I went to the doctor's because my lower back pain was getting worse and to a point where I couldn't sit down for a long time. She said my hamstrings were too tight and recommended that I go in for physical therapy. So i walk over to the physical therapy department to make an appointment and they tell me that the earliest day I can come in is in 4 weeks. I'm at a loss of words because I don't think I can take the pain much longer. So I bought a back support brace and it helped some but not much and I've been taking Ibuprofen for quite a while now. I don't want to keep taking ibuprofen regularly so does anyone have any suggestions for getting relief for back pain? Useful stretches?
Lower back pain
- Thread starter pro_staff
- Start date
Joe Average
Rookie
These are stretches I do before I play. I lie down on my back, and I pull one knee to my chest, and hold it there for maybe thirty seconds. Then I do the other knee. Hold it for another 30 seconds. Then both knees.
Second stretch: I'm still lying on my back, this time with my arms out (palms to the floor). I take one leg, still lying on my back, and cross it over the other. (The right leg, for instance, crossing the left, with the toes on the right leg pointed to the wall.) Now you turn your head in the opposite direction. So right leg over the left leg and eyes looking the other way (right). Do the same with the other leg ... turning your head to the left. You should hold it about 20 seconds.
Third stretch: Get on your stomach. Push your torso up, with the hips flat on the floor. Bring your head up as high as it will go. Hold it for about ten seconds.
This should help. They've helped me. And they should be done sequentially. I don't suffer lower back pain any more. Good luck.
Second stretch: I'm still lying on my back, this time with my arms out (palms to the floor). I take one leg, still lying on my back, and cross it over the other. (The right leg, for instance, crossing the left, with the toes on the right leg pointed to the wall.) Now you turn your head in the opposite direction. So right leg over the left leg and eyes looking the other way (right). Do the same with the other leg ... turning your head to the left. You should hold it about 20 seconds.
Third stretch: Get on your stomach. Push your torso up, with the hips flat on the floor. Bring your head up as high as it will go. Hold it for about ten seconds.
This should help. They've helped me. And they should be done sequentially. I don't suffer lower back pain any more. Good luck.
pro_staff said:
Back pain in tennis players is fairly common although I have never heard of it being caused by tight hamstrings. Check your doc's license and make sure she actually attended med school (just kidding).
I'm not a doc but I've received some expensive lessons from them on the cause and treatment of tennis related back pain. The first rule is it can't be diagnosed without an MRI. After the mandatory $1000 MRI then you will probably find out you have a fractured vertebrae. Sounds scary but it usually can be cured by taking a break from tennis and some anti-inflammatory meds.
Back injuries are generally caused by over-training if you're a competetion player and/or poor core muscle strength for recreational players.
Hope that helps.
tlm
G.O.A.T.
Hey pusher were did you get this information?I would say the chances of a fractured vertabrae are very slim.
An mri will not tell you everything,most doctors dont put you through the expense of one unless they really think you have a serious problem.Over 90% of back problems are from muscle+tight hamstrings can definitely give you back problems,so can strained ligaments.
I have read that tension can cause back problems,a lot of people have back problems+thier mri shows nothing wrong.The back is still a mystery in a lot of ways to modern medicine.
I use to have back problems+still once in a while i have some but since i started doing stretches that are specific to my muscle imbalance i have been pretty much pain free.
There is a lot more evidence that muscle imbalance causes a lot of injurys, I bought a program called lose the back pain +thier claim is that imbalance in the muscles is were the problem lies.
I can tell you first hand that i went to quackropractors+it didnt work,doctors would give me anti inflamatorys which would help me get rid of it but i would have a flair up every 3-4 months.
After doing the excersizes+stretches to correct the muscle imbalance i have been almost pain free.
Once in a while i have a mild flair up which is usually from not doing excersizes regular, sitting to long with bad posture, not warming up well enough or sleeping in + then sitting instead of doing some walking to loosen up.
I am 50 years old+ play tennis 6 days a week without the lose the back pain program i would not be playing like this!!
An mri will not tell you everything,most doctors dont put you through the expense of one unless they really think you have a serious problem.Over 90% of back problems are from muscle+tight hamstrings can definitely give you back problems,so can strained ligaments.
I have read that tension can cause back problems,a lot of people have back problems+thier mri shows nothing wrong.The back is still a mystery in a lot of ways to modern medicine.
I use to have back problems+still once in a while i have some but since i started doing stretches that are specific to my muscle imbalance i have been pretty much pain free.
There is a lot more evidence that muscle imbalance causes a lot of injurys, I bought a program called lose the back pain +thier claim is that imbalance in the muscles is were the problem lies.
I can tell you first hand that i went to quackropractors+it didnt work,doctors would give me anti inflamatorys which would help me get rid of it but i would have a flair up every 3-4 months.
After doing the excersizes+stretches to correct the muscle imbalance i have been almost pain free.
Once in a while i have a mild flair up which is usually from not doing excersizes regular, sitting to long with bad posture, not warming up well enough or sleeping in + then sitting instead of doing some walking to loosen up.
I am 50 years old+ play tennis 6 days a week without the lose the back pain program i would not be playing like this!!
tlm said:
I'm having backpain also. My back pain occurs when i rotate my hips toward the net. I feel it alot in the lower back muscle. It's just that it keeps reoccuring. Can you suggest what i can do to remedy my situation? I've been doing back stretches also, and using a heat pad but it just seems rotating my torso to the net just seems to bother it again.
TnTBigman
Professional
a tight hamstring muscle DO contribute to lower back pain. also weak abdominal muscles. you need to find out about some good core body exercises for lowerback (errector spinae) and total abdominals (lower, mid, upper, obliques). Men's Health Magazine dot com have such information.
Improperly stretching your hamstrings and back also contributes to lower back pain. All stretchin should be static (hold position and not forcing peak stretch or bouncing while stretching).
This Janurary I had a serious bout with lower back spasms and back pain. when i was able to safely move with any discomfort (full 2 weeks) i got myself involved in core body workouts twice a week (tuesdays and saturdays).
exercieses for lower back like aqua man and superman helped strengthen my lower back. been pain free ever since.
good luck.
Improperly stretching your hamstrings and back also contributes to lower back pain. All stretchin should be static (hold position and not forcing peak stretch or bouncing while stretching).
This Janurary I had a serious bout with lower back spasms and back pain. when i was able to safely move with any discomfort (full 2 weeks) i got myself involved in core body workouts twice a week (tuesdays and saturdays).
exercieses for lower back like aqua man and superman helped strengthen my lower back. been pain free ever since.
good luck.
You cannot be serious !!!
Rookie
TnTBigman said:
Don't spend money on an MRI unless you are having leg/foot pain/pins and needles. Your doc shouldn't recommend one as a first line investigation anyway, unless you are having problems with your waterworks, or bowels
You cannot be serious !!!
Rookie
You cannot be serious !!! said:
Just to clarify i meant these symptoms associated with your back pain
tlm said:
I guess this is why Doc's don't do on-line diagnoses (at least most of them).
I dealt with this issue with with my son (Boys 16 tournament player). Us older guys have a whole different range of problems with back pain.
The orthopedic doc we consulted was the team doc for a D-1 football program. My impression was that if you're young, physically fit and train strenuously then back pain is usually associated with spondylsis(sp)-fractured vertebrae. It does occur due to overtraining and weaker core muscles. The doc told me the entire starting offensive line for his team had the same fracture -probably due to poor weightlifting techniques. But they continued to play. He seemed to know the diagnosis even before he did an x-ray and a follow up MRI. The MRI was to verify the diagnosis and rule out other, more serious problems.
The treatment he recommended was anti-inflam. meds and rest. He said my son could continue to train but avoid those activities that that caused pain in his back. The pain was gone in about two weeks but occassionally it comes back and the meds seem to solve the problem quickly.
I have observed that his back pain seems to occur mostly during colder weather. I have also noted that it first occurred after a hard hitting session with a college player-he was hitting very hard but couldn't get any depth on his shots so he kept hitting harder and harder. After the hitting session I hit a little with his racquet and the strings were dead. I had restrung his racquet 3 days earlier with a multifilament-I haven't used a multi since then. Coincidence?-maybe, but I think his back problem resulted from over exertion from hitting with dead strings.
dr.freestyler
Rookie
The question i ask patients is, suppose we get an MRI and it shows herniated discs, ruptured discs, arthritis, DJD, etc, is this bad enogh you would go through back surgery for, knowing the success rate of back surgery is probably around 50/50?
Most people agree that sometimes its ok not to know the exact problem, since in the end the treatment is the same, pain control,muscle relaxers, anti -inflammatories, physical therapy.
Personally i would consider trying accupuncture or accupressure.
Most people agree that sometimes its ok not to know the exact problem, since in the end the treatment is the same, pain control,muscle relaxers, anti -inflammatories, physical therapy.
Personally i would consider trying accupuncture or accupressure.
movdqa
Talk Tennis Guru
I developed a lower back problem many years ago from, ironically, carrying a
new weight set from my car to my apartment. What has helped are strong
abdominal muscles as when they are strong, I don't have any pain. If I don't
keep them strong, then pain can return. It has generally not been that much
of a problem over the last 20 years.
Our YMCA has two machines to strengthen core areas. One is an abs machine which similates a situp though you're sitting upright. The advantage of the machine is that you can crank the weight up to 249 pounds. The other machine is the rotary torso which strengthens a small muscle in your side. This one only goes up to 200 pounds though. I think that most tennis players would be surprised at how much weight they can do on the rotary torso.
So I'm a supporter of strong abs for back pain. They're also great if you have a cough as you can tighten your core when you cough reducing the shock to various organs.
As far as fixing back problems through surgery, I've heard that New England Baptist can do some pretty good things in that area.
new weight set from my car to my apartment. What has helped are strong
abdominal muscles as when they are strong, I don't have any pain. If I don't
keep them strong, then pain can return. It has generally not been that much
of a problem over the last 20 years.
Our YMCA has two machines to strengthen core areas. One is an abs machine which similates a situp though you're sitting upright. The advantage of the machine is that you can crank the weight up to 249 pounds. The other machine is the rotary torso which strengthens a small muscle in your side. This one only goes up to 200 pounds though. I think that most tennis players would be surprised at how much weight they can do on the rotary torso.
So I'm a supporter of strong abs for back pain. They're also great if you have a cough as you can tighten your core when you cough reducing the shock to various organs.
As far as fixing back problems through surgery, I've heard that New England Baptist can do some pretty good things in that area.
Zets147
Banned
I have just had back pain 2 days ago, and the only thing that I remember doing that day was reading in a chair with bad posture. I was "laying" in the chair basically. After 3 days of rest, today being the third day, the pain is almost gone. (Hoping it'd be gone by morning). Pray for me guys!!
i agree w/ the strong abs. crunches, crunches, crunches, of all kinds. and stretch daily, and make sure you're totally warmed up and do dynamic stretches before you play. i had pretty bad back pain (i could hardly stand up sometimes) in my left side (i'm right handed), wouldn't go away, but eventually it passed just with regular stretching, warm ups, and lots of ab exercises. i still get some mild pain, but nothing too serious-- tennis really stresses the back, so you've got to address it. of course, you could easily also have something serious, so you've got to determine that, but otherwise all you can really do is increase core strength and get limber.
tlm
G.O.A.T.
To heycal,this program is specific to your own muscle imbalance.They have you do some tests on yourself to determine what imbalance you have.
Then they have specific excersizes for your condition.That is one of thier points that there is not a one size fits all.
I think thier program cost me $40,well worth it.Go to losethebackpain.com.As far as how long it takes,i think about a month of thier excersizes+i felt improvement.My back pain was not constant it would come+go.But with my steady tennis schedule it seemed like it was getting worse.
I would have flair ups 2-3 times a year then it was 4 times a year,i would go to my doctor+he would give me anti inflammatorys.But i knew i could not keep taking these+i was sick of this pain that kept comming back.
I did these excersizes everyday+ after 6 months with out any pain, i didnt know if it was a coincedence or the excersizes.After a year with no flair ups i knew this program was working.The program take 5 minutes a day+it is not hard to do,i think it is good idea to add some stomach work also like others have suggested.
Then they have specific excersizes for your condition.That is one of thier points that there is not a one size fits all.
I think thier program cost me $40,well worth it.Go to losethebackpain.com.As far as how long it takes,i think about a month of thier excersizes+i felt improvement.My back pain was not constant it would come+go.But with my steady tennis schedule it seemed like it was getting worse.
I would have flair ups 2-3 times a year then it was 4 times a year,i would go to my doctor+he would give me anti inflammatorys.But i knew i could not keep taking these+i was sick of this pain that kept comming back.
I did these excersizes everyday+ after 6 months with out any pain, i didnt know if it was a coincedence or the excersizes.After a year with no flair ups i knew this program was working.The program take 5 minutes a day+it is not hard to do,i think it is good idea to add some stomach work also like others have suggested.
You cannot be serious !!!
Rookie
Pusher said:
Sorry - I was referring to pro_staff. In case of your son , for most young fellas with back pain, an MRI is required to exclude the big C
Im the poster child for back pain
I slipped a disk while playing in college. I got an MRI done and it was between my L5-S1 and 6mm in size. A monster.
I’ve was completely debilitated by this injury. I would lie on the floor for hours and hours in excrutiating pain. My goal at the time was to just function.
This was about 10+ years ago. I was told surgery was the way to go but the thought of getting such an invasive procedure done in my early twenties wasn’t appealing AND a few player friends told me horror stories of people who slipped disks above the fused vertebrae.
I said no thanks and basically stretched a lot and worked out on my bike since it kept my back in a stationary position while strengthening my legs and surrounding muscles.
I eventually worked my way up to playing for a few minutes. Super low impact.
The single biggest improvement I did for myself was get a really high end mattress. That alone took out the any surprise of early morning pain.
Over time the pain in my back became less and less and now today I play at 100%. No issues other than stiffness and minor aches and pains.
I played 3 days in a row this week and on the 4th day I had incredible stiffness in my back.
So I have been stretching like a maniac and its loosening up. Stretching is so key.
The best method is to start off real slow when playing for 10-15 minutes..low impact, etc. Right when you get your first sweat..go stretch. Then get back out and play as normal...then immediately after playing stretch again and later that night stretch before going to bed. Make it part of your daily routine...like brushing your teeth and pretty soon if you don’t stretch..you feel crumby and have the desire too stretch.
NEVER stretch before warming up.
I slipped a disk while playing in college. I got an MRI done and it was between my L5-S1 and 6mm in size. A monster.
I’ve was completely debilitated by this injury. I would lie on the floor for hours and hours in excrutiating pain. My goal at the time was to just function.
This was about 10+ years ago. I was told surgery was the way to go but the thought of getting such an invasive procedure done in my early twenties wasn’t appealing AND a few player friends told me horror stories of people who slipped disks above the fused vertebrae.
I said no thanks and basically stretched a lot and worked out on my bike since it kept my back in a stationary position while strengthening my legs and surrounding muscles.
I eventually worked my way up to playing for a few minutes. Super low impact.
The single biggest improvement I did for myself was get a really high end mattress. That alone took out the any surprise of early morning pain.
Over time the pain in my back became less and less and now today I play at 100%. No issues other than stiffness and minor aches and pains.
I played 3 days in a row this week and on the 4th day I had incredible stiffness in my back.
So I have been stretching like a maniac and its loosening up. Stretching is so key.
The best method is to start off real slow when playing for 10-15 minutes..low impact, etc. Right when you get your first sweat..go stretch. Then get back out and play as normal...then immediately after playing stretch again and later that night stretch before going to bed. Make it part of your daily routine...like brushing your teeth and pretty soon if you don’t stretch..you feel crumby and have the desire too stretch.
NEVER stretch before warming up.
You cannot be serious !!!
Rookie
chopps said:
Wow, thats a good story and totally inspirational. I had my back injury 10 days ago, still the same L sided back and buttock pain radiating down to my calf and top of my foot. My leg feels likes someone's put toothpaste on it. Definitely a slipped disc based on my own clinical diagnosis
I am holding off on the CT or MRI, having physio and just stretching like a maniac, gentle swimming and no tennis. I have a new racquet with strings and just wanted to hit a few gentle strokes against the wall - by the 5th or 6th stroke I was in pain, so i guess no tennis for a while
