Back injury and lifting

[maximized]

Question. my friend has a bad back. cant do but like 35 mins of the bike before it bothers him. cant lift anything that strains his back and cant do many crunches before his back hurts too. anyone know a low back impact cardio he could do? how are those cardio balls? or whatever they are. and is there anything that he can do to make his neck bigger? exercise wise? he wants to get his stomach off but hard with his back acting up. thanks.

-max.

 

[Thaibox]

Is his back problem muscular or stuctural? It makes a big difference.

 

[KConan]

I've got traumatic spondylolisthesis at my L5 vertabrae from being a dumbass, shit-for-brains lifter back in early high school. It used to give me real trouble on deadlifts and heavy squats, now only some trouble and here is why...I eventually went to a sports orthopedist for the injury (about 6 months ago - many years too late), he sent me to a physical therapist for some exercise advice. Basically, you want to strengthen your torso/abs and your hamstrings. Making them stronger takes pressure off your back. There is a ton of info about these exercises on the web and they work well for any structural back problem, especially the most common which is "spondy" (there are several diff types of it). Anyway, those exercises - while not as fun as incline benching or skullcrushers - work like a champ.
HOWEVER...Like the man above said, it makes a difference...So find out if it is structural. If its is a muscular problem, then forget everything I said...

 

[Bigsatan13]

Strengthening the back can eliminate back pain alot of the time. Conan is right.

 

[KConan]

I also forgot to add that strict form is very important for people with lower back probs. Especially for deadlift.

 

[Milford Jenings]

Speaking from experience I can agree with Conan. In the summer of 96 I tore three spinal muscles and wedged two vertebrae. After physical therapy I was 50% as good as new. The trainer (therapist at the University Hospital) kept up with me and encouraged me to (1) strengthen my abs (2) work on my hamstrings and (3) eliminate bad form. After a couple of years (life work and family took priority) I was 90%. Today I am 95% and getting ever closer to feeling as good as new. Whenever my back gets sore (muscular soreness) I know that means take it easy and reminds me to work on my specialized exercises. Encourage your friend to see a doctor (there is no weakness in that) and get his back checked out. There should be a reputable sports clinic realatively close to him/you that he could be refered to and get set up on the road to good back health.

MJ