I'm pleased to report that with the help of acupuncture from my physiotherapist, my back is continuing to improve. I have to be very careful on long car journeys, but it's huge progress from where I was only a few weeks ago. And the Rok n Sok throne is working out OK for performance, so thanks to everyone for their recommendations on that.

I'm still pretty convinced that I need a better quality chair for the office/studio, though. I was down in the south of the country for a business appointment yesterday, and took the opportunity to call in at a shop nearby which specialises in back care products. I had booked an appointment for a proper consultation.

The assistant seemed to know his stuff and took a lot of info from me - we talked about desk height, performance mechanics etc and they'd asked me to bring some photos of myself sitting and working at my desk area to get an idea of the ergonomics.

Then we started to look at chairs. One by one he got out various models, carefully set them up for me and invited me to try them sitting at a desk he'd set to the same height as mine. No prices were mentioned at this point.

Eventually, after I'd sat in them all, he asked me to start eliminating them one by one, giving my reasons. Occasionally, he brought a new model into the mix.

Eventually, I settled on a chair which was a dream to sit on - the bottom moved with my body to keep my spine in motion (a principle the assistant emphasised as important, as it helps exercise and strengthen core muscles rather than just being plonked in one place) and the back, a split design, followed me closely too, supporting my lumbar region beautifully. Leaning back in the chair with my head on the headrest, I could feel my vertebrae being naturally and therapeutically stretched.

It was then that I caught a certain look in the assistant's eye and I had a moment of intuition. "I've picked the most expensive, haven't I?" He nodded, grinning. "At least you know the good stuff."

This is the model I chose (headrest not shown). It's by Grahl of Germany:



And the price? 1250UKP.

Obviously, at that cost, I told the assistant I would have to go away and think seriously about it. Part of me baulks at paying that much for something that doesn't make a sound. But part of me thinks, well, I'd pay money like that for other equipment and if it helps keep me working without pain, it may be worth splashing the cash.

They had some other interesting chairs too, such as this one, the Salli Saddle:



Felt very comfortable, but the saddle design isn't very practical for working pedals. Same goes for the Varier kneeling chair, which also felt great:



And I also got to try the Swopper, which was mentioned by someone in a previous thread. This would be a really nice performance stool:



But also quite expensive at 530UKP. If you have the money, though, it's quite light so certainly giggable.

The assistant also offered me the chance to try something called the Mobiliser:



This is a medical-grade massage device which uses two motorised wooden massage rollers to manipulate the spine. I was warned I might find it a little on the harsh side at first, but the assistant told me to just arch my back if it got really uncomfortable.

It was certainly a strange feeling at first. As the first roller passed over my bottom and lower back it was surprisingly firm - as the second one followed and the first began dealing with my neck it felt almost like being violated and I found the motion a bit nauseous. But I stuck with it and I could really feel it doing some serious work on my back.

At the end of the 10-minute cycle, I got up off the thing and felt 20 years younger. The improvement in my back was really discernible. Downside? You guessed - the thing costs 2600UKP to buy, though you can also rent one. But it was an exceptional enough experience to make me seriously consider one, even at those prices.

More about the Mobiliser here. Among its advocates are Dr Ann Redgrave, wife of Olympic rowing star Steve, and chief medical officer to the British Olympic rowing team.

I never realised I could develop GAS for things which didn't at least have a keyboard attached. How wrong can you be?

Aidan, glad to hear your back is better. My back went out about three weeks ago and of course I went to my family doctor.

It's interesting how times have changed regarding the treatment of lower back pain. About 30 years ago you would have been prescribed total bed rest for three weeks. Now the treatment is to keep moving ... and to be given Valium to keep you from tensing up your back muscles. I'm now seeing a physical therapist.

I asked my family doctor for an MRI but she wouldn't prescribe that unless the pain radiated to my legs; I reasonably certain I have a bulging disk.

I also bought an expensive desk chair many years when I lived in the US. I think I paid about $500 20 years ago. It's still working fine and I recently took it apart and greased it; it was squeaking.

I also watch TV while on the floor in a push up position (in the up position) with my knees on the floor, letting my back arch downward. You do that for five minutes and your back feels great. I'm also thinking of installing a chin up bar so I can simply hang and let my back completely stretch out.

It's great to be vertical again. For most of the last three weeks I couldn't straighten up completely.

I had a friend in the US who passed away at the ago of 60 or so. His liver was shot from having worked around chemicals used to clean and repair band instruments. He would be walking around supported by a cane and I would ask, How're you doing, Jack? He would reply, I'm still vertical. That always made me smile.

Thanks Dave, I tried that push-up position you suggested and yep, that does feel pretty good!

Glad to hear you're a bit better too.

maybe from the house to the garden shed? ;-)

Save yourself some money and sit on an exercise ball, which costs about $35:

Great news, Aidan!

For you non-gigging, home office chair solution, check this out - it's a Swiss ball chair with a back rest:



Viniyoga has been working out pretty well for me. I've put in three weeks now, rotating between the Low Back/Sacrum Focus practice and the Hip Focus practice on this DVD. No religion involved, just clear step by step instructions:
http://www.viniyoga.com/yogalowerbackpaindvd.html

I'll probably get an inversion tool in the near future. Inversion is yet another method for addressing back pain. This one looks fun - the OmGym:


A tool like the OmGym needs a supporting structure. The branches of the trees in my area are too high, so I'm thinking of getting this inversion rack (without the boots) for hanging the OmGym - could be useful for pullups too:



http://www.teeter-inversion.com/

Well the good news is that I have managed to score a Grahl on eBay for 300 quid. Not exactly the same model as I tried but very similar. And at a quarter of the price who's complaining.

Dave, that "reverse arch" is one of the stretches my physical therapist taught me to do for my back. Another one I do is hamstring stretches, which I never would have thought mattered for lower back health, but they are important. Don't do the typical hurdler's stretch since it can put a load on the lower back. Instead follow the method my PT showed me which I described in my post on October 9:
http://forums.musicplayer.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/2123490/2

The Viniyoga DVD that I mentioned has the student try an adapted version of Supta Padangusthasana, which is one of the most gentlest hamstring stretches. It looks like this:



The even gentler version of the above used in Viniyoga for low back relief the non-stretching leg bent, and the leg to be stretched folded with the knee to the chest, with the hands at the crook of the folded knee. One simply pushes the heel towards the ceiling, with the arms straightening for support. This adapted one leg at a time version is emphasized in the Low Back/Sacrum Focus Practice (the first routine in the DVD).

The 2nd routine (Hip Focus Practice) is more focused on stretching and stabilizing all the major muscle groups that run through the hips, especially the ones that are connected to the spine. The hamstrings can pull at the spine in one direction - which is why hamstring stretches are a staple of low back rehab routines. The psoas muscles are directly attached to the spine and can pull in the other direction, so they too need to be stretched and strengthened. And there are other muscle groups that are also addressed in this routine. Yoga takes advantage of the breath as a tool to deepen stretches, and a well designed routine warms up and loosens the body for the key stabilizing and stretching poses, and also follows up with "counter poses" to compensate.

Anyone who is having issues with bulging disks in their lower back (such as people who are experiencing sciatic symptoms of pain or numbness in their feet, legs or buttocks), should not pull either of their knees towards their chest. In such a position the opening between vertebrae becomes wider at the back than the front, which can encourage a failing disk to bulge further towards the back of your body. And if the disk bulges further towards the back of your body, this can cause increased pressure from the failing disk on the nerve roots which diverge from your spine at that particular vertebra, which can increase the sciatic symptoms.

It has a full Midi implementation and is pressure and touch sensitive also. A must have! Poo!

Besides stretching and "stabilizing" (just what is that?), what is often overlooked is the need to strengthen the core area. All the stretching in the world won't help if the muscles are too weak to support the body.

In fact, I will go as far to say that stretching is very often overrated and seen as a solution when all that might be needed is stronger muscles. I lift heavy weights for fun and have never had a back problem...I don't stretch either.

A good lifting program followed correctly will help more people than all the stretching in the world.

'
Back problems can be very debilitating - underestimate it at your peril..... it can be a serious issue.

My Dad, RIP, suffered a slipped disc 25 years ago (he was 62yrs-old at the time), which trapped a nerve - his right leg was literally paralysed.....

after only 2 or 3 weeks virtually all the muscle had disappeared, and his leg was no more than skin & bone.

After prolonged treatment & operations he was eventually able to walk again, using a walking stick.

About 10 years ago (35yrs-old) I got a 'bad back'..... I was worried.

I was referred to a physiotherapist who, aside from the recognised advice about posture etc,

gave me a simple exercise to do 3 or 4 times a day.

If it will help any of you, I'd like to share it.

1. Get on your hands & knees

2. Imagine that there's a string going through your belly-button up thro' your back & someone's got a hold of it (a bit like a puppet-on-a-string).

3. Pull in (tense) your stomach for a count of ten (as if the 'puppeteer' is pulling upwards on the 'string'),
then completely relax (let it go!) for a count of five.

Repeat 10 times.

This is so easy to do -not like strenuous sit-ups or anything- and really does work wonders for strengthening the lower back area.

Hope this might be of help to you fellow back-pain sufferers .


John.

Thanks for the tip, John, will try those.

Currently sitting in my nice new Grahl chair - very supportive, though it moves with my body quite a bit, even when the back rest is locked.

It's lacking a few of the refinements of the one I tried in the shop but is still a massive improvement on my previous Staples special!

The move that I described - which you responded to above - also includes a belly-to-the-spine contraction and exhalation. I cannot explain this stuff nearly as well as Gary Kraftsow does in his book "Yoga For Wellness", which goes into further detail about yoga therapy for back injuries and other injuries. But even he says, "please clear it with your doctor" before pursuing yoga therapy or other exercise, even of a rehab/therapeutic nature. The stuff in the book and the DVD I mentioned was partially based on his work with patients and the National Institute of Health.

I injured my back with a bad deadlift. The deadlift is a fine exercise - but all it takes is one mistake... In my case, I forgot to push through my heels and lifted the barbell with the wrong body parts. Ever since, I have an ache that is sometimes in my right hip/buttock and sometimes in my left that is at its worst whenever I sit in a chair and is mostly gone when I stand. Sitting crosslegged seems to relieve the pain.

There are many potential issues with a back injury. Some muscles may be too tight and need to be loosened with a stretching program, because of excessive pull on the spine or some other area. Some of the joints involved may be too mobile because of a weakness in another muscle group. "Stabilize" in this context just means strengthening a weak muscle group so that the joint is more stable.

It's too late to tell someone like Aidan "go lift weights" - he already has the back injury. I was lifting weight and I still got hurt - though I take responsibility for my own injury as noted above. I saw doctor specializing in back injuries and he told me not to lift weights until I had reached a certain point in my rehabilitation. He wasn't sure of the exact source of my pain, but said it was ok to keep doing Yoga and other rehab type exercises and stretches.

Yoga is not a stretch-only program. Most of the time in Yoga, while you stretch one area, you contract the muscles on the other side to deepen the stretch. The workout for those contracting muscles is not as intense as lifting a weight, but rehab for a person who is injured/recovering from injury has a very different purpose than strength training for a healthy, non-injured person such as yourself.

Let us (all) know how you go on with that Aidan?

After only 2 or 3 days I noticed a real improvement .


Good luck with the chair also!
.

I agree that strengthening is important as well as stretching. But the fact that you have never had a back problem does not prove anything by itself - there are many people who do no strength exercises and do no stretching, but have had no back problems. I was one of them until I injured my back in a body surfing accident.

Please keep in mind that there are several types of exercise that can be good for people who have not had back problems, but that these same exercises would not be recommended for those who do have back problems. So strengthening exercises are more tricky to recommend for people in this situation.