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Comment by xyzal | Hacker News Reader

Oh my, I empathize a lot with the author. In january, long periods of sitting brought me a slip of the L5-S1 disc, and now I have to exercise every hour or so in the office for several minutes to be able to walk home with manageable amounts of pain at the end of the day.

It takes a surprising amount of willpower to stick to the exercise schedule. Call of the zone is alluring.

In case anyone here is in a similar situation and has any tips, please share ...

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I was in an accident that resulted in the same L5-S1 area being injured, and spent several months recovering. Honestly, the thing that got me back on track was losing weight (I weighed around 220-230 at the time, and dropped to 180-190 and stayed there for several years). The pain periodically recurred, but nothing like the initial period. I took up walking, which turned into running (I played rec soccer, but that was the extent of my exercise prior to the accident). That may be out of reach depending on the extent of your issues (or other physical issues), but cycling, swimming, and rowing are great alternatives. I later took up BJJ, wrestling, and a conditioning course (meant to help with endurance in those other two). That did a ton to eliminate the pain. I learned what I couldn't do in BJJ and wrestling because of my back, but the gym I was at was great (a lot of 30+ participants, and a fair number over 40 and even 50) so I just partnered with people who understood my issues and we worked around it.

The main thing for me, with getting into running, was that I did it 3 days a week and it was in the US south, so I was able to go out almost all year. There were a couple ponds I'd run by so it was a great way to get out of the work zone and clear my head. When I started having knee problems I'd take my bike to the same area and make three laps (15k) a few times a week (low traffic, only had one near-accident when an asshole passed me while I was about to make a left turn).

I've moved, the weather was bad, and I didn't have access to a gym (and now I don't have access to a gym) so the weight started coming back and so did the back pain. I've got the bike fixed up now and the weather is better, so once I find some good routes here (I hate riding on roads with lots of traffic) I hope to shed this weight and get back on track.

I'm knowledgeable about upper back/neck problems and stretches, and do them for 4 minutes daily. I'll prolly do a youtube video on it.

Since you're a lower back case, I'd say learn all you can. Find a talented Palmer graduate. Research if leg raises are right for you, or sitting on a ball. Get and stay thin.

If you're in the Bay Area, go to Walkrite Shoes and get expert orthopedic insoles to stabilize your hips:

http://walkriteforlife.com/

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