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Muskie Fishing -> General Discussion -> back pain idea--progress report
 
Message Subject: back pain idea--progress report
PapaJoe
Posted 4/22/2003 2:16 PM (#67707)
Subject: back pain idea--progress report




Posts: 285


Hi All,
As many of you know I have a chronic issue with muscle spasms in my back. Things are improving with a new med I am using called Remicade (it's intended for people with Rhumatoid Arthritis, but in my case it's prescribed off-label for psoriatic arthritis/ankylosing spondylitis).

Anyway, here's a great idea if you get an achy stiff and spasmy back: get yourself a 3" styrofoam tube, about 3 feet long. Lay on it with one end near your tailbone and the other at the base of your skull.

At first this will hurt some, best to start out on a bed to make it easier, then move to a carpeted floor when you want a more aggressive stretch.

This is great for stretching the small sets of muscles that give the spine its curves (paraspinal muscles). I also move it off to either side of the spine to stretch the big muscles in the low back and at the base of the neck.

Another way I use it is to lay on it sideways, with the tube front-to-bcak along the ribcage, just around where the shoulder blades are. Then focus on using the tube to support the Hump curve from the base of your neck to just below the shoulder blades, and move your upper leg into a position that allows a stretch of the critical curve just below the shoulder blades, which joins to the upper part of the lumbar spine.

For people with low-back issues, try laying with the tube under the lumbar spine. It helps a lot to know what curves you should have and which ones are not right on your back. (My back has essentially no curve, called "bamboo spine", from years of muscle spasms.)

I have had great success with this, and have thought seriously about marketing it as "Papa Joe's Back Fixer" along with a video.

I found a bunch of these at a warehouse store, for $2 each. A good alternative would be the kind of styrofoam they use for boat bumpers.

Let me know if you try this, or if you have other ways to stretch the various parts of the back. I am working hard to improve my fitness, but already have been helped by the success of my arthritis treatment. It better work, because I have had about 10 treatments at around $4,000+ each!

Hopefully I will last longer on the water, and will need fewer smoky-treat breaks this summer...

Good luck with the opener gang,
Papa Joe
Ranger
Posted 4/22/2003 3:03 PM (#67712 - in reply to #67707)
Subject: RE: back pain idea--progress report





Posts: 3765


Thanks PapaJoe - this may be very helpful for my wife.
spieg
Posted 4/22/2003 3:51 PM (#67717 - in reply to #67707)
Subject: RE: back pain idea--progress report





Posts: 131


Location: Kalamazoo, MI
A friend of mine gave me a tip that has worked for me in some instances. To remove a cramp or kink in the back, take an empty 2 liter bottle, and fill it with hot water. Then lay on it or lean up against it with the bottle running along the spine. The heat from the water tends to loosen up the kinks and the 2 liter helps stretch things out a little.
mikie
Posted 4/22/2003 6:17 PM (#67733 - in reply to #67717)
Subject: RE: back pain idea--progress report





Location: Athens, Ohio
Hang in there Papa J! Good to hear from ya again. See ya this summer, m
Sponge
Posted 4/22/2003 6:24 PM (#67736 - in reply to #67707)
Subject: RE: back pain idea--progress report




Dude, try the cat arch; learned it at the V.A Hospital physical therapy torture chamber, but it works for me! Get on all 4s, then lower your mid torso toward the floor and count to 10; then arch your back upward and hold to the count of 10. Do this a few times at first, then as you limber up, more often. Neat thing is, if the wife walks by, I hiss and take a swipe at her, and she forgets whatever she was going to dog me about; do it in the middle of the workroom floor and nobody will mess w/ you either. Seriously though, it does work; I think Beaver does the same thing for his back. I was over at the chamber today and they packed me right hip in ice for 15 minutes, then put some type of medicated patch on that I have to leave there for 24 hrs, remove, and put another one on every other day. I'll let you know if it works.
Tom B
Posted 4/22/2003 6:25 PM (#67737 - in reply to #67707)
Subject: RE: Voting against 50" limit, what in the hey was I thinking




Posts: 21


So, you are laying on this with the foam parallel to your spine??? then rollling it from one side to the other? or is it perpendicular to your spine and you move it to where the curves should be??? or a combination???

I do lots of streching and those small muscles that you refer to, are the ones that I don't think I am doing anything with/to.

Tom B
Muskie Treats
Posted 4/23/2003 3:15 PM (#67848 - in reply to #67707)
Subject: RE: back pain idea--progress report





Posts: 2384


Location: On the X that marks the mucky spot
Good for you Papa! Maybe this year you'll be pulling your weight off the back of the S.S. Treats II

Something else to consider. I just got a pair of Irish Setter fishing shoes (available @ Gander) and for the 1st time in I don't know how long my back didn't really hurt after a day of fishing. They also won't slip when your walking on the trailer. Check'em out!
MuskieMedic
Posted 4/23/2003 4:19 PM (#67857 - in reply to #67707)
Subject: RE: back pain idea--progress report





Posts: 2091


Location: Stevens Point, WI
I know how it feels, I have been off work for the last two weeks from a back injury that happened while fighting a wildland fire, I have an MRI early this next week. I probably have a herniated disk that will hopefully mend on it's own, but in the mean time the Ibuprofen and Vicodin ES keeps things pretty tolerable. The worst part is I have an offer to fish with JoMusky this weekend and I don't know if that's going to happen yet.
Sponge
Posted 4/23/2003 5:10 PM (#67863 - in reply to #67707)
Subject: RE: back pain idea--progress report




Find a lake that you can TROLL! seems to be a hot topic as of late; just don't let 1st6' find out...:O
PapaJoe
Posted 4/24/2003 3:00 PM (#67947 - in reply to #67707)
Subject: RE: back pain idea--progress report




Posts: 285


Clarification: the original idea was to lie with the styrofoam tube along the spine (from tailbone to upper neck area). This helps allow the mid-back to spread out, and also allows a real nice stretch of the hips by rotating one leg at a time in either direction.

With practice I realized that moving the tube off to either side of the spine allows a nice stretch of the thick muscles just above the hip joints, and in the base of the neck.

I also use it as a towel substitute, lying on it with my ribcage. For this you have the tube front-to-back about even with the shoulder blades, and roll your top leg forward. The tube then supports the forward curve from the base of the neck to the shoulder blades, and allows your to stretch the inward curve beneath the should blades (this is curve the one you see me crack on the back of folding chairs--a critical issue for me since that's where my trouble is the worst).

I'm working on diagrams, and have written up instructions for people that might be interested, just send me an email.

I'm not a doctor but I play one on MuskieFIRST!

Have a groovy day,
papa joe
MJB_04
Posted 4/24/2003 3:44 PM (#67951 - in reply to #67707)
Subject: RE: back pain idea--progress report





Posts: 346


To those who get sore backs, you could have a core imbalance: your abdominals are very weak, thus your back is being stressed more. I truelly encourage those who have lower back problems to completely read my post.

Once again, I'm going to seem a little far fetched here. After years of lifting weights and seriously powerlifting, I have seen guys and heard of guys who have completely trashed their lower backs to were up to two surgeries were called for and however much rehabilatative attention was needed. Numerous of those guys have avoided those surgeries and back pain by using a machine called a reverse hyper. The inventor of this machine (Louie Simmons) is one of the greatest and most knowledgable powerlifters ever. The principal behind the machine is that is stretches the lower lumbar area (lower back muscles) during the front-swing allowing blood to get into areas between the vertebrae and actually regenerate old and worn discs. On the back-swing you will then contract the lower lumbars and therefore strengthening them. I will attach a picture. Now, finding a "fitness" center with a reverse hyper is near impossible. A cheap one goes for about $1000. But if anyone is interested, I can give you links, plans, and pictures to build your own for under $60.

Powerlifters put so much stress on there joints/muscles lifting 500, 600, 700, 800+ pounds day in and day out. It is truelly a great investment of your (those who deal with the aches and pains) time to do a little research, ask a few questions about powerlifting.

If anyone has rotator cuff problems, I would put good money down that I can help you more than most doctors. Just give me a email or pm. Tendonitis, I personally sufferED from to the point were if I would slighty touch the point right behind the elbow, I could feel a excruciating pain all the way down to my hand. I know many muskie fisher suffer with that also.
MJB_04
Posted 4/24/2003 3:57 PM (#67952 - in reply to #67951)
Subject: RE: back pain idea--progress report





Posts: 346


here:
http://www.reversehyper.com/abouthyper.html
There is a few pictures of the reverse hyper in use and a few more of Louies patented models. I didn't know that they are down to the price that they are; the home model is only 400 bucks.

Links to build your own:
http://www.geocities.com/wmarden/rh.html

http://www.olympus.net/personal/cablebar/RLR.htm

I'll see if I can't find more. You just have to be creative. Most of the how tos show to do it by building a platform over a powerrack, but I've heard of people using washing machines, bunk beds, you name. Rocky Tilson just made one for under 60 bucks by copying the dimensions on a commercial reverse hyper, and getting everything needed and having a local welder weld it for him. I'll see if I can't get some more pictures from him.

MJB



Edited by MJB_04 4/25/2003 1:49 AM
Tahoe
Posted 4/24/2003 9:55 PM (#67978 - in reply to #67952)
Subject: RE: back pain idea--progress report





Posts: 328


Location: MN
MJB - I am interested...Wheres the pic....How do I build one?
Beaver
Posted 4/25/2003 6:15 PM (#68098 - in reply to #67707)
Subject: RE: back pain idea--progress report





Posts: 4266


I've got chronic lower back problems, and I do 'balancing' excercises on a large ball that is supposed to help your 'core' muscles and those small muscles that you use for balancing. Well it also works great for loosening up in the morning or any time that you're stiff. With the ball on the floor, start with it positioned between your shoulder blades and your feet flat on the floor, then roll back until the ball is centered under your lower back, then once you are stable, lean your head back and look for the floor. It's a great stretch and excecise all in one.
Beav
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