Overworked in the gym

now got a bad back. Ouch!

[Syzygy]

A couple of months ago I decided to change my exercise regime and move from the pool to the gym - I'd lost a bit of enthusiasm for swimming. With a fitness instructor a programme was worked out and I was really enjoying it. So much so that I got somewhat carried away and started doing as much as five days a week, occasionally even doing twice a day.

Then, I started to feel a bit of strain in my lower back. Then it got a bit worse. A few days rest and the aches were nearly gone, but not quite.

About a week later and it's the company's annual golf day. I couldn't not go...

I managed 14 holes, with at least three or four of those being played in considerable discomfort. Still, the 19th hole helped loosen things up quite a bit. The next day, well, it took me 20 minutes to get out of bed. Movement was so difficult, and when I did, the pain!

Being a company day out - and midweek - not showing up in the office the following day is very bad form. So I went to work - in agony.

Finally acknowledging that this pain was real and considerably more than I've ever experienced before, I went to see the doctor. Doctor prescribes pain killers, anti-inflammatories and diazepam. Wow, they certainly worked, but all I wanted to do was sleep and in waking up in the mornings I just felt so tired. After a few days I ditched the NSAIDs and diazepam.

Some three weeks later and lower back and hip pain seems to be a fact of life and is especially noticeable first thing in the morning.

A physio has given me a series of pelvic exercises to follow for a couple of months in order to strengthen lower back muscles and improve the bad posture gained from so many years slouched over a desk.

Whilst such aches and pains are not life threatening and are also pretty commonplace, it's all getting so wearying.

I know, it sounds like a whinge. Well, I guess it is just an opportunity to whinge, but I'm presuming others here have been in similar situations and a bit of advice/experience sharing wouldn't go amiss.

Syzygy

[Milamber]

Have you tried going to a chriopractor and seeing if they can do anything to relive the pain in your back? I know I always feel better after going to mine.

[Syzygy]

Hmm, it is the obvious thing to do, but the chiropractor/osteopath route is paved with opposing opinions; those who can vouch for the benefits, and those who felt none - and invariably came away worse longer term. Well, it certainly is from my limited experience - which makes me a little wary.

Syzygy

[steve]

I also did my lower back at the gym. After an xray to confirm there was no structual damage, my doctor precribed 3 months of painkillers and NSAIDs and said it would eventually get better.

After a week of little improvement, I looked up the side effects of the tablets, and stopped taking them immediately!

So I went to a sports phsiotherapist who gave me some exercises to improve my posture and suggested I try pilates.

Within a few weeks I the pain had gone. Pilates strenghtens the core muscles which support the spine, protecting it and improving your posture.

There's only one real downside to it - you end up looking walking very upright with your shoulders back and head up. My wife says I look like a terminator, because gangs of kids get out the way when they see me coming down the street!

[bghtn]

Read the book "treat your own back" by Robin Mckenzie and see if your doc can find you a therapist trained in the Mckenzie technique. If you can't find one..read the book and you will understand where the pain is coming from, what triggers it, and how you can prevent it or treat it once it is there. I can't speak highly enough about this technique. I have tried chiropractic, massage, exercises, devices..you name it. I have narrowed the number of exercises I do in the gym but still manage 3 days in the gym and 3 days mountain biking per week all because of the knowledge gained from the Mckenzie technique.