Happy Mother's Day

Many more
Thanks Rae. How are you keeping?

Winds up to 85 m.p.h. expected hereabouts so no golf just now. Anyway, I'm beginning to think it's too dangerous - I had a couple of ties to play. Lost one the other day to a chap in his mid forties who was celebrating 4 years survival from malignant melanoma. The other tie was scrubbed. It was too soon post op for me and I've since learned that my opponent went to the States a couple of weeks back, collapsed and was dx with a brain tumour. Perhaps not the golf - the latest ACS Guidelines for cancer patients re diet and physical activity note that 1 in 25 Americans is now a cancer survivor!

Anyway, you have a happy Mother's Day.

rae_rae said:

At least it's "survivor" and
At least it's "survivor" and not deceased. Still, they need a study to factor in golf and cancer...
I am glad to hear you are well after your surgery. I finally had an MRI and i have bulging discs from L4 - S1. Ruled out mets, thank goodness. Just trying to figure out which direction to take- nerve block injections, neurosurgeon or self treatment. Right now i am leaning towards option three. I know ibuprofen is supposed to be off limits but it helps so much with inflammation! I figure a couple weeks of it shouldn't be too bad. Im supposed to golf in a charity outing in another week- i might be just an observer!

Back problem
I wonder whether the Alexander Technique might offer some relief? Maybe Fox could give some helpful input, especially in order to get you ready for a golf charity outing (unless we conclude that golf is just too dangerous!). I'm guessing a brief reliance on ibuprofen is unlikely to give problems but, again, maybe Fox could comment.

foxhd said:

herniation
Everyones discs deteriorate as we age. Some worse than others. Some cause more pain than they should. Others can cause severe nerve damage with little to no pain. Compression, rotation and loss of elasticity due to "drying" up promote deterioration. Life long activity is better than "restorative" exercise in the long run.
That being said, discs don't herniate forward because of the ligament support. They herniate toward the rear where there is less support and when this happens, they can create pressure on pain sensitive structures. Prolonged sitting or forward flexion, as with reaching or poor mechanics with lifting are the mechanical causes for herniation or bulging. Therefore, to "reduce' the injury or damage, one must reverse the positioning which led to the protrusions. Extension exercises are most effective as long as there is no nerve root involvement. Prone lying, back arching type of ex. work. But caution is given to anyone who does these with out direct supervision or instruction. And these are not recommended without evaluation and accurate specific diagnosis by your health care professional.

herniation
Thanks for stepping up to the plate so promptly to educate us on the topic. I hope it may be helpful for Rae. I thought about this on the golf course this morning - presumably the set up position is inherently hazardous, but then I suppose it's very little of the hours on the course, where walking with decent posture will help redress the situation?

What's the professional evaluation of the Alexander Technique these days?

I guess some yoga poses (e.g. the cobra) would be helpful and likewise hyperextensions?

foxhd said:

Alexander technique
Yes I am in favor of the cobra and extension ex. Often my general recommendation for back pain when it appears to be disc related.

The Alexander technique holds much merit. I don't hear much of it in the states. Interesting. The concept that we often think we are doing one thing when we are actually doing something else has no more obvious example than in a golf swing.

Therapists in the states working on gait training with hip and knee patients often get bogged down in detail. Stand tall, initiate hip motion, knee swing, heel strike, foot flat, toe off, arm swing, etc.. I tell women to visualize someone ahead of them. Then tell them to impress that person with how "Great" they are doing. So, Walk pretty. I tell men that a long lost relative dropped dead and left a million dollars to all relatives who can walk into the lawyers office to prove they have no disability. Gait patterns clean up real fast. Things return quickly to the way they are supposed to be as proper motor patterns re-emerge.

Alexander etc
I hadn't known that the Alexander Technique was so little known in the States. A pity I think. Your segue into your third para led me to expect you were about to comment on golf training (on which I've just read an email from a golfing chum). I suppose what you say about 'paralysis by analysis' is probably due to the fact that the exercise of motor skills is best left to the unconscious, particularly with the golf swing!

I love your approach and can can see that it would work a treat. I was reminded of an Oprah programme a few years ago when a glamorous black girl, from the audience, if I remember correctly, offered to demonstrate how to walk attractively and boy did she do a great job! In just a few seconds, to deafening spontaneous applause from everyone, she said, as I recall it, "You just have to put one foot in front of the other" and she showed how - sheer poetry. Her carriage was perfect, standing tall, looking straight ahead and more or less walking on a line and the result was electrifying - infinitely better than one ever sees on a sidewalk, catwalk, ballet stage or wherever. I'd love to see it again. One was left with the feeling that you could practise for years and never get to emulate her walk but she expressed it in the simplest and grossest of terms - like you said, not getting bogged down in detail.

[I'm focused currently on maintaining right knee flex and trying to ensure I keep hips turning through the ball and not quitting turning too soon - again, attention to the gross movement pattern, not getting stuck in detail.]