A Conversation with a Facebook and YouTube Subscriber

asks

How Do I Reclaim My Life After Back Surgery

NOTE: Before I do anything, I want to apologize for my recent neglect when it comes to this blog. A funny thing happened on my way to building this blog…I got my life back!

In the process of regaining my strength and control of my life, I stopped doing some of the things I was advocating, the things that worked for me and for so many others.

Please understand, my advice has always been anecdotal and provided solely to help others, and my neck pain, back pain, and sciatica didn’t completely disappear, but my pain was significantly reduced and I was able to start rebuilding my life.

How great is that?! 

Why am I even mentioning this?

Because I feel responsible and because of all the Christmas (Happy Holidays) emails I sent out to the subscribers of my various blogs and websites? I had the biggest reaction from my back pain blog subscribers.

I have three back pain blogs, all dedicated to helping others overcome their acute and/or chronic neck pain, back pain, and/or sciatica and reclaim their lives.

I honestly love making the videos, writing the articles and blog posts, and providing insight into how I achieved real and lasting pain relief.

I love it!

I just got away from it for a time.

So, the reaction I’m talking about, the one that came from those I tried to help?

It was entirely negative!

I sent out over 500 Christmas eCards/emails to my neck pain, back pain, and sciatica blog subscribers; and, I had the highest open rate I have ever had. I also had the highest unsubscribe numbers to date…all from my back pain websites!

Not one unsubscribe from any of the hundreds of subscribers at any of the other websites or blogs…not one!

I got the message!

I let you down and I am so very sorry! You were in pain and I apparently let some of you down!

My labor of love somehow let several people down to the point that they not only unsubscribed…they complained about spam!

They complained that a Christmas card, a Happy Holidays greeting, constituted spam!

Now understand this:

• They subscribed
• They went through a double opt-in system, confirming not once but twice
• They received a Holiday Greeting not a sales solicitation
• They unsubscribed (OK, I get it)
• And then, they complained!

That’s a message!

So, once again, I apologize!

I will do all I can to provide useful information on a regular basis. If I find I cannot? I will either take the blog down or sell it and donate the money to Providence House, a childrens’ shelter in Cleveland, Ohio. Providence House, and one other shelter for domestic violence, have received every penny generated from the sales of ebooks and ecourses specifically designed to help my readers, subscribers, and social media friends with their neck pain, back pain, and sciatica.

OK?

Now, on with an exchange that grew into something I thought might help others. This sort of thing happens quite often, either on Facebook, YouTube (where we have had almost 250,000 video views in less than 3 years), or here at Ultimate Bad Back Strategies.

I’d love to hear from you about what happened over Christmas or any insights into the conversation below.

Why?

Because you are important to me!

You see, I did all this to help. Somehow it backfired. Lesson learned, point taken.

I wish every one of you the best each and every day!

I also hope each one of you finds relief from whatever kind of pain you are suffering from:

• Neck Pain
• Back Pain
• Sciatica
• Fibromyalgia
• Depression as a consequence of chronic pain
• Failed Back Surgery Syndrome
• Or any of the other conditions I’ve attempted to cover here

Happy Holidays and the Happiest New Year!

John

The Facebook Exchange

Anita - FB/YT Friend: Hi John I was watching you tube. Are you the gentlemen who had back surgery?

Professor John P. J. Zajaros, Sr: Yup! All 14 times! Hurts just thinking about it.

Anita - FB/YT Friend: I just had tlif 6 months ago. Cage l5 s1. I fell off ladder at work totally rupturing the disc. L5 resting on S1. So disc replacement, rods n the screws. Every day is agony. Just wondering if you are better and what helped. In physical therapy now and it’s hell!

Professor John P. J. Zajaros, Sr: Use ice as often as possible! Heat with the metal will create more inflammation…and thus more pain.

Invest in a solid straight-back rocker and a recliner with an electric control. Invest in 1 or 2 great pillows.

When you can’t sleep or are in too much pain to move, put an ice wrap on your lower back, sit in the recliner, elevate the foot rest, have 1 or two pillows placed under the knees, and recline until comfortable. Put on a good movie, one you know and can follow with your eyes closed or a good audiobook or some peaceful, soothing music.

Then drift off!

It will help with the pain, a lot. Get off the narcotics immediately!

Narcotics will cause rebound pain and you will end up dependent and in pain. A terrible scenario!

Get active! Walk as far as you can each day. Try to walk a little farther on each walk. You will be in more pain if you are inactive, so get active and don’t stop!

Walk to the end of the driveway if that’s all you can do…but start right away.

There are 5 factors that contribute to back pain. You can find them at http://UltimateBadBackStrategies.com/

Good luck Anita! Let me know if I can help in any way!

Anita - FB/YT Friend: I am still taking 3 Percocet Aday. Do you take anything else instead. I live by ice. It freezes my brain lol. I don’t use heat. I had a bad bout of inflammation month 3. I guess the active part is what I really need to work on. I do walk but not far. I am sure my weight don’t help. Many nights I can’t sleep. We had just bought a new sofa and chair right before injury. So I Need to look at that. I just came across your videos and something told me I really needed to reach out to you. Physical therapy had me squatting lifting 40lbs before I even could just do squats. That set me back That happened 3 weeks ago.

So how are you doing now? How long has it been?

Anita - FB/YT Friend: John I pulled up sight but on fb I can’t get but part. I will try to google it. If still can’t maybe I can have you email it. XXXXXXXX@gmail.com

Professor John P. J. Zajaros, Sr: I almost lost my life to osteomyelitis, a staph infection introduced along with the plates, screws, etc. Over the years, I have had 15 major surgeries, 14 on my spine, a total shoulder reconstruction, and a broken neck.

The worst thing was the pain. It wasn’t until I got off the pain meds and started doing a little more each & every day that my life started to turn around.

I not only have the experience as a patient, I have the education as a physical anthropologist. So, while not a medical doctor, I understand the spine and SI joint as well as anyone alive.

The more active you get, the more weight you will drop and the stronger your muscles will become. Deal with the muscle strength, the activity level, and the meds and you will do well. Be careful with PT. They often have no idea what they are doing, particularly when it comes to spine surgery and chronically acute pain.

Great about the ice!

When sleeping, I sleep on my side with a decent pillow between my legs, one at my belly (to keep me from rolling onto my stomach), and one or two under my head. The idea is to keep your spine straight from the cervical region to the sacrum. If someone looked at you while you’re resting on your side, they could draw a straight line. That’s how your spine should line up! It will help with sleep too.

Here are the first steps I took:

• Buy comfortable shoes
• Use ice often
• Walk a bit farther each day
• Integrate a stretching program (twice daily – morning and bedtime)
• Buy a comfortable chair and follow the instructions I gave you
• Count your steps (plan your days to provide for special activities late in the day and to reduce pain)
• Get a Handicap card or sticker for your car (1 fall on the ice will undo everything – and it helps with counting steps)

By counting steps I mean, you only have so much energy and pain tolerance on any one day, particularly when starting out post-op. So, make sure you have enough in reserve to make it through the entire day!

That should do it. At least it will help!

BTW, don’t swim!

Everyone wants to get you into the pool. People think swimming is the be-all to end-all! It’s not true. If you want to get in the water, fine. Just make sure you walk in the water. Do not swim!

Eventually, you will be able to do more:

• Swim
• Ride a bike (recumbent)
• Go for long walks
• And much more

However, when you begin remember to count your steps and to use baby steps!

Best wishes to you in the new year. Contact me anytime and take care Anita!

John

Postscript from Professor John P. J. Zajaros, Sr: Would you mind if I use our conversation on my blog? I will of course change your name if you want me to but I think it will help a lot of people!

Anita - FB/YT Friend: No don’t mind. For now you can just change or use last name. Icing  Lol

Don’t understand the blog thing.

Professor John P. J. Zajaros, Sr: NO worries! Thank you!

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• 

Look Ma, No Back Pain…and an Apology!

First and foremost, I would like to apologize for my absence over the last couple of weeks or so! I have been out and about, rebuilding and living my life for the first time in decades!

The title pretty much says it all, I have had an amazing holiday season and a wonderful neck pain, back pain, and sciatica free New Year…the first in decades!

Ultimate Bad Back Strategies and The Bad Back Guy were created over a year ago in order to tell my story, to share my knowledge, and to inspire others to take the first step towards a neck pain, back pain, and sciatica free life, as I have. It was my hope that in helping all of you, I would also put myself on the spot…and it worked!

The journey I started over a year ago, a journey towards a life free of neck pain, back pain, and/or sciatica has been incredible!

The benefits I have received have been nothing short of miraculous!

My life from 1997 through most of 2008 was consumed by chronic and acute neck pain, back pain, and sciatica. My life long battle with neck, back, and sciatic nerve pain started in 1971!

In fact, by the year 1999 I spent all day, every day in a recliner we bought because it met my needs as someone who would live the rest of his life in it, 24/7. It was even electric because my legs were too weak to push down the leg/foot rest. I was about as close to an invalid as you can get, my wife afraid to leave me to go to work because I often passed out on the way to the bathroom, a combination of pain and blood pressure issues. I was also a type II insulin dependent diabetic, taking insulin 4 times a day and checking my blood sugar at least 5 times a day.

I had two diseases attacking my body simultaneously and both, separately and in concert, were quite possibly going to end my life!

In other words, I was a wreck!

I had thrown in the towel and felt doomed to a result heading towards me like a Mack Truck!

On top of it all, I was on massive amounts of prescription pain medication, enough to kill a large horse I was told repeatedly, medication that had eliminated my ability to concentrate, to read (one of my true loves), to learn, and to enjoy even the simplest pleasures of life (and we all know what that means!).

I was a Zombie!

Then “It” happened! I really can’t tell you what “It” is or was, other than to tell you one day everything changed!

I guess I got sick and tired of being sick and tired.

It was about that time I talked to a friend of mine who had discovered a product online that had put him on the road to a back pain free life. Granted, his problems weren’t as complex as mine, and he wasn’t fighting the diseases I was, but I thought to myself:

“If he can do it, maybe I can too!”

So, I borrowed it and quietly started applying the principles, along with the things I already knew about physical training and age-progressive phenomena that affect the spine and sacroiliac joint.

At first I didn’t even tell my wife what I was doing in case it didn’t work, I just didn’t want to disappoint her again!

Well, to make a long story short, I started seeing results and I started to experience something I hadn’t experienced in a long time…hope!

The hope and the results provided the impetus to keep going and to slowly but surely reclaim my life!

It has been a little over a year now and in that time I have gone from 265 pounds, and quite literally waiting to die, to 205 pounds and walking between 5 and 8 miles a day.

I have also started several online businesses, for a variety of reasons but mainly because as I started getting better I couldn’t find a job. With the huge gap in my “overqualified” resume, no one wanted to touch me!

Here I was a college professor, the winner of one of the most prestigious doctoral fellowships in the country, and I couldn’t get a job…I mean nothing, nohow, nowhere! Not even delivering pizza! It was the most humiliating part about getting better…I couldn’t find work!

So, I applied my education, started a tutoring business, online at first, at least until I could get my strength back, and then in the home…it was a way back, a way to apply my education and work with kids (another of my loves), and it worked!

When I look back to August and September of 2009, and those first tentative steps, I can’t believe I am the same person; it just doesn’t seem possible.

And yet here I am, quite literally a new man!

It is kind of ironic because now, as I tell my story and create videos and articles to inspire others, I am often attacked as a spammer and even as a scam artist!

Incredible!

If they only knew, if they could have seen me just a short while ago, I wonder if they would still be so quick to cast aspersions!

Well, I know one thing…there is nothing anyone can say or do that can be any worse than what I have already had to live through…and have overcome.

That being said, and I have said this before, if I can inspire just one person to triumph over their pain as I have, and reclaim their life, then I will have paid the kindness of so many wonderful people who helped me, and my family, get through the most trying time of our lives!

I will introduce more of my story over the coming months but for now I can tell you this, had it not been for my friend and that program, a program I recommend to this day, I would either be gone or still seated in that recliner…no future in sight but the ultimate future we all must face.

The difference?

I was ready, willing, and yearning for it…but no more! I simply took a chance on life. After all, what did I have to lose? Just the pain!

I have my life back and you can too! Because, if I came back from where I was at, anyone can!

Neck pain, back pain, and sciatica are in the past and I will help anyone who asks how to reclaim their life and live pain free! Once again, if I can, you can!

More to follow!

John

Professor John P. J. Zajaros, Sr., The Bad Back Guy
216-712-6526 (home)
216-539-7412 (bus)
Skype: johnzajaros1
johnz@ultimatebadbackstrategies.com

PS, If you want to take the first step and reclaim your life you can go about it one of two ways: 1) You can go to the http://TheBadBackGuy.net and begin there, it is only a beginning; and/or 2) You can contact me and I will work with you personally. In either case, I will be happy to talk to you, to recommend strategies, and to provide encouragement.

PPS, I am not a medical doctor, I am a physical anthropologist with a specialization in age-progressive phenomena affecting the spine and sacroiliac….what goes on with the neck, back, and hips as we age. I am a bone guy! The show Bones is a glamorized depiction of what I did. But, I guess it’s about as close as you can get outside of TLC or Discovery. So, my advice is anecdotal and is not to be construed as medical advice. There, now the government is happy!

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• 

The Beginning: The 30 Day Walk Away from Back Pain and Sciatica…A Challenge and a Huge Success!

Now We Continue: How to Overcome Neck Pain, Back Pain, and Sciatica: The 30 Day Challenge Part II!

Start the Holidays and the New Year Out Neck Pain, Back Pain and Sciatica Free!

Over the past 108 days, since June 28, 2009, I have been on something of a quest to help others overcome their neck pain, back pain, and sciatica through a very simple and straightforward set of pain relief strategies. The response has been amazing, people all over the world have sent me emails, called me on the phone, and added me to their Skype contact lists in order to tell me they had started to walk again, were once again beginning to take control of their lives…any achieving real neck pain, back pain, and sciatica relief for the first time in years! Still other people, some suffering with chronic neck pain, back pain and/or sciatica for decades were contacting me via YouTube, on Facebook, and even on Twitter. The feedback has been extremely gratifying and has kept me going with this much longer than I had originally intended…at least in any sort of a public manner.

Millions are Affected by Chronic Neck Pain, Back Pain, and Sciatica!

The fact is, millions of people around the world are affected by neck pain, back pain, and sciatica; and yet, most of them have no idea how to deal effectively with their pain. Back pain is the number 6 reason in the entire world why people see a medical practitioner, with millions visiting medical practitioners daily, seeking pain relief! Most people suffering from chronic pain, and as I mentioned above, some for decades, have simply resigned themselves to the fact that neck pain, back pain, and/or sciatica is part of their life.

This does not have to be the case!

I actually get angry, infuriated, when I think about how many years, decades, I threw away because of this false notion. Unfortunately, there are millions of people living their lives under the assumption that they are doomed to a life of chronic neck pain, back pain and/or sciatica!

Nothing is further from the truth! You don’t have to live in chronic pain!

But you must take control of your life, and of your destiny, or you are doomed to a life of chronic, debilitating, and ultimately disabling pain!

So, how do you take control when you have had surgery, been through every “alternative” pain relief method under the sun, and have been living with your neck, back or sciatic nerve pain for years?

The Primary Causes of Neck Pain, Back Pain, and Sciatica!

Well, there are 5 contributory factors involved in either the onset of neck pain, back pain and/or sciatica, its continuation, or its exacerbation. I have spoken of these 5 factors in previous articles, videos, and blog posts and we will touch on them briefly here.

Excess Weight, Obesity, Neck Pain, Back Pain, and Sciatica

The first of the 5 factors contributing to or exacerbating neck pain, back pain, and/or sciatica is excess weight, meaning either excess weight or obesity. The excess weight and/or obesity issue is a problem throughout most of the modern world and is becoming an issue in developing areas of the world as well. Excess weight is particularly problematic for individuals susceptible to or experiencing spine-related pain of any kind…but particularly lower back pain and sciatica. We will discuss why excess weight and/or obesity is the number one issue affecting people with neck pain, back pain, and/or sciatica in upcoming videos and articles over the next 30 days.

Muscle Weakness and Neck Pain, Back Pain, and Sciatica

The second issue affecting neck pain, back pain, and/or sciatica is muscle weakness. Muscle weakness, like excess weight and/or obesity, is often an age-progressive phenomenon. By this I mean that as we age, we are more susceptible to the effects and the consequences of muscle weakness. Muscle weakness has a ripple effect throughout the entire body as we age, often affecting the connective tissue and the skeleton adversely. As muscles weaken, the stress is transferred to the intervertebral discs, the ligaments, and to the vertebrae themselves. As the body attempts to handle the stress once taken on by the muscles, there are a myriad of consequences and conditions that emerge. Again, we will address the area of muscle weakness and how it impacts neck pain, back pain, and sciatica in the coming days and weeks.

Muscle Imbalance and Neck Pain, Back Pain, and Sciatica

The third issue affecting and often exacerbating neck pain, back pain, and sciatica is muscle imbalance. Muscle imbalance is the least understood of the 5 factors affecting neck pain, back pain, and sciatica. Unfortunately, muscle imbalance is not addressed in medical school and only briefly covered during medical training for any of the other disciplines, sub-disciplines or alternative medical treatment strategies. Muscle imbalance often plays a significant role in neck pain, back pain, and sciatica…and its relief! We will cover this area in depth in upcoming videos and articles. Understanding muscle imbalance is central to any long-term pain relief strategy.

Diet and Nutrition and Neck Pain, Back Pain, and Sciatica

The fourth area of concern and one with as much misinformation, and just plain bad information, as any of the others, particularly when it comes to neck pain, back pain, and sciatica, are the linked and interconnected areas of diet and nutrition…really one in the same. However, diet and nutrition…or nutrition and diet…it’s really a chicken and egg thing, are crucial to neck pain, back pain, and sciatica relief. If the body can’t rebuild itself, you are in for a long haul when it comes to chronic pain. Additionally, if you body is in a weakened state due to inadequate diet and nutrition, you are more susceptible to stress-related injury and insult (i.e., trauma related neck and back injury).

Dehydration and Neck Pain, Back Pain, and Sciatica

The fifth area, dehydration or simply inadequate hydration, is one of the least understood of the five factors leading to neck pain, back pain and/or sciatica. Relief from chronic, intractable, and debilitating neck and back pain may be a drink of water away! Interestingly, inadequate hydration and/or dehydration is the one that is most easily remedied. The intervertebral discs, IVDs or discs are made up of approximately 90% water…some say 85% and some as high as the mid-90s. Regardless of the exact number, there can be little doubt that an inadequate amount of water means the IVDs cannot replenish the most important component in their makeup, and thus repair and rebuild themselves. Coffee, diet pop (or soda if you prefer), tea, energy drinks, and alcohol are all diuretic, meaning they promote the loss of fluid, water, and as a result lead to disc degeneration and the possibility of injury. The resulting neck pain, back pain, and/or sciatica may be exacerbated by a lack of this most plentiful or all pain relief potions…H20!

Where do we go from here? Real and lasting neck pain, back pain, and sciatica relief!

Finally, over the next 30 days we will dig deep into the ultimate bad back strategies, the pain relief strategies you must engage in, and the habits to develop, if you are to lead a neck pain, back pain, and sciatica free life. In the last 108 days many have started down the path to real and lasting pain relief. I hope you will join me, and the others already engaged in the process of taking back their lives, pain free lives! Join us as we overcome neck pain, back pain, and sciatica once and for all, and just in time for the holidays and the New Year!

Start at:

The Bad Back Guy’s Program for Ultimate Neck Pain, Back Pain, and Sciatica Relief: The First Step!

Watch the video below and then take action! I will be there with you every step of the way!

John

Professor John P. J. Zajaros, Sr., The Bad Back Guy
216-712-6526
866-835-2913
Skype: johnzajaros1
johnz@ultimatebadbackstrategies.com

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• 

How to Overcome Neck Pain, Back Pain, and Sciatica: A 3am Walk and What Difference a Year Makes!

Imagine it is 3:15am and you have 45 minutes before your next pain meds for neck pain, back pain or sciatica! Now imagine you are able to go for a walk with your dog instead!

At the end of June I started a 30 day challenge to overcome my neck pain, back pain, and sciatica, to finally get real and lasting pain relief. Well, this morning, on my usual midnight walk with TuffGuy, I was struck by the fact that I was just minutes away from the time for my usual pain medication dosage…a dosage no longer necessary.

Real and lasting pain relief is possible, I no longer experience the sort of neck pain, back pain or sciatica that had once debilitated and disabled me, leading to depression and a loss of hope and complete despair.

Now? I walk my dog at 3am and love every minute of it. I don’t have the neck pain, back pain, and sciatica that used to make me so dependent on narcotics for relief that I literally counted the minutes between dosages.

No more!

You can have that sort of reality too!

http://TheBadBackGuy.net

John

Professor John P. J. Zajaros, Sr., The Bad Back Guy
216-712-6526
Skype: johnzajaros1
johnz@ultimatebadbackstrategies.com

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• 

3 Major Myths Concerning Exercise and Back Pain: Neck Pain, Back Pain and Sciatica Relief Strategies!

3 myths relating to neck pain, back pain and/or sciatica and exercise may actually be exacerbate pain, hurting rather than helping the patient, they are pervasive, and wrong!

There are many myths when it comes to neck pain, back pain, and sciatica; and, particularly the exercises that are “good for” people with a bad
back.

There are three myths relating to neck pain, back pain, and sciatica which are particularly problematic. The three most pervasive, and
damaging, are:

1) Swimming is a great exercise for people with a bad back
2) That situps are also good for strengthening the back muscles
3) That abdominal crunches are great for developing adominal muscles and for strengthening the back

Swimming, as an exercise strategy for those suffering from a bad back, and particularly from neck pain, back pain, and sciatica has been around for a long time. President John F Kennedy may have had an impact on the pervasiveness of this myth, as it was said that he swam daily, part propaganda and part true…more propaganda. The fact is, swimming, especially early in the exercise process, may actually exacerbate not only back pain but neck and sciatic nerve pain, as well.

Sit-ups were thought to be a great abdominal exercise for years, one also thought to help people suffering from back pain too. Sit-ups have now been relegated to the obsolete exercise category, although the myth that they are a good abdominal exercise persists, particularly among the uninformed. As with swimming, sit-ups may actually exacerbate neck pain, back pain, and sciatica.

The third kind of exercise that falls neatly into this category is the abdominal crunch. The abdominal crunch, or just crunches, came along and replaced the sit-up as the next-best thing for abdominal development, the King of Ab Development. Crunches are also supposed to help with core muscle development; and, neck pain, back pain, and sciatica relief through increased and directed muscle development. The fact is, like the two above, the crunch may exacerbate neck pain, back pain, and sciatica! The crunch should never be used early in a neck pain, back pain or sciatica relief exercise program. Perhaps after an individual has progressed a bit, but never early on.

Overall, the 3 exercise strategies above may do more harm than good, mainly because so many, even among the medical community, still believe in their efficacy. However, these strategies, and their ability to help a person suffering from neck pain, back pain, and/or sciatica, must be viewed as nothing more than uninformed anecdotal gossip…or as outright myths with very little basis in scientific or medical fact.

When commencing a neck pain, back pain and/or sciatica program, start slow, begin with low impact exercises, and above all begin with a program that is designed specifically for neck pain, back pain, and sciatica sufferers…if possible by neck pain, back apin, and/or sciatica sufferers.

http://TheBadBackGuy.net is just such a program for neck pain, back pain, and sciatica relief!

John

Professor John P. J. Zajaros, Sr., The Bad Back Guy
216-712-6526
Skype: johnzajaros1
JohnZ@UltimateBadBackStrategies.com

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• 

Act now! This is the answer and you are entitled to a free trial, you have nothing to lose but the pain!

Just click here and get started today!

Best wishes for your health and a pain free life!

Professor John P. J. Zajaros, Sr.
216-712-6526
Skype: johnzajaros1
johnz@ultimatebadbackstrategies.com

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• 

How to Begin a Simple and Easy Program of Exercise for Back Pain and Sciatica Relief

We will discuss the piriformis muscle stretching exercise, the psoas major muscle stretching exercise, and the hamstring (also known as the leg biceps) muscle stretching exercise.

In order to live a comfortable life in retirement, millions of Americans sacrifice now by putting money into their 401K and other retirement plans. One question to consider is: What good is it to have this nest egg when my hips and back hurt so badly that I can’t enjoy it? Like a financial plan, ensuring a future without low back pain and activity restrictions requires regular and consistent diligence. This article outlines an exercise program that is simple and easily done at home—without requiring exercise equipment or access to a gym or fitness facility.

Exercise program to stretch the back and legs

The following are some stretches that aid in pain relief by helping take stress off the low back and hips and may greatly reduce the advancement of arthritis in the spine. These exercises should be performed in a pain free manner. If pain is experienced, it is best to discontinue the exercises and consider being evaluated by a licensed physical therapist that specializes in treatment of the spine. If one already has low back pain or other health condition, it is advisable to first be evaluated by a physician and, as appropriate, receive guidance on how to do the following exercises by a spine specialist.

1) Piriformis muscle stretching exercise

The piriformis muscle runs from the back of the femur (thigh bone) to the sacrum (base of the spine). Tightness in this muscle has been linked to sacroiliac joint dysfunction and even sciatica-type pain along the sciatic nerve. To stretch the piriformis, lie on your back and cross the involved leg over the other. With both knees bent, place both hands together under the knee of the other leg (the lower leg), and gently pull the bottom leg toward your chest and hold both thighs closely until a stretch is felt in the buttock area.

Hold 30 seconds

Repeat

1-2 times per day

2) Psoas Major muscle stretching exercise

The Psoas Major muscle attaches to the front portion of the lower spine (from thoracic vertebra 12 through lumbar vertebra 5) and can greatly limit low back mobility when tight. It often is one of the sources of low back pain in patients who have difficulty standing for extended periods or kneeling on both knees. This muscle can be stretched in a half kneeling position (kneeling on one knee). Rotate the leg outward and tighten the gluteal muscles on the side you’re stretching. Next, lean forward through the hip joint rather then bending through the lumbar spine. A stretch should be felt in the front of the hip that the patient is kneeling on.

Hold 30 seconds

Repeat

1-2 times per day

3) Hamstring muscle stretching exercise

The hamstrings run from the back of the ishial tuberosity (pelvic bone) to just below the back of the knee. They are responsible for bending the knee and assisting the gluteal muscles to extend the hip. These muscles are very important to stretch because, when tight, they make it nearly impossible to sit up straight. People who do not sit with an erect posture run the risk of early onset of degenerative disc disease and neck pain. Tight hamstring muscles are also associated with low back pain. One way to gently stretch hamstring muscles is to lie on the back and grasp the leg behind the knee with the hip flexed to 90 degrees and the knee bent. Attempt to straighten the knee with the toes pointed back toward you.

Hold 30 seconds

Repeat

1-2 times per day

This is meant to be a stop-gap measure, something to get you going until you can initiate a complete, individualized program…such as those below!

1) http://www.TheBackPainGuy.info

2) http://www.HowToStopSciatica.com

3) http://www.HowToStopSciatica.info

Good luck and let me know what you think! Any products on the side panel are super for back problems!

1) Get an ice-compression brace for the times when nothing else works for the pain…it will! I know!get

2) New Balance running shoes, they have awesome heel cushioning that makes such a difference when pain makes you count your steps all day long, just to make it through the day!

3) WalkFit Orthotics for the days when you can’t wear your New Balance but need cushioning and support.

4) Bone & Joint Natural Pain Reliever! It really helped me when nothing else would!

5) And others…..

All of which, with the exception of the scooters, I was in a wheelchair for a while but not any more, work!

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