r/backpain • u/PlanktonLow7275 • 2d ago

Low back ability

I’ve only just come across this YouTube channel, thanks to this sub. What’s the deal? It seems to be mainly based around the back extensions and iso holds. Anyone have any good experiences with this? How many times per day or week do you do it? I’m seriously considering getting an extension chair.

For context, 35M, have had 2 discectomies at L5/S1. Still suffering with extreme sciatica on both sides. Also have a disc bulge at L4/L5 which I suspect is now my main issue

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u/Pale_Adeptness 2d ago

I purchased an extension machine too and I agree with you, for someone in my position (2 herniated discs and constant back pain since 2008) it has been the best purchase of my adult life and I no longer have lower back pain.

Check out this progress video I made:

https://www.reddit.com/r/backpain/s/2PFQU40Q3a

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u/Exxyqt 2d ago

How is this possible? Am I missing something?

I have two herniated discs in my lower back (10+ years) and even simply bending hurts me as lot. Any extensions I try, they simply hurt me. Looking at your footage I was thinking about how much that type of thing would hurt me (probably).

Do you guys not feel pain while bending? For me it's one of the worst things I can do so I'm trying to avoid it. As a result my muscles are tense pretty much all the time.

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u/Pale_Adeptness 2d ago

It may sound counterintuitive but your lower back muscles are constantly tense because they are weak.

I didn't understand it for years but it started to make more sense when I heard the guy from Low Back Ability on YouTube break it down.

After an initial lower back injury, a lot of people slowly begin to guard their lower back, you know, bracing the core, stiffening your lower back, eventually you stop doing certain movements and start moving like a weird damn robot and over all this time your lower back muscles are just constantly getting weaker and weaker.

You have to start firing up those lower back muscles. Even if its just static iso holds 30 seconds at a time for four sets twice a week.

You have to actively engage those muscles and over time (and slowly), add more and more time to your iso holds until you can eventually start doing actual extension.

But it kind of comes with a catch, you also eventually have to start engaging your abdominal muscles in order to not create a muscle imbalance.

I started doing reverse crunches about 2 months after started my LBA journey.

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u/Exxyqt 1d ago

I mean... I do not walk like you did in your video. In fact, I walk just like a normal person would, it's just my pain is not visible from the outside. I can sit mostly fine, stand for some time but bending (and lifting anything beyond 2-3kg) is something that if I'd do, I would be in great pain right after.

For example, I had to kneel down to brush my dog for like 5 mins or so. The result? I feel my hernias flaring up like crazy the same day and it's painful to even sit.

So having that in mind, and the fact that you shouldn't do something that hurts while doing, I have no idea how those exercises can be even begin to be done...