# bad back, pilates or yoga?



## RedRider (23 May 2013)

Hiya, I'm plagued by a bad back and it's really interfering with me cycling/everything else.
Doctor's advice is yoga or pilates to strengthen the muscles around my spine and hold it in place. I'm tending towards the pilates idea but does anyone have experience/an opinion? Does it work?
Whichever i choose I'm thinking I'd pay up for one or two (expensive!, so very expensive!!) one-to-one sessions to make sure I'm doing it right before going to a regular, cheaper class. Again, thoughts welcome as well as any recommendations for classes around the Brixton to Bermondsey area. I know it's a bit of a longshot but any advice would be gratefully received. Cheers.


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## Dayvo (23 May 2013)

Using a Swiss ball is a good way of strengthening your core muscles.

Have a look on the net for different exercises and opinions, but I'd definitely recommend one.

http://www.ball-exercises.com/

You can get them from Argos: http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Brows...567/c_4/4|cat_33011567|Gym+balls|33020964.htm


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## Mr Haematocrit (23 May 2013)

I used to suffer from a bad back and no longer do so. I do a body balance class which is a great combination of yoga, pilates, tai-chi as such you get the best of all these classes.

http://w3.lesmills.com/global/en/classes/bodybalance/about-bodybalance/


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## Rob3rt (23 May 2013)

My advice is to see a private sports therapist. They will assess you and prescribe relevant exercises and treatment.


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## henshaw11 (23 May 2013)

Wot Rob said, or a physio. But otherwise, Pilates - that's exactly the sort of issue it's intended to address. It's possible other stuff might resolve it but it,ll depend on what your instructor is like. I'd expect a Pilates instructor to be a bit more knowledgable and advise what to do (or not) to improve strength/flexibility without causing any damage.


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## ayceejay (24 May 2013)

"Bad back" is not enough information is it? Depending on the specifics both yoga and pilates could either fix it or f_ck it.


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## RedRider (24 May 2013)

ayceejay said:


> "Bad back" is not enough information is it? Depending on the specifics both yoga and pilates could either fix it or f_ck it.


L1 and L2 vertebrae stiff with little movement. Musclepops and spasms making me shriek. Goes six or so times a year and i walk around like an ape for a week and tentatively for another couple. Doc reckons increased core strength should help.


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## RedRider (24 May 2013)

Mr Haematocrit said:


> I used to suffer from a bad back and no longer do so. I do a body balance class which is a great combination of yoga, pilates, tai-chi as such you get the best of all these classes.
> 
> http://w3.lesmills.com/global/en/classes/bodybalance/about-bodybalance/


There's one pretty local so thanks, I'll look into it some more but a bit intense at first glance!


Rob3rt said:


> My advice is to see a private sports therapist. They will assess you and prescribe relevant exercises and treatment.





henshaw11 said:


> Wot Rob said, or a physio. But otherwise, Pilates - that's exactly the sort of issue it's intended to address. It's possible other stuff might resolve it but it,ll depend on what your instructor is like. I'd expect a Pilates instructor to be a bit more knowledgable and advise what to do (or not) to improve strength/flexibility without causing any damage.


Cheers, putting my feelers out for a recommendation. Willing to pay for a good one if they can tailor some exercises I can take forward myself.


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## ayceejay (24 May 2013)

_"A common misconception about healing back pain is that the back is weak and that you should just work the core more. Actually, when you only work the core muscles — as in a hundred crunches a day — you may just be shortening your front body to match the back one. This can further pull on the spine and cause more disc compression and too little (or too much) curvature."_
some good advice from http://blog.gaiam.com/yoga-poses-for-lower-back-pain read the whole thing and try some of the easy postures shown. Some flexibility will give you the confidence to work on your core.


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## Mo1959 (25 May 2013)

RedRider said:


> Hiya, I'm plagued by a bad back and it's really interfering with me cycling/everything else.
> Doctor's advice is yoga or pilates to strengthen the muscles around my spine and hold it in place. I'm tending towards the pilates idea but does anyone have experience/an opinion? Does it work?
> Whichever i choose I'm thinking I'd pay up for one or two (expensive!, so very expensive!!) one-to-one sessions to make sure I'm doing it right before going to a regular, cheaper class. Again, thoughts welcome as well as any recommendations for classes around the Brixton to Bermondsey area. I know it's a bit of a longshot but any advice would be gratefully received. Cheers.


Hope you find something that helps. It is my main bug bear that stops me going further on rides. Did 45 miles this morning including quite a bit of climbing which seems to exacerbate it. Legs usually feel like they could do a bit more but back just gets more and more achy.

I wondered if one of these back stretcher things that you lie on would be any good?


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## AnythingButVanilla (25 May 2013)

Pilates. It was recommended to me by my GP and physiotherapist for my lower back problems and really does help when I bother to do it.


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## Tom Hooper (28 May 2013)

i broke 5 vertebre in july last year after spending 4 months lying on my back unable to move, i had no core muscle i have been doing standard stretches and pilates and it has done wonders for me, from losing 3 stone in muslce mass i got my first KOM the other day, if you do stretches every day and you need about 5 pilates sessions to get it right then do them 3 times a week at home you shouldnt have a problem, make sure the instructor knows your problem and he can tailor it for your needs, a compression vest is also a good tip keeps your muscles nice and tight and stops them spasiming.

the fitter you become the better you will feel. you dont have to ride on the limit for every ride take it easy rest and have a stretch mid right, my mates dont mind a quick 5 mins stop to let me stretch the some times join in. good luck and stick with it and you will be fine.




i appoliogise for spelling iv just woke up and i cant see properly.


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## BigGee (28 May 2013)

I used Pilates to rehabilitate my back. I had an L4/L5 disc prolapse which kept me off my bike for the best part of a year and ended up requiring surgery. In hindsight I think the cause of my back injury was an injury the previous year when I badly smashed my elbow going over the handlebars. That resulted in 8 months of relative inactivity and two operations to sort out and I think in that time my core strength really suffered to the point that when I started to reload my back it let go big time.

I did various Pilates classes and some I liked more than others but when I found one I liked I stuck with it and it really did seem to help. I got my muscles tone back, got back on the bike and 9 months after the op did JOGLE in 10 days.

More than that I really enjoyed the classes. I had never been that into stretching before that . I had always just felt I could warm myself up by starting what I was doing slowly and building up. I used to do the classes in the local leisure centre with the OAP's, most of whom were more flexible than me! It is definitely good to do it in a class. It makes you warm up properly, do a full range of exercise and then warm down.

Eventually with the financial squeeze and all that, I decided that I was not getting that good value out of my £38 a month and I let it go. I figured that by that stage I could probably do it by myself at home and saved the money. Of course the truth is now that I don't do it now nearly as often as I should, in fact it tends to be my back playing me up again which pushes me back into it. I am sure that I will get back into it properly again at some stage if I can find classes that suit my wallet and can work around my lifestyle.

Pilates worked well for me, but I have heard others speak just as enthusiastically about Yoga. A lot of the classes are in fact a bit of a cross over, it depends very much on the instructor. I don't think any of them will do you any harm and will probably do you plenty good.

Good luck and hope the back improves.


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## RedRider (2 Jun 2013)

Thank you for these replies, especially the last two which deserve a more full reply than I'm able to give at this time of night x


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## bigjim (2 Jun 2013)

I went to the Pilates classes at my gym when I had a bad back. It worked very well for me. No more problems. If my back starts aching on the bike I lower the saddle a fraction and that sorts it.
Core muscles? I was reading some articles on this. The consensus was that its just the new buzzwords for lack of fitness. "What are Core Muscles? Have we just found them? If we are talking about the main muscles in the trunk you can do nothing better for the core than walking and nothing better for flexibility then swimming."
I don't know if all thats true but it was thought provoking.


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## Sara_H (2 Jun 2013)

I was referred to physio for a herniated disc a few years ago and the essentially told me to do pilates. I got a bit fed up with going to the hospital every day so bought a DVD which I used to guide me through a pilates programme at home every couple of days.
It more or less cured my problem and I'm now pain free. The DVD I used was pilates for back and posture (2004) http://www.sainsburysentertainment....0025720&utm_medium=basefeed&utm_source=google


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## Sara_H (2 Jun 2013)

bigjim said:


> Core muscles? I was reading some articles on this. The consensus was that its just the new buzzwords for lack of fitness. "What are Core Muscles? Have we just found them? If we are talking about the main muscles in the trunk you can do nothing better for the core than walking and nothing better for flexibility then swimming."
> .


 
I think the consensus is that the increase in back problems is due to the fact that as a population we lead far more sedentary lives, meaning that as a whole the population have a weaker core.
50 years ago, people walked a cycled to more active jobs, so never lost core strength in the way we do now.


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## AnythingButVanilla (3 Jun 2013)

I forgot to mention before and you in no way have to feel obliged to take me up on the offer but I'm currently studying towards an ITEC qualification in holistic massage therapy and will be starting the sports side of it in September. I'm in SE18 and desperately looking for willing volunteers to use as case studies and practice so if you think that it's something that might help with the pain management then you're more than welcome to pm me and we can set something up.

I'm fully insured through the Federation of Holistic Therapists and promise not to break you and will even make tea afterwards if required


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