Needing exercise advice

  • Thread starter Thread starter Bill Green
  • Start date Start date
Personally I use the Brookstone Back Stretcher & Ab Trainer.

It's more stable than an exercise ball and really works your abdominals which in turn takes weight off your back... :D
 
Have you tried floor exercises? They can be gentler on the back but effective. I do the cat stretch and one where I lie face down and lift my head and feet. I tried back stretchers but they were too much for me. Exercise balls are good but just be careful how you use them, they can make things worse.
 
I personally wouldn't reccommend things like "Ab Trainer Pros", but that's just me. I'm very young and I've already had a back problem requiring me to take 1 month off school. I go to the gym thrice every week, and my personal trainer sorts out the exercises which are best for ME. No matter if you've had previous back problems before, you have to always be careful of your back. I mostly use an exercise ball, sitting on it then walking forward and stretching over the ball, this also increases back flexibility. But as most chiropractors have said to me, the best exercise is always walking and keeping your posture good.
 
Definitely agree on the posture... walking though.. like jogging you get impact effects which can harm the back. Currently, I am biking and swimming has to be the best exercise because floatation takes alot of weight/stress off your back... mind you I'm not talking about 100m backstroke ;) Also I found that I can ski as long as I avoid moguls and crashing... usually my legs will tire before my back does and again you don't have the impact of walking or running. Eliptical machines are also good if you want the aerobics of walking without the impact, but hard if standing for long perioRAB increases your pain.

You can also look into recurabant bicycle exercisers. Basically you are laying back and pedaling. Now pedaling will impact your lower back as your quadricep muscles insert at your lower back, but for me cycling is helping. I just have to pace myself and start off slow and short and work my way up to longer times... but if you think about it pedaling is very similar to knee to chest stretches... Currently I have an electric assisted folding bicycle which I had to get a special exception to the local mass transit ADA policy so I can take it on the bus and trains using handicap ramps and spaces. As well as a change in the policy so I can sit while travelling with my bike. (Standard policy dictates riders have to stand with their bikes.) It folRAB to fit in the same space as a scooter or motorized chair and the back support modification I had made, makes it too top heavy for the normal bike racks, but it does allow me to lean back and have lurabar support for my back.

But its also nice to know I am setting precedent for future people with back issues that want to use a electic assisted bike with back support. Because of my efforts, people who opted for the same means of transportation will have an easier time of getting the exception, since I put in alot of time in finding a bike that will conform to their space limit dimensions for a disability assisted device.
 
I'm trying to figure out which back stretcher to get. I go to a chiro & he put me on a stretching machine. It felt great & when I was done the pain I had in back,groin & leg has been gone. I have a disc problem. It costs me so much to go to him I figured maybe I could buy something that stretches the back instead. Are you still happy w/the Brookstone back stretcher & has your back improved? Thanks
 
Yes it definitely helps... really its exercising the abdominals and not the back at all... so it flattens your tummy which equals less weight on the back... If you con't have access to a heated pool then this is one of the best exercisers for winter... (my old apt complex had an indoor heated pool my new one does not... Its a great means to get your cardio going without stressing the back.

~Myo
 
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