On Monday, I pulled my back. You’d think that as someone who’s had back problems since I was a teenager, I’d have figured out how to protect my lower back by my mid-30s, but NOPE. APPARENTLY NOT.
It was a series of completely preventable events.
-Go running 4 miles on Sunday for the first time in ??????? ??????? ?????????? Do a very quick stretch, shower, and hop on a 2-hour Zoom workshop afterward and neglect to stretch again.
-Select a yoga video the next morning that inadvertently skips a warmup, which would have been extremely beneficial for tight hamstrings.
-Bend over for Standing Splits pose and yep…there goes my back.
I’m a big believer in active recovery (if safe and possible), so I’ve been taking (very slow), short walks around the neighborhood and stretching in the mornings with yoga videos. I have been trying to find restorative practices for back pain, but it’s hard! Have any of these instructors experienced significant lower back pain?
For example:
-Bridge pose is the very last thing I want to do when I can barely walk, thanks.
-No, I’m not going to contort my body into a deep stretching pose because the entire point is that I CANNOT MOVE MY BODY.
Instead of “Yoga for Back Pain,” my search terms should probably be along the lines of “YOGA FOR WHEN YOU CAN BARELY STAND UP STRAIGHT.”
I typed this into YouTube and the first video that popped up was a headstand tutorial. Nope, I’m good, thanks.
Categories: Yoga
Jennifer Stark 
Oh, Jenny!! (oh, jen-nay!) I sooooo feel for you! I am just coming off the ‘injured reserve’ list for Iliotibial band syndrome and foot cramps. When I say foot cramps, I mean pain so bad it made me cry. It was like labor. I told my husband that if I don’t have something serious like a baby to show for the pain, I’m gonna be pissed! It was THAT BAD. What happened, you ask? Same as you. I did not warm up or stretch out after exercising. Then I spent hours (hours!) driving and sitting in my car. My muscles just seized up. I took copious amounts of coconut water with a bourbon chaser before going to bed with a heating pad on my leg. The weight of the sheet alone was more than I could bear. I have since been doing very basic gentle stretches but it is difficult to find exercises to do when healing.
I hope you feel better soon. xoxoxoxo Regina
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LOL that movie came out when I was in fifth grade, and if I had a dollar for how many times I heard that… 😀
Oh my goodness Regina, that sounds AWFUL. I cannot imagine how terrible that must have felt if the pain was like labor. I hope that it heals soon! How long have you been dealing with this injury?
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I have only experienced this once a few years ago, but over the past six months or so have been really uncomfortable. I think there is a direct correlation to my lack of time at the gym. My core and flexibility has really suffered with the gym closures. I think I need to strengthen the muscles around my knees too. I have a very high pain threshold and I was in tears.
I’m so glad you got the FG reference. I have this weird brain where random movie quotes reside. When someone understands what I am talking about, it makes me feel somewhat normal!! 😀
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Oh yes! Haha I’m the same way, especially when I’m around my brother…then it’s time to quote all the movies we grew up watching together. I feel like there’s a Dumb and Dumber quote applicable to any situation in life.
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Dumb and Dumber, any Mel Brooks, Dude Where’s My Car. Don’t even get me started on The Office or Dodge Ball.
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If you do happen to find any, could you push them (gently) in my direction? I’ve done too much sitting at my desk/on the sofa during lockdown and now my lower back gets sore every time I try to walk more than 5 minutes. Curse this lockdown.
I hope your back feels better soon!
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Thank you! I actually like this video – there is a bridge pose (boo), but otherwise, the poses are very gentle and felt restorative for my back: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgBFSJ6p2kk&ab_channel=yoginimelbourne
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