Lower back problems

[wakesurfvault]

Lately I've been having some really abd back problems. I think it started about 1 1/2 months ago where I was getting yanked at takeoff. I've (for the most part) fixed that but it still bothers me to the point where I can barely make it down the runway. Basically i was wondering if anybody here had any useful rehab excercises or stretches or anything that would help.

[ryansanta]

Goto the chiropracter, if you find a good one believe me they help. I had back problems for 7 months and they fixed it within 2-3 months. If you find the right one they will give you stretches to do and stuff like that. Good luck.

[PVFLA]

No offence to the previous replier but I wouldn't go to a chiropractor. All they do is adjust your spine, if there is something wrong they won't know it and may even make it worse. Making sure that your hamstrings are stretched out and to do a lot of abs workouts (making sure you have good form or it will make it worse). If it still bothers you, go to a good orthopedic surgeon. Trust me you don’t want to let it get out of hand. I won’t bore you the details of my injury, but trust me, back surgery is not fun.

[rainbowgirl28]

A good chiropractor will take x-rays, and try to actually figure out what the problem is, they won't just randomly start adjusting.

I had lower back pains for a long time, and the spring I was seeing a chiropractor it felt awesome.

Maybe it will help you maybe it won't, it just depends on why your back is hurting in the first place.

[95]

I found that back extensions helped with my problems since my lower back was kinda weak. However, you need to thoroughly stretch after you do this exercise since it can make your body too tight.

[Powervaulter]

I asked a chiropractor a while ago about the best exercise to do for your back, and he said it was important to work on your obliques. They act as stabilizers for your back.

Some specific exercises that I can think of off the top of my head:
-side crunches
-"twisties"... sitting position, feet off the ground, bring med ball across from one side to the other
-"windshield wipers"... on high bar, bring feet to the bar, keep hips up so that your back is parallel to the ground, sway your legs back and forth like a windshield wiper (this is a great pole vault specific exercise)

Hope that helps!

[Robert schmitt]

if there is something wrong they won't know it and may even make it worse.

That's thier job- to determine if something is wrong and if it is somethng that would be benifited with chiropractic care. Chiropractors have more training in diagnosis than a non specialized MD.

Here is a break down of Course hours spent in chiropractic college as compared to medical school. While this may vary from school to school some what and the abilities of individual practitioners-Chiropractic students recieve much more training in diagnosis in general

Minimum Required Hours

Chiropractic College(hours on left) / Medical School (hours on right)
456 Anatomy/Embryology. 215
243 Physiology 174
296 Pathology 507
161 Chemistry/Biochemistry 100
145 Microbiology 145
408 Diagnosis 113
149 Neurology 171
56 Psychology/Psychiatry 323
66 Obstetrics & Gynecology 284
271 X-ray 13
168 Orthopedics 2
2,419 Total Hours for Degree 2,047

Here's liink to a the article
http://www.drgrisanti.com/mddc.htm


Coulter I, Adams A, Coggan P, Wilkes M, Gonyea M.
A Comparative Study of Chiropractic and Medical Education.
Altern Ther Health Med. 1998; 4 (5): 64–75

[PVFLA]

Sorry for the misunderstanding. I didn’t mean to sound like I was bashing chiropractors. I have many friends in that business and respect each and every one of them. I read my post again and realized that I wrote it in hast and came across kind of harsh and I apologize, it was not my intent. What I was trying to say was, if you are having some serious problems with your lower back it might be best to consult a good orthopedic surgeon who has experience with athletes. I had a broken bone in my lower back that was mistaken for a congenital defect( go figure). It wasn’t until I got a second opinion that I found out it was a broken bone. I had what they call Spodiolisis and Spondiothesis ( not sure of the spelling). By then it was too late for it to heal on its own and I had no choose but surgery, which is not fun for a young pole vaulter. All I’m saying is that maybe you should rule out any major problems right off the bat just to be safe. Once you’ve done that, then see a chiropractor because they can do some amazing things. Hope this helps out a little more. If you need any help let me know. I’ve become friends with some of the best back surgeons in the US and they are always willing to help.

[SlickVT]

I'm starting to sound like a broken record.

A year and a half ago I finally recovered from a low back injury that kept me out an entire year. I had two stress fractures in my L4 vertebrae (it was essentially broken in half) and the pain I was feeling wasnt the fracture, but the muscles around the fracture making up for the structural loss by locking up.

I have one of my typical core workouts here if you wanna check it out. Now that I am healed, it keeps the muscles strong and everything else stabel (also has made my midsection strength extraordinary)
Click on the part called "Swiss Ball Workout".
http://filebox.vt.edu/users/anbingam/

Heres the deal. Get an X-ray. If you can't get an X-ray, I would go the the chiropractor, get adjusted and then take two weeks completely off of any strenuous activity. If, when you start back up again, you feel pain, then you are looking at something more serious than tight muscles. Otherwise, your muscles were just tight from being ripped off the ground.

For example, before my inury was diagnosed, I would get adjusted by a chiropractor and it would do absolutely nothing, if not hurt more. It makes sense: they were adjusting broken vertebrae.
Just recently (after about a year+ of being completely healed) I stupidly switched training shoes. My back started to kill me, so I got adjusted to get strait and took a week or so off. I'm good as new.
Its a good way to determine serious from nonserious without scans or rays.

P.S. I am a huge supporter of chirporatcors. I go once every two weeks or so when I am at Tech. I have been working and toning the muscles in my core to the point where I can feel when a bone or section of my hips or back are out of position. The doctors line me up and I feel great.
Anyone that says that chiropractors make things worse is simply used to having things out of place, which there is nothing wrong with. I just personally like having everything lined up.

[LHSpolevault]

if you do what i do (with any injury that isn't TOO serious) then stop procrastinating. a chiropractor would be your safest bet, unless it's something extreme, whereas it would probably be better to see an orthopedist (not the guy i saw)... all he did was look at xrays and say "mmhmm... mm... i see... umm... mmhmm.. alrighty have a nice day"

[wakesurfvault]

Well I got an X-Ray and there's no fracture or anything of that sort, i guess its just tight muscles or something. It probably has to do with the fact that I'm extremely inflexible. So I guess I'll just do some stretching and core work. Thanks for your replys.

[ryansanta]

A good chiropractor will take x-rays, and try to actually figure out what the problem is, they won't just randomly start adjusting.

exactly.

and yes, stretching the hamstrings will help a lot lot.