Back pain.....first time went to 3 months of back therapy, stretches and machines to help core strength.
Felt great after that.
A year later when the pain came back I was sent to a back specialist.
He did 5 minutes of tests and said I had some inflamed discs in my lower 5 vertebra.
He gave me an anti inflammatory to take twice a day, took those for a couple months.
He also gave me 3 back stretches to do twice a day.
The back stretches I still do, so far seems to have kept the pain away.
Hope you can find a quick relief from the pain.

So what kind of core/exercises/stretches does everyone do that works?

After a dirt biking accident 8 years ago (I hit a tree going all out on a narrow trail on my Yamaha 250 :( ), I've had lower back and neck problems.

I know back pain is different for everyone.
This was for lower back pain.
When I was in pain all the stretching was done laying down.

My Dr gave me 3 to do in this order, all on your back.

Lie flat and pull your right knee to your chest
Lie flat and pull your left knee to your chest
Lie flat and pull both your knees to your chest
Lie flat and push your lower back into the floor.

So far its been very helpful to my back problem.
When stretching with back problems they told me best to isolate the back, safer to stretch laying down than standing up.

Thanks. I'll give them a try.

Oh - I suppose I should contribute. I've had mild Sciatic discomfort too (not pain, but numbness).

At least one orthopedic doc I spoke with said be careful about back/core exercises. They are great for general back pain, but can irritate the sciatic nerve.

I don't know if there is any harm in trying, but if you do some of the exercises, and it hurts more, you should stop and see a doctor.

I was told that in many cases, anti-inflammatory meds are your best bet.

Disclaimer: I am not a Dr, nor play one on TV. Just passing along advice I received, which was specific to my situation.

this is the exercise i was given for the piriformis muscle.

Back Exercises & Stretches : Piriformis Muscle Stretch - YouTube

if you want to stretch the right side piriformis, place your right ankle on your left knee, and lean forward.

in my case, another symptom of a spasm/contracted piriformis muscle is that the foot turns out. so, if i'm lying in bed on my back, my (good) left foot naturally points to the ceiling, without effort. but since my right side piriformis is in spasm/ contracted, my right foot naturally points to 2 or 3 oclock. after the stretching exercises, my right foot will again point at the ceiling.

I have had many patients get relief from, don't laugh, accupuncture.

Piriformis syndrome sufferer here. Certain activities cause my piriformis muscle (right or left side) to spasm. It usually lasts for a few days, but sometimes a couple weeks. One orthopod said I had a blown disc and needed surgery. Another doc diagnosed ankylosing spondylitis. WRONG.

I'm in this club, sadly.

I work out all the time, I'm pretty active. My job is very sedentary, though. But I do about 1200 situps a week and run, bench press 225, etc...

I can only imagine being a male and working at UPS for 8 years did this. I followed all the safe work methods, too.

The pain is pretty bad. Too bad all the local dispensaries have been shut down by Obama.

Inversion table and the big exercise ball work for a lot of people too. I saw Paul's post, thought he was back then saw it was an old thread.

sorry to get your hopes up.

Is it considered poor internet etiquette to bump old threads? My thinking is that it's better to gather similar/identical stuff in the same place and to not be redundant even if it means bumping an old thread. I'm just trying to reduce the effort of future searchers.

Anyhoo, my left hip/ass muscle hurt so much. Hate it. Sitting sucks. Laying down drinking vodka feels good, though.

Mine has been good for a while, but can go south anytime. I have a sports chiro that can hook me up if I can't do it myself. I had a chiro pop my lower back years ago & I was able to figure out how to get the same relief by doing it myself. when it starts, I do stretches every morning. My doctor suggested " Salutation to the Sun" & "Downward Dog", I found a 4 minute video I watch on my tablet in the mornings. When I can do it, it's well worth the 4 minutes. If I don't keep up on my fitness, things get painful quick.
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I don't have the luxury of narcotics or vodka. At least Obama didn't close our dispenseries yet. ;)

I get it occasionally, runs down the outside of my right leg. Started planking (someone mentioned this earlier) to increase my core strength, lost 5 lbs and will lose 5 lbs more, stretching every morning, it's helped a lot. Look up planking, start slow. I'm up to 2 minutes 30 seconds every morning.

I went through 5 different Chiros before I found one that knew what he was doing. Find a good one and he will be able to fix your problem, I bet. 80% of people in any given profession are not as competent as they should be. Doctors are no different.

You're right Art. I discovered this on several long drives. Take the wallet out and no pain.

I tried the Phys Therapy with some initial disbelief - but it worked. This is with several years of pain coming and going. I lay down and do leg lifts (on back then on stomach) as well as the planks and other mentioned above. I was taking way to many tylenols or ibuprofens. This from a guy who has thrown his back out while putting on socks.

Acupuncture, hydration, eating less intestinal glue, exercise ball, and watching t.v. laying on the floor with the knees bent(pushing the lower back flat) were all beneficial for me.

Something to consider:
If you have a bad foot/ankle/knee/hip..muscles on one side of the leg will tighten to compensate, which throws off normal posture, gait, and balance.
The upper body will lean to counter-balance which results in completely bad form.

Original problem was something else.
End result is a bad back.

Recognize when things aren't right before the pain starts:
Pain and sensation mean that the nerves are working right and are reminding you to be responsible.
Dullness is the danger.