How I Cured Severe Back Pain Forever
The core solution for folks with big tummies and boobs
I tried to move the couch, but my back seized so hard I dropped to the floor. I couldn’t move for the next day and a half. I couldn’t get to the phone or the bathroom. Every time I tried to move, the spasms nearly knocked me unconscious.
This was the worst moment of many years of being plagued with my “back going out.” I got to where I constantly babied it by being sure not to do anything that might trigger the problem. I never picked up coins, for example. Being out of commission for a few days wasn't worth picking up a quarter.
When I was trapped for a day and a half, I had no insurance, and it happened before the internet and cell phones. There was no quick or affordable way to get help. After I felt better, a friend told me to start going to the gym to work on my “core.”
She explained that by gently strengthening the muscles in my sides and abdomen, I’d prevent most future problems. That made sense, but I was terrified I might overdo things and end up with the gym staff having to call an ambulance to come to scrape me off the floor.
Fortunately, I found a great solution. I will share the gym version and another option you can do at home.
The gentle, gradual approach begins with the side muscles and the abdomen. That may seem counterintuitive, but starting in the front and working to the rear when your back is prone to seize at any moment makes sense. Here’s the machine to look for at the gym:
This recommendation is for folks with muscular issues only. If there’s a chance you have a spinal fracture, you must see a doctor first and follow their advice.
If you can’t afford the gym or find this specific machine, you can replicate this movement using stretchy exercise bands and a chair. The bands are available at Walmart, Target, and on Amazon. This set is perfect and under twenty bucks, but look around to see if another solution is best for you. (No, that’s not an affiliate link. I just believe in the product.)
The intense focus on the front and side muscles is to protect your back muscles until those parts of your core are strong, stable, and able to support your spine. Consistency and repetition are also essential in this. Starting out with a low weight or resistance level is crucial — probably just ten or twenty pounds.
Every fitness coach I’ve had has insisted that maintaining proper form is far more critical than the amount of weight. This is doubly true in this process of alleviating back pain. We must think in terms of therapy first.
If you are using the bands at home, attach one end to something very stable, then sit in a chair at a distance that allows you to replicate the torso rotation with resistance, as demonstrated by the video above. Start with ten pounds and increase the weight slowly day by day. I was doing three sets of twenty reps, but please adjust the number of reps to suit your needs.
I followed this regimen for about a month when my back went out over thirty years ago, and the back muscle crisis never happened again. I haven’t been consistent about doing this exercise as a preventative measure, although I plan to start doing it most days as part of an exercise regimen I’m implementing.
Once you’ve built up your side muscles and abdomen, it will be safe to strengthen the back muscles slowly. If you’ve truly been plagued with your back seizing up and muscles spasming, I do not recommend using the equipment at the gym focused on the back muscles — at least not at first.
The next step is actually the next few thousand steps. Walking is an ideal way to strengthen the back. This is especially true if you have extra weight on your tummy and/or boobs. Your body provides all the resistance you will need for a long time. Walking will also help reduce the visceral fat in the stomach, which will help prevent future back issues.
The necessary amount of walking is unique to each person. I aim to go for at least a five-minute walk within the first hour after waking up, this has numerous benefits that I’ll discuss in another article. I then do another walk for at least thirty minutes later in the day. This is in addition to all the incidental walking I do. I shoot for walking at least 1.6 kilometers (a mile). This is a low goal, so I can congratulate myself when I do better than that.
I also recommend a gentle form of yoga. If you can safely do it standing, great, but if you’re heavy set, focused on healing, and perhaps hoping to lose weight, you can still do chair yoga. There are a number of free videos to follow for this, but this one is my favorite:
I’d love to hear from you. What suggestions would you add? What experiences have you had? I very much want to see you set free from back pain.
CYA/Disclaimer: I have a doctorate degree, but in law. What I learned about fitness and everything else came from screwing up, feeling the pain, and getting help or figuring it out. If you have access to health care, please have your provider make sure that it is safe for you to exercise. I wish you the best.
I’ve had a fantastic life and look forward to telling you many more poignant and amazing stories. Please follow me and consider buying me a beverage by clicking here. Thank you.
