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> The author is often asked for her thoughts on certain forms of exercise, such as yoga or pilates, which she also covers on her website. What she tells people,
by theseatoms 9y ago
> The author is often asked for her thoughts on certain forms of exercise, such as yoga or pilates, which she also covers on her website. What she tells people, repeatedly, is that “movement is essential.”
The exercise economy is the real back pain industry.
- havetocharge 9y agoBut please don't use this argument to justify avoiding a little home exercise.
- nostromo 9y agoExercise fixed all of my back pain issues. I do heavy deadlifts. I can't tell you how many people told me that it would hurt my back. But it turns out having a muscular back to support my spine was exactly what I needed.
- andreyf 9y agoSeems like this advice could hurt a lot of people if they have a different issue with identical systems.
- whiddershins 9y agoI'm not going to say deadlifts are recommended in every case, and I have no medical qualifications. I have done a bunch of research and have tons of anecdotes which indicate that with proper form deadlifts are far safer and more effective for a wide range of people than is commonly imagined. And the form is rather easy to get right.
- woofyman 9y agoI've fixed my bouts of lower back muscle spasms by strengthening my abs.
- buzzybee 9y agoThe core is so important. Core + breathing exercises will improve any other activity.
- pcurve 9y agothis was true for my Mon in her 70s. Her back problem got a lot better when she started doing exercise and gained more muscle mass around her back.
- 0xbear 9y agoSame here. Went from being unable to lift even 100 lbs without pain to 495lbs. I don’t recommend going quite that far to everyone, but 315lbs should not be a problem at all for men.
- icelancer 9y agoDeadlifting heavy loads improve hypertrophy and muscle; this definitely helps. People seem to understand that. But those reading this may also be swayed by the fact that properly performed deadlifts (and squats) increase proprioception around the back and also stimulate osteoblasts and bone growth, while killing - over time - anterior pelvic tilt, which contributes to low back pain. It's more than just muscle. Deadlifts really do a hell of a lot for the body. (They also stimulate growth hormone!)
- lr4444lr 9y agoPerhaps, but exercise has so many other contingent benefits with so few comparable risks, not to mention it can be low cost of free that it's not really fair to compare the two.