , overcast and sprinkling a little, so not great, but it felt good to be outside and moving!

49683

MOfWC, consider it a long(er) weekend run. Good job!
We are slowly making our way home after Mr.'s business trips. Our room here is on the 14th floor. Guess how we are getting there? Taking the elevator to the second floor where the fire escape door is accessible from the hallway, then climbing the stairs! I feel cheated though because there is no 13th floor!

49684

Forgot to check in yesterday. Did my “usual” (for this week, anyway) 45 minutes on the Arc and 2+ miles walking. Then lots of walking around Costco – although steps don’t seem to register well when you’re holding onto the shopping cart handle. Only sampled the healthy stuff at Costco.

Looks like the snowstorm will mostly miss us, which is fine with me.

49685

6 miles with the RoadRunners today. I felt quivery the first 3 miles, then fine the next 3. It feels good to drop back in mileage for a while.

49686

I would like some advice from all the exercise experts here.

I wrote about my back problem (actually only on my left side) a few months ago, went to physical therapy for a couple of months which ended last November, been doing the stretching exercise prescribed by PT twice a day, also strengthening exercise every other day. Still have nagging pain 24/7, sitting is a problem, sleeping is not that much better. During the day, I tend to stretch a lot more than the 2 times a day, because after I sit for a bit, it hurts more, stretching seems to reduce the pain somewhat. I try not to have to rely on pain killers and pain patches.

I also have joined some exercise programs at the senior center (55 and over) a month and a half ago, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, chair yoga, chair strengthening and tone and tai chi, low intensity programs, also just started a gentle yoga class.

I don’t want to over exercise and end up hurting myself more, I am the kind who is prone to injury the moment I try to do something. After thirty some years of sitting at a desk job without any real exercise, now I am paying the price.

So, is stretching every day ok to do? Also, can I do the gentle yoga poses (mainly to strengthen back and hip) everyday? or should I do it every other day?

What other activities can I do to help ease the lower back pain?

Thanks.

49687

I’m not a huge believer in stretching - especially if you don’t know exactly what the issue is. I can’t remember if you have a definitive diagnosis or not. Would epidural steroid injections help?

49688

Walking is apparently a good exercise to alleviate back pain.

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/back-pain-walking_n_2838560.html

If PT exercises do not do anything for you, you need to go back to your doc and get a referral to a spine specialist. You might need an epidural as MOfWC said or you might have some other issues. Suffering from pain for so long is not good.

49689

The fact that you continue to experience pain after 2 months of PT raises a number of questions. First, did you ever get a definitive evaluation of what was causing your pain. Lower back pain can be caused by postural issues, muscle weakness, muscle tightness, muscle function compensations, mechanical or structural issues involving your pelvis, hips or lumbar spine or disk impingement etc. Were you discharged from PT have reached maximum improvement, were you still experiencing pain at that point?

As a general rule, a program of core strengthening and flexibility ( core = abs, glutes, hamstrings, hip flexors, erectus spinae low back muscles) will enable you to maintain a neutral pelvis which very often will reduce or eliminate low back pain. But without a professional evaluation, you don’t know whether your problems come from excessive anterior tilting of your pelvis, posterior tilting, pelvic rotation and therefore can’t identify which core muscles should be strengthened, which ones worked for flexibility. Or it may be that your pain is caused by something exercise alone can’t correct. That being said, doing stretching and gentle Yoga poses each day is not in of itself an inappropriate frequency. The problem is knowing what combinations of strengthening and flexibility exercises is appropriate to meet your individual needs.

49690

^ I hate it when my IPad autocorrect “corrects” things so as to create spelling and grammatical errors. I would much rather be directly responsible for my own!

49691

Thank you all for your comments and suggestions.

When I first went to my primary doctor about my lower back pain, she sent me to PT, I did not have any other diagnosis, no xray, no referral to a specialist. The pain was more in the middle of my left buttock, and I thought maybe I messed up my back for doing fast walk on the treadmill for months, maybe bad posture on the treadmill. After the 2 months of PT, the pain decreased somewhat but moved up higher near the waistline, PT said it was a good sign that it moved up, and I was done there.

I was taking prescription ibuprofen a lot, but it did not work any more, the pain patch works a little better. I used them when I was really miserable.

I have been with this doctor for about 3 years, my previous long time doctor (over 25 years) had moved out of state. This new doctor is fairly pleasant, but I think she is tired of me going back. Unfortunately in the last year and a half I have had multiple medical situations that required me to see her, stomach problem (did end up treated by a gastroenterologist), then bad frozen shoulder, then lower back pain, and lastly vertigo. So maybe the doctor thinks I am a hypochondria. She has been very reluctant to give referrals.

I finally broke down to go see her a couple of days ago, I showed her where the pain still is, and asked if it could be some other problems. She said it is the back and I need to keep exercising. I asked if I should have an x-ray or other diagnostic testing, she replied that it is arthritis, one can’t do much about it except pain med and exercise.

I really don’t want to be whiner and complainer. My H tells me to switch doctor, I am not sure what to do as yet. I am frustrated because like @MichaelNKat said, I don’t know exactly what is WRONG, what caused the long term pain.

49692

That’s ridiculous. They have no idea what is wrong with you! It could be that your SI joint is rotated out of position. You need an MRI probably or at least a good sports orthopedist.

49693

Whatever you decide to do and can do (walking, yoga, whatever), if it requires shoes, make the investment of GOOD shoes for the activity. If you are going to start a walking program go to an athletic shoe shop (see if there is a local running store in your area - they can aptly help you pick out running shoes) and let them look at your feet, your gait, etc. - a first pair will cost some $$$ but truly, your feet, legs and back will thank you!

49694

That is ridiculous. If after 2 months of PT you still had pain but were discharged from PT because you were not achieving more progress, your doc should have ordered images, preferably an MRI. I would insist on an MRI and if your doc won’t order it, go to another doc, maybe an orthopedic back specialist. It may all be muscle related but you won’t know with out the imaging.

49695

You need to see a spine specialist! Without X-ray and/or MRI, it is impossible to say what is wrong. It could be a skeletal issue or a disc issue or both. The herniated disc is not going to be picked up by X-ray, BTW.

49696

This morning’s Half Marathon went OK. It was a more hilly course than I am used to but it wasn’t too bad. I did well in the beginning, but the last few miles were pretty hard. I’m happy with my finish time (off a PR by 40 seconds) because of the hills. But I am really wondering how I will possibly be able to run a full marathon in 4 weeks given how wiped out I was at the end of this half marathon. On the positive side, I didn’t have the leg pain that I had earlier in the week so that is a big relief. Also on the positive side, we had many Back on My Feet participants who did well. Most ran the quarter marathon, a few ran the half marathon. Including one guy who is blazing fast - this was his first half. He hurt his calf muscle halfway through, had to make an emergency bathroom stop mid-race (he was so desperate that he asked a family who was out cheering runners along the course in their neighborhood if he could use their bathroom - it was so nice of them to just let him in their house!), and he still finished in 1:48 - quite an accomplishment for a guy who just started running in January!

Hopeful820 - I’m with your husband, it is time for a new doctor. To not even consider additional testing after months of pain is unacceptable!

MOWC - congrats on the age group win!

49697

C3Baker, tapering is pure magic! I think you will do fine in your full. :slight_smile:

The bathroom story… Awww… So nice of the family!!! I wish I could post a link to my kid’s hilarious blog post about running a half and looking for a Honey Bucket en route to the finish line - without any training, in Central Asia, a week after a whirlwind tour of grad schools in the US!

49698

@BunsenBurner, I know likely a MRI maybe more appropriate, but I need the primary care physician to give me a referral to see a specialist who then will order whatever imaging necessary. Right now, all I was told is arthritis.

When I had the frozen shoulder, same doctor told me to just do exercise myself when I first went to see her, but I begged for PT, but after 2 months of PT, not much progress, then she finally sent me to a specialist, who ordered both xray and MRI (which is expensive and insurance tend to scrutinize it more), it ruled out any tear, orthopedic doctor also recommended a cortisone shot, omg, what a difference that made, pain was much controlled and I was sent for another 2 months of PT and could bear the manipulation.

I will call her office back next Monday and ask for a referral to the orthopedic group, who maybe better equipped to do the proper diagnosis. But I am afraid my doctor would think that I did not respect her diagnosis and try to be a doctor myself. And she may not give me the referral, I hope not.

49699

Just tell her you are still in pain and want to explore options. Also- there is a lot of levels of PT. some PTs are excellent diagnosticians and also do manual PT where they can put a SI joint back in place and rally work with you on stabilizing it. It’s frustrating how hard it can be to find the right medical practitioners.

49700

Good job, C3B. You will be fine for the marathon. Like Bunsen said, tapering is a miracle. In every race you feel like you can’t go another step! Glad the guy found a bathroom! I wound up under someone’s wooden porch one Boston Marathon years ago!