CARES FOR THE LOWER BACK

Since I was 15 years old and due to my height (1.90 cm) I suffered from chronic pain in my lower back, lower back which apparently and by medical opinion was having a problem that I have been forming over the years, a bit because of my position when doing certain tasks and a little because of sports I practiced, yes because of sports.
All my life I was a sports lover, I used to play football, tennis, swimming, athletics and various disciplines more, and a little more in my teens my tastes changed and for more that I kept in the world of sports my priorities changed, bmx and other high impact sports were my passions. All this has been adding a problem a bit and I always tried to make this do not deprive me of doing what I loved, always felt a little annoyed at the end of a session.


These last years have not been the exception and for more that I changed my activities seems that I still do not choose the right ones for my back. Skateboarding changed for downhill longboarding, and the bmx has been replaced by my fixie bike and I think these two were the detonators. Due to the position of the body in both, always coiled, with the back curved and forcing the muscles of the legs and the hip, the aerodynamic position to be taken when accelerating in a longboard is so unnatural that it is impossible not to force the sticking to practice this beautiful sport.
On the other hand the geometry of the track bike on the fixie does not help at all, with a seat rather higher than the handlebars the weight distribution is totally different from a normal bike.





About four years ago I started to use these bikes, and my first fixie was a restoration of an old bicycle that was in my grandparents' house, and although my grandfather was also a tall person, the bicycle was not my size for me and this was the last straw that spilled the glass.
One winter night I went cycling for about two hours, and I think the sum of a bad posture and the cold caused my sciatic nerve to explode, I returned to my house with a slight pain, I took a hot shower and practically the other day I could not get out of bed, a deep pain like a stab in the lower back that ran down my left leg almost to the bottom of my foot.


Several weeks passed home remedies, antipain creams and stretching sessions to try to relieve pain and there was no case, after the visit the first specialist expected a quick solution but it was not the case, I began to take relevant with B12 and followed the procedure of routine applying cream twice a day but nothing seemed to have an effect, the painkillers calmed me for a few hours but honestly it was practically the same.
The second specialist I visited took things a little more seriously, they made me a plaque to rule out bone problems and confirmed that my problem lay in the sciatic nerve. he gave me injectables once a day for seven days. This was really the decision that began to change a little my discomfort, the injection days felt a little strong at first but as the hours went by the pain was disappearing, on the seventh day my pain had almost disappeared and seemed to go back to normality, but soon after and although of milder form the pain reappeared.


That's when I decided to take the reins of the problem and began to study a little more on the subject, I discovered a couple of exercises and habits to make up this dilemma in a long term and definitely.

STRETCHES

The first thing I searched was a way to stretch the muscles and relax the contracture, I discovered something neither of the specialists could tell me, and is that the sciatic nerve is a crossed nerve, so you have to stretch it crossed, and if your pain goes down by the left leg it is very probable that we have the pain in the root of the right side, anyway the stretching session was symmetrical and for periods of 10 to 15 min twice a day, when I wake up and before bed.
Lying on our back, we flexed one leg cross-legged over the other and took the knee to the chest, hold for a minute and relax, we do this with both legs and repeat three times each.
Another alternative is to sit on the edge of the bed, open the legs a little with the soles of the feet resting on the floor and the knees flexional at 90 degrees try to touch the floor with the palms of the hands, hold for 1 minute and relax , this exercise can be repeated 5 to 7 times with a rest of 45 seconds between each of the repetitions.

FITNESS

Another activity that markedly improved my back was the fact of going to a the gym to specifically work my lumbar muscles and abs. The spine and everything that connects nerves in that area is supported by the surrounding muscles, and a muscle deficiency can encourage the back not only deformed but is holding all the weight and effort alone. Not just sit-ups and backs, I remember that squats and non-impact hip exercises were one of the big keys to strengthen the area and give some rest to the bony part of my back.
The use of a sash at the time of weight lifting is essential until we can adopt the perfect posture with the back completely straight and let the legs and arms take care of the hard work.

POSITION

The daily posture plays a very important role and may make the biggest difference between a recovery or end up worsening the problem. Whether it's sitting in front of the computer, when we work, driving for a long time and even doing basic daily tasks has its little trick to do it right.
Attempting to always sit on the back to maintain a 90 degree angle conform to the hip, keep the shoulders straight and avoid curvature in the cervical area is key not to suffer contractures or muscle discomfort. The same as whenf driving, it is very important that you adjust the seat correctly as the headrest supports of your car, good support in the lower back and an upright position avoided many problems.


The idea of ​​this post is to try to help someone with the same problem, or help prevent what can be a very serious problem. Personally for more than 15 years I have been struggling with my illness, and beyond having improvements I have gone through critical moments. First of all I recommend that you visit a specialist without hesitation, we always have to contemplate a professional opinion before knowing which way to take, and do not stay with one if possible visit two or three doctors or different physiotherapists to compare their opinions . Finally stay active, do stretching sessions a couple of times a week, so be 10 minutes per session, all help and can make the difference when facing a bad movement or a contracture. Stay well-fit and in shape, we know that being overweight does not help back problems, and the lack of muscles that support the bones is equally harmful, you should not make a training routine for a physical-bodybuilder but with a constant exercise routine and habitual movement for our body to feel better and be more prepared could make the difference.

Credits:

Photo 1 by Larm Rmah on www.unsplash.com
Photo 2 by Nicolas Barbier Garreau on www.unsplash.com
Photo 3 by http://uy.globedia.com
Photo 4 by http://1.bp.blogspot.com/
Photo 5 by ciudadano2cero.com