Arthritis in Lower Back

[octobermajik]

What's up all. Recently after some major back pain and a trip to the doctor's, I was diagnosed with arthritis in my lower back. I've had back pain off and on for the last 20 years (will be 40 soon), but this time it felt somewhat different.

Should I just stick with Hammer Strength machines for working out my lower back? I'm just trying to get to a point where I don't make the condition worse, and build up strength back there. I've been working out solidly for about 12 years now (but only really began to know what I was doing within the last four), and have focused on my lower back with deadlifting, bent over rows, etc. But now the doc says these are probably out of the question now.

Any advice or direction as to what to do would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

[eho]

What's up Octobermajik

I'd like to know more about what you think caused the pain:
- how long have you had pain, how bad is it now?
- whether there was some injury or traumatic event, or if you felt something one time while working out?
- can it be occupational?  what kind of work do you do?
- do you have any pain going down your but or leg?

I'm also wondering about your form when doing deadlift and bent over row.  12 years of working out is great, but we all develop our habits in the gym.   Some of them good, some of them bad.  Always keep a natural curve in your lower back, so as not to allow it to hunch over. 

Core strenthening/endurance exercise should be included in your training, because, like your abs, your back erector muscles are not big motion muscles, they're paid to hold you still and be strong and reliable when you need it the most...  which is why I don't even look at the Machines when i want to do lower back.

so much attention is paid to what muscle looks like on the body that people tend to forget about making it functional.  Check the power lifters and how they lift..  maybe they don't look like they have a six pack, but their core strength kicks any body builder's any day.

Aside from this, have you had x-rays taken of your Lumbar spine?  Have you been to see your chiropractor?   

[octobermajik]

Hey Eho, how are you?

Well, the pain tends to come an go. In the beginning, it'll be debilitating, and over a course of the first week, it will subside somewhat. Then after a couple of weeks, all will be well. This happens about every six to ten months, for about fifteen to twenty years, and anything can pretty much trigger it. Sometimes I have pain going down the legs and in the behind, sometimes I don't.

I've done deadlifts, back extensions, et all religiously, in an effort to strengthen the back. If I don't use good form, I'll get hurt back there, so I can't go too heavy (I'm not a beast as it is). Recently I've had X Rays, which brought about the prognosis. I haven't been recommended to see a chiropractor yet, but I do have an upcoming physical therapy session.

Right now there's no pain per se, but the lower back feels as if it has no strength whatsoever.

I've been told to stick with HS in order to better target the lower back as far as strengthening it. I've pretty much eliminated deadlifts and squats from my agenda because I can trigger the pain if I do something wrong on those exercises, or twist a certain way. It doesn't and wouldn't happen a lot, but it's not worth taking the chance for me. And I can't even do seated cable rows; or if I do, I'll hurt my back if I go too heavy. It's a bitch, but it is what it is. However, I can do the seated HS rows, and hit my lower back, and go heavier.

What can I say?

[pumpster]

At this point, what you want to find are exercises that work the back without causing any bad pain. Find the exercises that do that and use those with high reps. Machines, rack pulls, hyperextensions whatever works with high reps and no pain is the priority, not rigidly sticking to certain exercises that do cause problems, because those problems will only get worse.

Besides high reps also ensure good warmups first.

If hypothetically you can't find anything that works without causing pain (unlikely) just do other basic exercises that indirectly hit the lower back, like various forms of squats.