Please Scroll Down to See Forums Below 
anotherbutters
New member
Yeah. He freely admitted last week that people would normally have responded to his treatment by now. Freeing the hips just isn't enough for me. He couldn't really counter me trying a physio.blut wump said:
Repair and prepare - my journal on the road back to 5x5
- Thread starter anotherbutters
- Start date
anotherbutters
New member
There's nothing more humbling than standing there in nothing more than a pair of underpants, having a pretty girl telling you your core strength sucks 
I've just got back from the physio. Quite enlightening. She said my deep core muscles are very weak, which is leading to other muscles having to compensate for them. The coolest bit is that she wheeled out an ultra-sound scanner and showed me! I could clearly see the three layers of rectus abdominis, obliques and the inner muscle (transverse abdominis?). The inner one was about 1/3 of the thickness of the other two. She said it's pretty common because the outer abs are easy to train, but once I've brought the inner muscle up to strength, it ought to keep up with the others.
The pain in my hamstring is caused by a nerve in my back being trapped because of the way the muscles are working to compensate for the weak core. She showed me by getting me to sit on the end of the table and straightening my leg. If I curl my chin down to my chest, it's more painful and I can't straighten it as far - that's because of the nerve being trapped, not muscular inflexibility.
So anyway, I have 4 exercises to do to strengthen this muscle. They seem really trivial (and I thought bird-dogs were gay), but she showed me on the ultra-sound how easy it was for the other core muscles to take over. I have to really concentrate to get the transverse abs to work without using the others. Having the ultra-sound was brilliant because you can see the muscle working in real-time!
She said the bird-dogs and planks are great core exercises, but too 'hard' for me, because I'll just be using the outer core muscles and not hitting the one that matters.
All this time, the chiro has been loosening me and getting me to stretch more (she was quite surprised at how flexible I am), when I actually need tightening up.
I'll be doing the new exercises every night. I feel better already!
I've just got back from the physio. Quite enlightening. She said my deep core muscles are very weak, which is leading to other muscles having to compensate for them. The coolest bit is that she wheeled out an ultra-sound scanner and showed me! I could clearly see the three layers of rectus abdominis, obliques and the inner muscle (transverse abdominis?). The inner one was about 1/3 of the thickness of the other two. She said it's pretty common because the outer abs are easy to train, but once I've brought the inner muscle up to strength, it ought to keep up with the others.
The pain in my hamstring is caused by a nerve in my back being trapped because of the way the muscles are working to compensate for the weak core. She showed me by getting me to sit on the end of the table and straightening my leg. If I curl my chin down to my chest, it's more painful and I can't straighten it as far - that's because of the nerve being trapped, not muscular inflexibility.
So anyway, I have 4 exercises to do to strengthen this muscle. They seem really trivial (and I thought bird-dogs were gay), but she showed me on the ultra-sound how easy it was for the other core muscles to take over. I have to really concentrate to get the transverse abs to work without using the others. Having the ultra-sound was brilliant because you can see the muscle working in real-time!
She said the bird-dogs and planks are great core exercises, but too 'hard' for me, because I'll just be using the outer core muscles and not hitting the one that matters.
All this time, the chiro has been loosening me and getting me to stretch more (she was quite surprised at how flexible I am), when I actually need tightening up.
I'll be doing the new exercises every night. I feel better already!
A
Anthrax Invasion
Guest
God dammit, I read all of that and you didn't even describe how to do the exercises. Elaborate! Dammit Butters!
anotherbutters
New member
I didn't want to make that post any longer, so I thought I'd wait until you asked 
. She wrote it out on a sheet of paper, so this is taken from it:
For each exercise:
a) Breathe normally
b) Gently contract inner abs. Put hands on pelvis with thumb under back and first fingers digging in near the top of the pelvis so you can feel when the muscle contracts. You should feel the tension from the muscle, but it shouldn't raise the fingers. This takes about 20% effort. If your fingers raise, you're using the outer core muscles too (wrong).
c) Gently contract the pelvic floor muscle (as though you're stopping yourself from peeing). Again, 20% effort.
d) Muscles should be 'on' gently - should be able to hold a conversation.
Now the exercises:
1) Lie on your back. Do steps a) - d). Raise one (straight) leg up at a time, making sure the pelvis doesn't move. Keep the muscles contracted. Repeat 10 times.
2) Lie on your back again, with your feet flat on the floor and knees up. Do steps a) - d). Bridge the buttocks. Now, take one foot off the floor and straighten the leg. Use the muscles to stop the pelvis from dropping on that side. You should feel it in the opposite buttock. If you feel it in the hamstring or your back, you're using the wrong muscles, so stop and try again. Aim: hold each leg 10 seconds, 10 times.
3) Lie on your side, legs straight. Do steps a) - d) (you don't need your hands on your pelvis, that's just to get used to how to turn the correct muscle on). Lift upper leg slightly and extend behind you. You want to feel it in the upper buttock, not hamstring or back. Aim: hold to fatigue (5-20 seconds), 10x each leg.
4) Lie on your side, knees bent. Do steps a) - d). Hold pelvis and rotate upper knee towards ceiling (feet together), lifting as high as possible without rotating pelvis outwards. You might have to lean forwards to keep your balance, but try to keep one butt cheek above the other. Do it slowly, working the upper buttock muscle. Repeat to fatigue, 10x - 30x
That's it.
The whole point of the exercises is to address an imbalance between the different core muscles. So BW, once that imbalance is fixed, I'll probably be able to keep using this muscle whilst doing the more powerful core exercises. I think at the moment, it doesn't get used at all because the other muscles just dominate.
. She wrote it out on a sheet of paper, so this is taken from it:For each exercise:
a) Breathe normally
b) Gently contract inner abs. Put hands on pelvis with thumb under back and first fingers digging in near the top of the pelvis so you can feel when the muscle contracts. You should feel the tension from the muscle, but it shouldn't raise the fingers. This takes about 20% effort. If your fingers raise, you're using the outer core muscles too (wrong).
c) Gently contract the pelvic floor muscle (as though you're stopping yourself from peeing). Again, 20% effort.
d) Muscles should be 'on' gently - should be able to hold a conversation.
Now the exercises:
1) Lie on your back. Do steps a) - d). Raise one (straight) leg up at a time, making sure the pelvis doesn't move. Keep the muscles contracted. Repeat 10 times.
2) Lie on your back again, with your feet flat on the floor and knees up. Do steps a) - d). Bridge the buttocks. Now, take one foot off the floor and straighten the leg. Use the muscles to stop the pelvis from dropping on that side. You should feel it in the opposite buttock. If you feel it in the hamstring or your back, you're using the wrong muscles, so stop and try again. Aim: hold each leg 10 seconds, 10 times.
3) Lie on your side, legs straight. Do steps a) - d) (you don't need your hands on your pelvis, that's just to get used to how to turn the correct muscle on). Lift upper leg slightly and extend behind you. You want to feel it in the upper buttock, not hamstring or back. Aim: hold to fatigue (5-20 seconds), 10x each leg.
4) Lie on your side, knees bent. Do steps a) - d). Hold pelvis and rotate upper knee towards ceiling (feet together), lifting as high as possible without rotating pelvis outwards. You might have to lean forwards to keep your balance, but try to keep one butt cheek above the other. Do it slowly, working the upper buttock muscle. Repeat to fatigue, 10x - 30x
That's it.
The whole point of the exercises is to address an imbalance between the different core muscles. So BW, once that imbalance is fixed, I'll probably be able to keep using this muscle whilst doing the more powerful core exercises. I think at the moment, it doesn't get used at all because the other muscles just dominate.
blut wump
New member
It could be so. I'm pretty sure that my problems came from a similar situation being the bane of desk-jockeys. These past few months I feel that things have fallen into place with my back muscles and I hardly really remember what it was like to have a bad back.
Thanks for the exercises. I'd give you K but, as ever, these days, I'm out.
Lol! I just read your message. Touché.
Thanks for the exercises. I'd give you K but, as ever, these days, I'm out.
Lol! I just read your message. Touché.
anotherbutters
New member
Nice one Jim 
My walk in to work today was less painful. It's probably just one of the 'good' days, rather than because I did the exercises last night, but I feel like she's hit the nail on the head and found the problem. I should have realised it wasn't the hamstring itself - no amount of prodding or poking at it has ever caused any pain.
I'm going to cut down on the chiro visits. It's interesting that he didn't discover this. I guess if your only tool is a hammer...
My walk in to work today was less painful. It's probably just one of the 'good' days, rather than because I did the exercises last night, but I feel like she's hit the nail on the head and found the problem. I should have realised it wasn't the hamstring itself - no amount of prodding or poking at it has ever caused any pain.
I'm going to cut down on the chiro visits. It's interesting that he didn't discover this. I guess if your only tool is a hammer...
Jim Ouini
New member
Good to hear, I'm glad you don't feel like you're spinning your wheels anymore. Plus your journal was getting depressing
I too am surprised your chiro didn't say something about a weak TVA, since from what I've read it's pretty common in most people that their RA and obliques overpower their stabilizers, pulling 'double duty' so to speak, leading to some improper movement patterns and back pain.
Although this is the first time I've heard that bird dogs and planks are too advanced at this stage, good info.
I too am surprised your chiro didn't say something about a weak TVA, since from what I've read it's pretty common in most people that their RA and obliques overpower their stabilizers, pulling 'double duty' so to speak, leading to some improper movement patterns and back pain.
Although this is the first time I've heard that bird dogs and planks are too advanced at this stage, good info.
I
Introspective
Guest
If he had of made this discovery wouldn't that mean less money for him ?anotherbutters said:
