Backpain Hotline (Free)

Hey Guys, Saw this on Medicinet. Thought it might be useful to some. Looks like a lmited one-day offer: http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=79384 Hope this Helps, Dave

hey Dave, you know, my doc said the two biggest complaints he gets are patients with bad backs and always being tired. it's our lifestyle isn't it? I think i've made improvement in my back by doing a variety of different ab exercises. Of course I still have my pain but after a good fall and winter of working out I have to say building my core has helped. when i first went to physical therapy this is what they focused on. getting my core stronger. i do abs in between each set instead of all at once. my back just can't handle a 20 minute gut session but i still say it's been a big help for me. also, i started using the lidoderm patches months ago. i use them only when i work and they work for 12 hours then you pull them off. they're very expensive but they work. i think this hotline will be a good source for people to get their act together. however, folks like myself with disc problems will not benefit from anything other than drastic measures. we don't need to go there again huh? i would like to hear from others on this board who take up this offer and see what they have to say. I would do it myself but i've been to so many docs i already know the answer to my problems. I'll play armchair doc here for a minute. i think the smart move is to always move around, don't plant yourself in that chair or couch all the time, get a stretching dvd and do some walking and ab work. I bet that alone would be a great help to most people with back pain. just my two cents......Carbonblob

Hi CB, Sorry I'm late getting back to you. When I listen to my father's life as a kid it sounds like he worked harder and longer, but I think the boomers probably work longer hours *voluntarily* either in the form of extra hours at work, or with active pasttimes like working out. Then, you've got the extra body weight we put on (more than any previous generation, I'd say) - that means a bigger burden on the body. We also had more choices. Drugs in our face, the sexual revolution...things that provide a lot of short time fun, but that can provide a lot of debilitating stress. Lipoderm? I have two sisters that have had disk problems since their 30's. I'll have to see if they are using the patches. You're right about sitting or laying around too much. That makes me stiffer than any activity could. Light stretching *designed for* whatever ailment people might have would be a big improvement over stillness for too long. People still need to be careful I'm sure because injuries do come from over extrending stretching or yoga. Wonder how the hip flexor muscles tie in to back pain? Looks like they connect directly to the spine, so too much of a pull on those might exacerbate back pain. Maybe crunches, which tend isolate the abs and not use those hip flexors? It really is hard to tell what is myth and what is fact when it comes to ab work and back problems, isn't it? Right now, I'm having difficulty because of the shape of my body. My shoulders are one foot bigger than my waist, so naturally, more than half of my body weight rests on my shoulder and elbows and I'm getting intermittent tendinitis in one elbow. I've got a strap on that forearm and it seems to be helping. Wishing I could take more apririn than the one baby tab per day. Just a Stream. Always good to hear from you, Dave

hey Dave, just a thought on your elbow. i use wrist wraps and i also strap my one elbow. it's the tricep exercises that toast my elbows. so i'm very careful now about what type of exercise i do for tricep and i warm them up big time. the wrap is a huge help though so keep up with that. you might have to lay off the tricep workouts and heal up. that was the only way i could get the pain to leave. i really stopped for 3 months to heal and then came back but doing it smart this time. i would rethink close grip presses or skull crushers. i think the tighter you put your elbows together and the fuller the exstension with overhead pressing, the greater the possibility for injury. in case you're wondering i do weighted dips, v bar pulldowns, seated rope extensions and alternate overhead dumbell raises (very carefully because this is the elbow killer). i never lock out my elbows either and like i said, the overhead work is done by lifting the weight in position with two hands and then i support my elbow with the opposite hand and then start my reps. i think the not locking out has helped me the most. good luck.......Carbonblob