Now that I have a bad-back diagnosis the stretches I am doing are far more productive. This morning was the best I felt in several weeks; walk to the office was pain free, minor tingles going up the stairs..to and from lunch was ok; some mild pain walking home this evening.
The secret: stretch the back.
Here is what I wrote for FB:
“
The diagnosis I got yesterday was a game changer almost immediately.
I had persistent butt pain since summer of 2020..but I’ve had bouts of this many, many, many times before as well as back issues.
This time, the x-ray showed it as clear as a bell. Disks in my lower lumbar spine were compressed..probably leading to a bulge against a nerve.
I had physical therapy which treated this as a glute issue. There was some improvement because part of the therapy strengthened the glutes and abs. But I now notice that the best exercises were the ones that helped the back.
And one other thing now makes sense: treadmill walking on an incline did not cause glute pain but it did make my back somewhat sore and stiff…that is entirely consistent with what I have.
Also, in my running/walking photos: I am often bent forward from the waist…my body was doing that to protect the back…
Yes, this is genetic; my late mom suffered from the same symptoms later in life.
Things are already better because I now know what is wrong and what sorts of things mitigate the pain. It is only day later and I know feel 70 percent better….just knowing what is wrong helps a great deal.
“
As you can see, the disks between the lower lumbar vertebrae are very compressed.
The workout: pull ups (2 sets of 10 singles, 2 sets of 10, 4 sets of 5 which included one wide, one chin)
push ups: 30, 30 sissy, 25 feet elevated, 10 deficit, 20 indoor flat. Also abs and back.
Deadlifts (trap bar): 10 x 134, 10 x 184, 10 x 234 low (felt great)
10 x 280 8 inch handle.
Then more back and yoga; felt great walking to the office.
Life of an old goat 