The full story of my back recovery: Brian's Gift of Injury Co-authored Book with Dr. McGill: shop.powerrackstrength.com/collections/books/products/gift-of-injury
Thank you so much for the content you put out. After having nonstop back pain for the past 2.5 years, I came across you and Stu's work. I'm finally pain free and my back has never felt better. At first, I didn't want to believe that it came down to such basic principles. It really is a matter of not picking the scab, developing an iron core, and letting your body heal.
@@78swats For me, it was way more about spine hygiene first. I had to alter all of my movements, such as lunging to pick up things/put on my shoes, changing my walking gait, etc... I also bought back mechanic and worked my way through. Those changes plus daily Big 3 have helped. Also, for what it's worth, I have really benefitted from very limited ROM reverse hypers with body weight and Limited ROM back extensions and QL Curls. I have an L5-S1 disc herniation so keep that in mind. Your back injury may be different.
@@78swatsbut if sitting for 10 hours is the cause of your back pain you can't continue doing that if you want to be pain free. You need to remove the cause of your back problem first. Dr. Stuart often uses that analogy with the hammer and thumb. If you keep hitting your thumb every day there is no exercise that can help you escape the pain. You need to stop hammering your thumb first.
@@78swatsstanding still like a statue is not good either. You need to try to alternate your position as much as you can. Standing is a gateway for moving, when you stand keep moving in place every few minutes to change your posture. Find a book: "Deskbound: Standing up to a sitting world" by Kelly Starrett. This book illustrates different postures you can use while standing (there are many). I know it might be awkward to move a lot if you are working among other people in the office, that's why a home office might be a blessing. But standing alone is not an option as you said. You need to invest in a standing desk that allows you to alternate between sitting/standing. 1h of standing/ go for a few minutes walk if possible/ 1h of sitting/ go for a few minutes walk etc. You can adjust the amount of sitting/standing/walking to your liking, the most important thing is to change your position often. Try different types of chairs: kneeling chairs worked great for me, some people like sitting on an exercise ball. Remember to respect your lordosis (that curve in your lumbar region must be maintained), use a lumbar support pillow when driving etc. But I really think, it would be best to take a break from sitting (go on vacation or something) for at least two weeks to let that damaged tissue heal and only then introduce gradually sitting again. When on vacation I would lie down and relax as much as I could.
@@78swats I sit 10 hours as day as well. I can't do my job and not sit that long. Of absolutely everything I've tried, it was really McGill's approach and Knees Over Toes guy's approach to back problems that helped (minus the exercises that included deep spinal flexion, like jefferson curls). Nerve flossing and taking ice baths has also helped. It's not an easy recovery man. I feel your pain - back injuries absolutely suck. My approach to working out now is literally only to decrease my pain. Now that I am pain free, I am cherishing it like crazy. I made dumb mistakes in the past like returning to jiu jitsu too quickly. This isn't a process you can rush.
@@78swats My pleasure! Yes, that is the right video. Again, while I don't know the specifics of your injury, nor am I an MD, I think his model is a good one to start. I have an L5-S1 herniation w/ sciatica, so the jefferson curls are NOT a good option for me. What helped me the most was limited ROM back extensions (going down just a little bit at first), QL Curls, QL stretches (like the mermaid pose), and reverse hypers (super limited ROM) - think of it like "tummy time" that infants do. Those helped a lot. Now I just focus on staying pain free with McGill 3. You should have hope. I was completely disabled when my herniation hit. My left leg atrophied because my nerve was so impinged. Recovery is possible. You just have to treat it like a SUPER slow healing wound. If you get a cut on a knuckle your finger, you have to make sure you dont flex the knuckle constnatly. The same is true for a herniation, but even more so.
Out of curiosity how do you put your socks on these days? I have to use sock pullers and a little hip hinge while sitting due to my tight hips and deep hip sockets.
The full story of my back recovery: Brian's Gift of Injury Co-authored Book with Dr. McGill: shop.powerrackstrength.com/collections/books/products/gift-of-injury
Thank you so much for the content you put out. After having nonstop back pain for the past 2.5 years, I came across you and Stu's work. I'm finally pain free and my back has never felt better. At first, I didn't want to believe that it came down to such basic principles. It really is a matter of not picking the scab, developing an iron core, and letting your body heal.
@@78swats For me, it was way more about spine hygiene first. I had to alter all of my movements, such as lunging to pick up things/put on my shoes, changing my walking gait, etc... I also bought back mechanic and worked my way through. Those changes plus daily Big 3 have helped. Also, for what it's worth, I have really benefitted from very limited ROM reverse hypers with body weight and Limited ROM back extensions and QL Curls. I have an L5-S1 disc herniation so keep that in mind. Your back injury may be different.
@@78swatsbut if sitting for 10 hours is the cause of your back pain you can't continue doing that if you want to be pain free. You need to remove the cause of your back problem first. Dr. Stuart often uses that analogy with the hammer and thumb. If you keep hitting your thumb every day there is no exercise that can help you escape the pain. You need to stop hammering your thumb first.
@@78swatsstanding still like a statue is not good either. You need to try to alternate your position as much as you can.
Standing is a gateway for moving, when you stand keep moving in place every few minutes to change your posture. Find a book: "Deskbound: Standing up to a sitting world" by Kelly Starrett. This book illustrates different postures you can use while standing (there are many). I know it might be awkward to move a lot if you are working among other people in the office, that's why a home office might be a blessing.
But standing alone is not an option as you said. You need to invest in a standing desk that allows you to alternate between sitting/standing. 1h of standing/ go for a few minutes walk if possible/ 1h of sitting/ go for a few minutes walk etc. You can adjust the amount of sitting/standing/walking to your liking, the most important thing is to change your position often.
Try different types of chairs: kneeling chairs worked great for me, some people like sitting on an exercise ball. Remember to respect your lordosis (that curve in your lumbar region must be maintained), use a lumbar support pillow when driving etc.
But I really think, it would be best to take a break from sitting (go on vacation or something) for at least two weeks to let that damaged tissue heal and only then introduce gradually sitting again. When on vacation I would lie down and relax as much as I could.
@@78swats I sit 10 hours as day as well. I can't do my job and not sit that long. Of absolutely everything I've tried, it was really McGill's approach and Knees Over Toes guy's approach to back problems that helped (minus the exercises that included deep spinal flexion, like jefferson curls). Nerve flossing and taking ice baths has also helped. It's not an easy recovery man. I feel your pain - back injuries absolutely suck. My approach to working out now is literally only to decrease my pain. Now that I am pain free, I am cherishing it like crazy. I made dumb mistakes in the past like returning to jiu jitsu too quickly. This isn't a process you can rush.
@@78swats My pleasure! Yes, that is the right video. Again, while I don't know the specifics of your injury, nor am I an MD, I think his model is a good one to start. I have an L5-S1 herniation w/ sciatica, so the jefferson curls are NOT a good option for me. What helped me the most was limited ROM back extensions (going down just a little bit at first), QL Curls, QL stretches (like the mermaid pose), and reverse hypers (super limited ROM) - think of it like "tummy time" that infants do. Those helped a lot. Now I just focus on staying pain free with McGill 3. You should have hope. I was completely disabled when my herniation hit. My left leg atrophied because my nerve was so impinged. Recovery is possible. You just have to treat it like a SUPER slow healing wound. If you get a cut on a knuckle your finger, you have to make sure you dont flex the knuckle constnatly. The same is true for a herniation, but even more so.
Out of curiosity how do you put your socks on these days? I have to use sock pullers and a little hip hinge while sitting due to my tight hips and deep hip sockets.
I'll do a video
I sit down on the top of stairs and drape my legs around to one side
I do a lunge on the top of the stair, so my foot is on the landing. takes a bit of mobility though 😂
hi Brian how would you treat a pars defect (anteriolisthesis)? is it possible to treat this type of injury with the McGill method?
Yes - We need to do an assessment. I see people with spondy all the time. Email me - brian@powerrackstrength dot com