Back and Hip Pain - Relief
A bit about me if you don’t mind. And why I’m writing a bit about the subject of pain.
I’m a 74 year old man and have suffered from hip pain most of my life. Most of my siblings have similar issues.
In my rather lengthy life, I’ve read most books on pain management and have spent countless dollars on chiropractors and the like. Nothing has ever been consistent or lasting.
I do get temporary relief from Thentix Muscle and Joint Cream. And I’ll use it if the inflammation gets bad.
But it’s not always bad.
What Helps? And What Doesn’t?
Stretching has often helped. Other things that help a lot are hiking - that one is great for my hip and back. And swimming. Generally staying active physically is best.
The worst strain comes from driving in heavy traffic. That right constantly straining up the whole leg into the hip and back.
More recently I’ve changed up the way I do the stretching. Because of this it gets me out of pain consistently and lasts.
I exercise regularly. At my age I want to keep my muscle mass to keep my bones strong. My ‘go to’ exercise is swimming. I try to do 2 kilometres three times a week. Not always perfect on this often but if I can’t I try and supplement the swimming with hiking or kayaking or some such.
Another thing that seems to work well is hiking in hilly terrain. If I can get at least two to four kilometres in occasionally, it works wonders.
I used to do a ton of stretching and it always gave me some relief but didn’t always feel like it was enough. Or like it was too much and irritated the areas that I was aiming to relieve.
It Is The Length Of Time For Each Stretch
Now, instead of trying to do a million different stretching exercises, I do only a few but applied quite differently. I do each of these exercises three times through, alternating sides.
I hold a gentle but firm stretch for a minimum of 30 seconds but as close to a minute as I can.
The Exercises
First is the sitting piriformis stretch. Sitting on a chair or bench so that my thighs are as parallel the ground as possible. Put my
right ankle up onto my left knee. Then bend forward with my forehead towards the foot that’s on the knee. Trying to get as close as possible. No bouncing. Hold it, then try and go a little further. Do this for at least 30 seconds, ideally a minute, then switch sides. Do this cycle three times. Take your time, don’t rush it.
I truly believe that part of the success of really taking the time with these exercises is a big part of what makes them successful.
Second Stretch:
This is kind of a variation of the Cobra Pose in Yoga. I put one leg up onto the first step of a staircase. First step on a staircase going up. Or something similar.
Then, lower myself so that my other knee is on the floor. (Put a pillow under the knee for comfort.) Stretch/point the toes back, flat. Then lean into the leg, arching the back with arms up. I have two walls on either side of my staircase so that I can put my hands up high while doing this pose.
Do this stretch for at least 30 seconds, again, better for a minute. Then switch sides. Three times on each side. I find this best to do after the sitting Piriformis stretch.
Because you are reversing the back stretch.
I do this each morning and again before going to bed. If I do this, both times regularly, without rushing it, my hip pain is minimal.
A couple of other things that I do to add a little help.
Dead Hang
I got a chin up bar that I use for a dead hang. I found once I got up to and slightly over a minute, this also helped relieve the pain. I’ve used inversion tables but they seemed to irritate my back even more.
Disclaimer
I’ll be the first, though, to believe that not everything works for everyone.
This goes for exercise, diets and pretty much anything in life.
But for my own back and hip pain relief, slowing things down with the stretches works wonders.