Tai Chi - help with back

FlyTVR

FlyTVR

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I was shooting a wedding at the weekend. I arrived at the venue early, and on the front lawn a chap was practising (I guess) tai chi - or similar. Made me think I wouldn't mind giving it a go.

I suffer from back ache and was wondering if any of you guys (especially those with bad backs) practice tai chi?

Cheers/
 
trust me on this, get to a physio.

it would be more beneficial diagnosing the exact issue and they can treat the problem correctly and recommend stretches/exercise for your issue.

then the tai chi to build some core strenght.
 
I'd go to a chiropractor before a physio, but it's horses for courses.
 
Oh, and yoga will be much better for your back than tai chi (i've practised both).
 
The23rdman said:
I'd go to a chiropractor before a physio, but it's horses for courses.
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i went to a chiro and an osteo (and just exercising through it) before the physio. neither of them picked up the exact problem after weeks of treatment. same for the missus, best thing shes done is physio.

couple of weeks of physio (and the prescribed targeted exercises/stretches) and its like ive got a new lower back.

our physio does muscle and joint manipulation (as well as acupuncture and cups etc).
 
Thanks chaps. I already see an osteopath (and seen physios, chiropractors etc in the past).

I'm trying to counter the static nature of the day job with some gentle movement.

Dean - hope you are well fella :)
 
neil_g said:
i went to a chiro and an osteo (and just exercising through it) before the physio. neither of them picked up the exact problem after weeks of treatment. same for the missus, best thing shes done is physio.

couple of weeks of physio (and the prescribed targeted exercises/stretches) and its like ive got a new lower back.
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That says more about the quality of the practitioners than the method. :)
 
FlyTVR said:
Thanks chaps. I already see an osteopath (and seen physios, chiropractors etc in the past).

I'm trying to counter the static nature of the day job with some gentle movement.

Dean - hope you are well fella :)
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Yes, thanks mate. :) I really would recommend a bit of yoga. Look for sun salutations on youtube as it's a complete practice that can be done every morning for 5-30 minutes and requires little room. It'll do you wonders.
 
boyfalldown said:
as well as yoga, Pilates has done me the world of good
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I've done a fair bit of Yoga. I've done a little Tai Chi. I've done stupid numbers of core exercises (3 ball pushups are my favourite). But nothing makes me cry like a little girl from the burning in my abs like Pilates.

BTW like the others say, back pain is usually weak abs. But see an expert.
 
I get lower back pain, but used to get it so much worse before I started swimming. And sometimes I only do half an hour a week.
But I suppose with yoga, tai-chi etc you can do it at home.
 
My day job is as a Physio. If there's one thing I've learned over 15 years of helping people with back pain, it's that there is no one thing that helps everyone. Physios, chiropractors, masseurs, osteopaths, etc, etc can all help some of the people some of the time. And different exercise programmes will also help some of the people some of the time. It's often a matter of trying different things and seeing what works for you.
 
Patrick - nice to see a response from a professional - thank you!
 
After years of carrying significantly too much weight and the consequent poor posture, I get backache quite often but have recently done a couple of 1 hr Yoga classes. Not saying that Yoga is a panacea but (apart from a "never knew I even HAD a muscle there" ache!) I have been less achy and have noticed that my posture is generally better (he says, sitting slouched in a sofa!)

If you do try it, make sure the teacher knows you suffer from backache and don't do anything that bends you too far!
 
JonathanRyan said:
BTW like the others say, back pain is usually weak abs. But see an expert.
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I've always found it to be the opposite, if I trained my abs and not my lower back, the imbalance caused back pain. Train both and I don't suffer any lower back pain.
 
nilagin said:
I've always found it to be the opposite, if I trained my abs and not my lower back, the imbalance caused back pain.
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I guess any imbalance is bad. (There's a poster in my physios telling parents to make sure kids swap shoulders carrying their school bags.....)

If you train abs and not lower back then it will be just as bad. But most people don't train abs ;)
 
JonathanRyan said:
I guess any imbalance is bad. (There's a poster in my physios telling parents to make sure kids swap shoulders carrying their school bags.....)

If you train abs and not lower back then it will be just as bad. But most people don't train abs ;)
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In my previous job I spent a long time working laying on my back, but I was in a permanently crunched position for most of that, so my abs became quite strong and well developed. However if I had to do any work bent over for any length of time, I'd get a lot of lower back pain and have to stand up straight again very slowly. A lot of weight training exercises if performed properly you will be working the core muscles as well but still predominantly the abs. I find performing planks (especially with elbows on a gym ball and extended forward so my elbows are out level with my head rather than level with my shoulders) is a good way of training the whole core evenly. If for whatever reason lower back pain should arise again I just do some hyper-extensions or supermans from laying face down on the floor. The stretching sorts it out straight away.
 
Very much depends on what is causing your back problem, mine was damaged due to work and martial arts. Tried many things, but eventually took up walking, gentle and easy at first and eventually hills etc. Dont rule out swimming.
 
I've had lower back pain for 20 years since a nasty muscle tear playing rugby at school, I have to keep my core strength up otherwise it can tweak and gives me no end of grief.

Yoga works best for me. As mentioned, just the sun salutation a few times in the morning followed by a couple of supermans can work wonders.
 
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