Persistent back pain now a distant memory

I thought living with chronic back pain was going to be my lot in life. The pain affected how I moved, how I slept, how I sat, even how long I sat. I was limited in so many ways. It was disheartening, as there appeared to be no end in sight.

My back pain originated from three separate injuries: a broken lumbar vertebra, a bulging disc required a laminectomy, and significant trauma to entire back including a broken coccyx from a fall.  

 We restrict our movement to avoid pain.  Restricting our movement leads to remodeling of our fascia.  This remodeled fascia causes stiffness and immobility.  This lack of movement results in weakness leading to more pain. Rinse and repeat. If only there was a way to safely strengthen our low back muscles and increase our range of motion without causing more back pain.

 I ruled out surgery and dependence on medication.  Exercise often made things worse.

 In 2002 the Wall Street Journal published an article about the MedX medical low back machine. Subjects exercising on this equipment safely strengthened their lower back muscles and eliminated their back pain. One study showed improvement as much as 600% in back strength. I found a doctor who had this piece of rehab equipment, the only one in the city at the time. 

 Each week the doctor had me exercise on the MedX low back machine. As my back got stronger, my back pain disappeared.

In 2006 we acquired the MedX low back machine and an extensive line of MedX exercise equipment for our Austin personal training location. The entire line of MedX exercise equipment has rehab features that enable us to work with those who have physical limitations. With the right equipment and capable trainers we have helped clients strengthen their bodies, eliminate pain, and get their lives back. 

This is one client’s story -> here 

More information on MedX exercise equipment -> here

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Sleeping injuries

Yep, I hurt myself sleeping. It is a damn shame when you hurt yourself sleeping. In my defense it might be that I have lost a little padding around my hips. I am down five belt loops and thirty-five pounds.

I consulted my physical therapist, and he said it happens occasionally. From this web page, Part 6 Common Sleep Injuries: Hip Injuries, this quote:

“The trochanteric bursa is on the outside of the hip. If you sleep on one side for most of the night, you can compress it, causing swelling and inflammation, or Greater Trochanteric Pain Syndrome (GTPS.) You will wake up in the morning or in the night with pain and tenderness on the side of your hip, which may feel like a bad cramp. If the inflammation gets worse, any kind of walking or climbing motion will aggravate the bursa and cause more pain.”

I once had this injury twenty-five years ago and limped for days. This time there was just a bit of aggravation.  It helps if you have muscle protecting those joints. At New Orleans Personal Trainer and Austin Personal Trainer we can help you with that.

Can endorphins really alleviate pain?

From the movie Legally Blonde: “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don't shoot their husbands, they just don't.”

From this article, Endorphins: Natural Pain and Stress Fighters:

“In addition to decreased feelings of pain, secretion of endorphins leads to feelings of euphoria, modulation of appetite, release of sex hormones, and enhancement of the immune response. With high endorphin levels, we feel less pain and fewer negative effects of stress.”

Euphoria, less pain and stress?  Yes, especially after a HIIT workout.  Withhigh intensity interval strength training working all the major muscle groups to a thorough fatigue achieves a state of deep relaxation. The pains just leaves your body, and you feel a sense of relaxation that is, well…euphoric. 

If you are injured it is often best to avoid aggravating that injury by exercising.  Another category is old injuries that produce minor aches and pains. Old injuries will come back to haunt you unless you do something to keep them at bay. In this instance you might find that exercise can alleviate that pain.  The personal trainers at New Orleans Personal Training and Austin Personal Training can help you set up a program that will enable you to begin exercising again, avoid aggravating old injuries, andincrease your quality of life.

Living without back pain or living with it

There are many changes that come from exercise - increases in strength, stamina, body leanness, speed, and flexibility – that can be measured. Changes that cannot be accurately measured include the decreased likelihood of injury and the attendant pain and how well you feel. The right exercise can result in an increase in one’s quality of life. In some cases it can be dramatically life changing. As trainers this is the most rewarding result we experience with clients.

One client: “ A year ago at this time I was experiencing frequent bouts of aches and pains in my neck, shoulders, and back. I figured it was just part of growing older. Since I started strength training last January, these problems have gone away. Amazing!”

This was the experience of Bill Milliken who trains with Timothy, one of ourAustin Personal trainers. Carole had a similar experience: “I woke up every day with back pain. Going up and down stairs was painful for me knees. I am now pain-free”.

Exercise can go a long way in relieving pain and decreasing the likelihood of injury if it is the right exercise and the right amount of exercise. We use exercise protocols that were derived from exercise studies and have been proven effective for all ages and levels of fitness. At New Orleans Personal Trainers and Austin Personal Trainers and we use MedX rehabilitative exercise equipment that can be adjusted to accommodate those with limitations and the equipment is easier on the joints. We also have many years of experience working with those with pain, so that they can avoid the trial and error and the possibility of additional injury that can result by doing it on their own.

Previous blog entries in the series What Clients Are Saying:
1. Under no circumstances stop exercising because that is what is keeping you going
2. This would not have happened to me if I had a personal trainer
3. A Radical Transformation
4. I saw a remarkable change in my body
5. I don’t think I would be alive today
6. Amazing and remarkable
7.My doctor said it would not be necessary to start taking drugs to preserve my bone density
8. Seems too good to be true, but it actually is that good
9. After each session, I always felt better on all levels.
10. I was in tears walking on the Great Wall of China
11. I love this workout

12. More results in eight weeks than I had in three years.

Living with pain or living without it

“ A year ago at this time I was experiencing frequent bouts of aches and pains in my neck, shoulders, and back. I figured it was just part of growing older. Since I started strength training last January, these problems have gone away. Amazing!”

This was the experience of Bill Milliken who trains with Timothy, one of our Austin Personal trainers. Carole had a similar experience: “I woke up every day with back pain. Going up and down stairs was painful for me knees. I am now pain-free”.

There are many changes that come from exercise - increases in strength, speed, stamina, body leanness, and flexibility – that can be measured. Changes that cannot be accurately measured include how well you feel and the decreased likelihood of injury and the attendant pain. The right exercise can result in an increase in one’s quality of life. In some cases it can be dramatically life changing. As trainers this is the most rewarding result we experience with clients.

Exercise can go a long way in relieving pain and decreasing the likelihood of injury if it is the right exercise and the right amount of exercise. At Austin Personal Trainers and New Orleans Personal Trainers we use MedX rehabilitative exercise equipment that is easier on the joints and can be adjusted to accommodate those with limitations. We also use exercise protocols that were derived from exercise studies and have been proven effective for all ages and levels of fitness. We also have many years of experience working with those with pain, so that they can avoid the trial and error and the possibility of additional injury that can result by doing it on their own.

Previous blog entries in the series What Clients Are Saying:
1. @#%& incredible
2. Seems too good to be true, but it actually is that good
3. After each session, I always felt better on all levels.
4. This would not have happened to me if I had a personal trainer
5. This affects all aspects of my life.
6. I saw a remarkable change in my body
7. A Radical Transformation
8. I don’t think I would be alive today
9. Amazing and remarkable
10.My doctor said it would not be necessary to start taking drugs to preserve my bone density
11.What Clients Are Saying - "My years of strength training helped me survive cancer"
12. Under no circumstances stop exercising because that is what is keeping you going
13. I have officially lost 50 pounds
14. I was in tears walking on the Great Wall of China
15. I love this workout

16. More results in eight weeks than I had in three years.

After Ten Exercise Sessions Dramatic Increases in Back Strength

We lose flexibility in our backs as we age. To avoid injury to our backs we become increasingly less inclined to go to the fully contracted or stretched position position. It's a classic case of if-you-don’t-use-it you-lose-it; we lose considerable strength in the fully flexed and extended positions.

From this study Effect of resistance training on lumbar extension strengthcome some significant results. Subjects exercised using the MedX lumbar exercise machine. Once a week for ten weeks subjects performed one back exercise of six to 15 repetitions. Subjects in the study made the following improvement:

* At fully flexed position (72 degrees) strength increases ranged from 427% to 607%

* At the fully extension position (0 degrees) strength increases ranged from 180% to 364%

The largest increases in back strength were at the fully and flexed extended positions. There were two components to the improvement:

* The newly acquired strength in excess of what had been their previous peak strength,

* The recovered lost strength.

At the mid-range there was less loss of strength, so the improvement was not as pronounced.

Subjects experienced a serious increase in back strength after just ten exercise sessions. Half of Americans will suffer back pain in the course of a year. Most wait until they experience back pain to do anything about it. A proactive program of regular back exercise can help prevent back injury. A stronger more limber back is less likely to get injured. It does not require hours in the gym. As one who has broken bones in my back on two separate occasions, I can attest to the results that come from minimal back exercise using the right equipment and the right protocol.
 

At Austin Fitness Trainers we have had success working with those who have back problems. For that purpose we use MedX strength and rehabilitative exercise equipment.

Strength training better than aerobics for easing back pain

In a 16 week study using two different modalities to ease back pain one group performed aerobic training such as walking on a treadmill, jogging, and using an elliptical machine and another group exercised used barbells, dumbbells, and other load-bearing exercise equipment. The aerobic group experienced a 12 percent decrease in back pain, while the weight training group experienced a 60 percent decrease in back pain.

From this Science News article Use Weights, Not Aerobics, To Ease Back Pain, Study Suggests:

“Any activity that makes you feel better is something you should pursue, but the research indicates that we get better pain management results from resistance training. The extra benefits stem from using the whole-body approach required in resistance training, We tried to strengthen the entire body and by doing that, we decreased the fatigue people felt throughout the day. They were better able to perform their activities of daily living."

The researcher concludes: “People who use weight training to ease their lower back pain are better off than those who choose other forms of exercise such as jogging”

I believe that the real added value of strength training lies in the fact that a stronger body is less likely to have back pain to begin with. People wait until they are plagued by chronic back pain before they do something about. In 2005 Americans spent $85.9 billion looking for relief from back and neck pain.

We believe a better solution is to be proactive and get your back stronger and lessen the likelihood of future back pain. With the right equipment one can experience dramatic increases in back strength.

At New Orleans Fitness Training and Austin Fitness Training we have extensive lines of MedX rehabilitative and exercise equipment. It is the most technologically advanced fitness, sports and medical/rehabilitation equipment available. We work to prevent injuries as well as helping those with injuries become pain-free.