|
Putting your back into it
Rehab program reduces tension on the spine and muscles by Glen Korstrom
NNSL (Feb 27/98) - Randy Henderson lies on his living-room carpet, legs in the air but bent at the knees.
As the 43-year-old host of CBC Mackenzie's morning radio show
swings his arms and upper body from side to side, he presses the small of
his back against the floor as though he were squishing a pesky cockroach.
He's not doing it for fun. It's necessary therapy.
"Some people look at me strange when I'm doing this and ask
if it really helps," he says between abdominal constrictions. The truth is,
"I feel better now than I did at 25."
At 27, Henderson had his first operation on a disc in his
lower back. It was damaged in a snowmobile accident. The initial spasms, he
remembers, made him feel as though he were 90 and his youthful agility had
sapped into a distant past.
Over the last 16 years he has exercised and taken
anti-inflammatory drugs, but nothing seemed to really work.
Then, five months ago, Henderson's chiropractor suggested
he try a back-care program.
Now he has a routine of either running or biking for half
an hour. Then he does a series of curls, or resistance exercises, to build
abdominal strength. Next comes some weight training, mainly for his upper
body and legs, and he rounds out his two-hour workout with several
20-second stretching exercises.
Though working out for two hours a day is rare, back
stiffness, tension and even slipped discs affect most people at some time
in their lives.
Normal aging gradually reduces the spine's flexibility as
well as its ability to absorb shock. Bending, lifting and carrying heavy
objects becomes more of a chore.
"Get up," says Katrina England, Body Works back-care
program exercise co-ordinator, to those who sit much of the day at work.
"Take a minute to walk around."
Also for those who sit much of the day, it helps if the
knees are bent at a 90-degree angle. If that means bringing in a block of
wood to prop them up, do it.
Another thing to watch is that a worker's arms are not
strained when reaching a computer. Usually, when limbs are closer to the
body, there is less stress.
But other jobs account for back problems, too. Miners, for
example, are notorious for back problems because they can sometimes lift
heavy objects without remembering to bend their knees.
One thing everybody can do to prevent back pain is to
maintain fitness.
Though Henderson joined the rehab program for his back, he
says an added benefit is that it has forced him to get in shape.
"I've lost 20 pounds," he says. "And I have more endurance
and I feel stronger." |