Lower Back Pain

[massripped]

My lower back has been hurting me for probably over 10 years. It doesnt bother me when I'm lifting but when I do my ab workout DAMN my lower back hurts. I get to about 10 and then the pain just kills. Any thoughts as to why. I would go to get x-rays or something but I think that would be to expensive.

[TNT]

You're gonna hate this answer: get X-rays.

Seriously, we don't have enough information to speculate on the cause of your back pain (age, height, weight, etc. - they would all be helpful). But as a general rule, it is ot unusual to develop lower back problems as you age. They might come at 20, 30, 40, or older, but they eventually do come along. They might be caused by poor form, or simply aggravated by a workout if they have been caused by something else.

The other question is what specific type of back pain you have. The most common type of lower back pain is in the lower lumbar region of the spine, often just below the belt line. And if you have never experienced a specific back injury on which you can blame the pain, it is usually due to degenerative changes that everyone begins to go through at some point in their lives.

That's where the X-rays are the most important diagnostic tool. They look not only at the vertabrae, but at the spaces between the vertabrae. There is not one type of lower back pain, but many. Some will be helped by back exercises (oriented toward stretching as opposed to weights or resistance) or physical therapy, some types by chiropractic, some by surgery (which I recommend only in very extreme cases), some by epidural injections or rhyzotomy (also known as radio frequency), and some not at all. Therefore, a specific diagnosis is a big factor.

In the meantime - and I know this will sound both simplistic and discouraging - listen to your body. If you do a particular exercise and it starts hurting by the time you get to the 10th rep, stop doing that exercise. (All together now, "Duhhhhh..." ) Or, at the very least, significantly lessen the amount of weight you're using, keeping in mind that if there is an organic problem, that may not help.

Ultimately, though, I'd give in and get a lumbar series of X-rays done. They're expensive like anything else (although they are covered by most health insurance plans), but a hell of a lot cheaper than CT scan or MRI. Then, at least, you'll have an idea of the cause and scope of the problem.

[massripped]

I am 28 5'8 140. I think i hurt it when i was attempting to do squats in my little home gym (idiot) when i was like 18 but i never did anything about it. That's the thing it doesn't hurt when i am working out and lifting weights just when i work abs. When i do crunches and so on

[TNT]

One of the pain-in-the-ass things about back injuries is that they stay with you for a long time. Obviously, the immediate solution is to lighten up on the crunches - orient yourself to diet instead of exercise when it comes to keeping the abs down. Also, rather than doing crunches, you can try the twisting-side-to-side move in a sitting position (non-weighted bar behind the neck, hands on the bar) - I don't know if the exercise has a name, but a lot of people do it to get rid of love handles. You can do a hundred of these easily without putting the same type of strain on the back that crunches will produce. The other thing, of course, is to do stretching exercises for the lower back - you should be able to find some good ones, with diagrams, by doing a web search.

By the way, the first time I threw my back out was when I lifted an album case at a radio station when I was in my mid-20's. The thing was empty at the time and weighed no more than five pounds, but obviously I bent and lifted the wrong way. And that's the way lower back pain is - sometimes it's not from weights at all, but from throwing a muscle due to bending or moving teh wrong way. (It can even be produced by a cough or a heavy-duty sneeze, depending on the position in which you're sitting.) It was agony when it happened (like 30 seconds before I went on the air and had to sound cool, as I'm breaking into a sweat from the pain and thinking, "Holy shit!"), and took many weeks to get over.

So what you're doing is probably aggravating the old injury. Best bet at this point: Lighten up or discontinue the thing that is causing the pain now.

[03733+$]

I definatly agree you need x rays back problem will follow you the rest of your life its not worth the pain or problems the rest of your life

[ironmike7000]

massripped....My advise is to get x-rays done on your lower back. I hurt my back years ago in 2 seperate car accidents and I never got treatment for it. Years later I began experiencing back spasms and pain in my lower back. Luckly my ex-brother-in-law became a chiropracter and suggested that I come to him and let him x-ray my back. I now have 2 degenerated disc in my neck and 1 in my lower back. He has been treating me for about 8 years now and I feel somewhat better then I did back then. I have good days and I have bad days with the pain. I have to adjust my leg and my back workouts according to how my back feels each day. He told me if I would have gotten treatment for my injuries when I first injured myself my back would have been treatable. So don't wait until it's to late. Living with any kind of pain really sucks.

[Darkknight442]

Yeah mass. i agree with the other guys get a x ray.. and man those crunches are killer on your back.. Make sure you are doing htem the right way. not coming all the way up and stuff. Also are you doing them on the floor or on the roman chair. Eaither way you have to find that slight 6 inch range of motion where only your abs are being used....

Another question i have for you is have you ever had a liver or kidney disease or do you drink alot?
cause for me i have done/had both. When i was 17 i had a liver disease, and in my stupidity and youth i gave myself like 3 or 4 months and went back out partying. anyway i still have doubts that my liver and kidneys are ok and sometiems when lifting esp on the roman chair... CAAuse your liver and kidnys are right in that lower back region.. So if there is any problem with them you could feel it there... just be careful bro..


Jay

[massripped]

Thanx for the advice guys. I guess I'll have to look into it. Better late than never. But I'll probably wait to after my cycle is done. I'll start in a couple of weeks most likely.

I do the crunches on the floor along with other various exercises for the abs like sitting on that big ball and crunching up, doing hanging knee-ups...

Never had liver or kidney disease and I dont drink.
Cool avatar Darkknight.

Hope everybody takes care of themselves; as ironmike said living with any kind of pain SUCKS!!!

Damn TNT to through your back out like that had to of piss the F out of you. I guess like you said it can happen at anytime it doesn't have to be while doing something strenuous.