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[Levi]

Well, I know the internet is the worst place to go for medical advice, but I'm giving it a shot anyway.

Over the past year or two I've been having a lot of days where my back/spine is getting pretty sore.  It seems to slowly be getting worse, and is probably posture related.  Does anybody have any advice on fixing or preventing future back-pain, or am I just fast-tracking my way to old-age?   

[malimbar04]

Disclaimer; I'm not a doctor. this is just what I would try first.

Posture is really important for your back. If you hunch forward a lot, stretch your chest muscles and try to keep your shoulders in a confident broad position. Also, I'm pretty sure sleeping on a hard surface would help wonders. Sleeping on the floor keeps some basic bad pasture away, and also helps exercise your back. Soft bedding at best atrophies your muscles. At worst it actually bends it out of shape.

Don't discount seeing a doctor, physical therapist, or even a chiropractor. I don't like the last one since they also tend to push pseudo science alternative medicine.

[gimlet]

Exercise - some pretty simple ones help a LOT.  You want "core" exercises, look up "plank" - front plank, side plank, leg lifts, pushups, and "superman" (lay on your stomach and lift arms and legs).   And a bunch of others, look up "exercises for back pain" and such.

But really, prudent thing is to go get it checked out by a doctor in case it's not just weak muscles/bad posture (although it PROBABLY is - but come on, it's your freakin spine, fuck that up and you'll be in a wheelchair lucky if you can even use your arms).

[Levi]

Hmm, okay thanks!  I'll try the exercise thing first.  The bed thing is a bit harder, because my apartment is already cramped and there isn't really space for me to sleep other than the bed.  My bed isn't super-soft though, so it might be okay.

If it gets any worse, I'll see a doctor.  I'm a bit paranoid about going to a chiropractor though, because of the whole pseudo-science thing.  I'm sure some are great, but I have no way of knowing which are quacks and which are legit.  And I'd hate for a quack to do permanent damage to my back. 

[Jopax]

I can confirm that excercise helps. There's a routine called the rotisserie (or something like that) which combines what gimlet listed in a nice and relatively short exercise. You just need some room on the floor to do it and less than ten minutes each day.
 
Also if you are able to, you can try and find some plywood in a hardware store or someplace similar and place that under your mattress, that's enough to make a bed harder. Unless you already have a board under the mattress in which case I got nothing.

[Levi]

I can confirm that excercise helps. There's a routine called the rotisserie (or something like that) which combines what gimlet listed in a nice and relatively short exercise. You just need some room on the floor to do it and less than ten minutes each day.
 
Also if you are able to, you can try and find some plywood in a hardware store or someplace similar and place that under your mattress, that's enough to make a bed harder. Unless you already have a board under the mattress in which case I got nothing.

Its got wood planks under the mattress, if that counts.  Its a pretty terrible bed, not one of them nice ones with the bedsprings and such.  Just a mattress on a frame.    

I'll check out that rotisserie thing though, thanks!

[KingBacon]

Exercise advice. Start lifting weights or doing a bodyweight routine on a regular basis. Sitting is a problem and pain can be caused by your muscles getting tired.

Planks, dips and push ups are easy ways to build strength. I do them to help with my running posture.

[nenjin]

When that spot between my shoulder blades starts bothering me, either through posture or stress, I try to sit upright. I arch my lower back a little, roll my shoulders back and try to sit without leaning back in my chair.

[Levi]

I've started doing some pushups nightly. 

Do planks actually help?  They look sort of spine-destroying, but I don't really know.

Edit:  Also, looking up exercise info on the internet seems almost useless.  Half the sites say something is great, the other half say something is bad.  I get the feeling that there is a lot of misinformation, but I don't really know how to tell the myths from facts...  Its a little frustrating.   

[KingBacon]

So my physical therapist has given me a few exercises for my back. Here's a list to google. You might also want to use a wall for support when doing side planks.

There is the typical long plank, where you line up like you are going to do a push up but use your forearms to support yourself.
Side planks for obliques.
There are supermans (these are a bitch.)
Back arches, so you lie flat on your back with your knees bent. Then raise your back up so that it is flat, using your shoulders and neck as support.
Chair dips are also nice, where you use a chair as support and have your legs stretch out. Works your triceps (coming from a guy with a tiny torso and super meaty legs )

Since you are a new to this, focus on doing short holds (5-10 sec) and multiple reps (5-10). I myself hold positions for 30-60 sec and do about 3-5 reps.