Much better

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.