Question about Back and hammocks.

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05-10-2007, 21:24
RockStar

Question about Back and hammocks.

My back hasn't been giving me much trouble. Overall I have a weak lower back. It takes some fine tuned exercises to get it going in a stronger direction and not much to put it out of wack again. Which leads to me throwing my hands up in frustration.

My question is...if my back is just weak and my main problem hiking was losing sleep b/c of spasms...do you think sleeping in the hammock will help me get some sleep and reduce the spasms? And over time my back will strengthen?

Most of the time once I got up and got going my back would warm up and be okay. A little tight on the uphill but, no spasms. After DAYS of losing sleep though, it begins to cause my shoulders to fatigue and so then my back AND shoulders start to tense up as I hike.

Basically I am sick of lolli gagging and doing Mickey Mouse exercises. I want to tough it out. Its just "weak muscles". Not a pull or slipped disk or anything like that. I know of a lot of ppl that hike with WORSE health problems. Maybe I'm just being a woman!?:cool:
05-10-2007, 21:39
ShakeyLeggs

On Tuesday night I was at the Ed Garvey shelter and the spring was .4 miles down a steep trail. On the way back up my lower back was spasming. I layed down in my hammock and after a few minutes all was right with the world and my back. i don't have a bad back but just laying in the hammock allowed my back to relax and feel better.
05-10-2007, 21:57
Coffee

Well as someone who has a bigger problem than you, I say that those minney mouse excerises are the best thing for you. I stretch 2 times a day. On the trail it even more important. I would keep doing all of those and more if you can.

I think sleeping in a hammock will help. You go from only a couple pressure points to your whole body. I feel a lot better in a hammock than on the ground.

Also make sure your pack is light and loaded evenly. It is important too to have it adjusted correctly. I have shoulder pain when it is not sitting right on my shoulders. This is usually done with the load lifting and loosening the shoulder straps.
05-10-2007, 21:57
RockStar

When I tried to Flip FLop b/c of my back...I ended up at that shelter. I made it to the water, which seemed to be located in trail purgatory, without spasms. I had muscle relaxers from my Doctor...woke up int he wee hrs to spasms...took 1. WOke up half hr or so later still spasming...took another...woke up not much longer than the first time to the same thing...took another...never did get to sleep and the spasms never stopped. I tried to hike out and made it to Gathland St. park in 4 hrs. My back AND shoulder were killing me. So i came home to Alabamy with my pride in my back pocket.

I know I feel a relif laying in the hammock but, wondered if it was mostly mental. I slept on the ground in a tent on an overnight camping trip over a week ago- my back was in hell and my HIP is still hurting when I stand on it straight on without letting it warm up.

So thank you for confirming what I suspected.

The stretches are fine and do help. However the "strengthening" exercises are lame. I would rather suffer through the pain of using weight training by doing stretches before and after than to do their stupid "strength training". They are getting paid to lolli gag.
05-11-2007, 09:51
Jazilla

Rockstar do you do to a gym. There are a some good exercises you can do to strengthen those muscles in your lower back and shoulders area. I mix weights and cardio and although I still have a spare tire I can't get rid of, I feel great.
05-11-2007, 12:16
funbun

I herniated a disc in my back several years ago. along with back spams I couldn't walk straight for nearly a year.

In fact I had given up on hiking and was going to take up bicycle touring on recumbent bikes. But since I've got a good hammock sleep system, and starting to use ultralight techniques and trekking poles, I think I can get back on the trail without worrying about my back.

I can say, that hammock truly help you relax. But sure to get the right size. Too small a hammock is about as bad as the ground.
05-11-2007, 16:49
Cannibal

RockStar, I'm surprised. You're the one that got me thinking about hammocks over on WB.

I too have a lower back problem. After chatting with you about it I went to talk to my Chiropractor and asked him about it. He actually laughed at me and said he couldn't believe he didn't think about it sooner. He is a major outdoors guy and said that the hammock is MUCH better for back problems than the ground. His only problem is he's worried if too many people find out, his wife might make him get a 2nd job! :) I ordered my "test" hammock that night.
05-11-2007, 19:53
blackie

hammocks seem to help many people with lower back pain...have yo uthough of exercising in water..i know th college in enterprise has offered it in the past..great for toughing up weak muscles ..with out the danger of falling..hope you get better i am looking forward to reading your journals of the at...safe journey..
05-11-2007, 21:55
jpringlemn

Im use to waking up from tent camping with a temporary stiff back ( i expect something after turning 40 :eek: ). Since i started using a hammock and now a Hennessy I havn't experienced any problems what so ever. The nice thing about the asym hammocks is you can lay slightly arched at the center line, or lay fairly flat laying slightly angled in the hammock.
05-12-2007, 01:02
RockStar

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jazilla

Rockstar do you do to a gym. There are a some good exercises you can do to strengthen those muscles in your lower back and shoulders area. I mix weights and cardio and although I still have a spare tire I can't get rid of, I feel great.

I don't go to the gym right now b/c I was hoping to get soem hiking and camping in during the summer. I prefer going to the gym in colder months.

Quote:

Originally Posted by funbun

I herniated a disc in my back several years ago. along with back spams I couldn't walk straight for nearly a year.

In fact I had given up on hiking and was going to take up bicycle touring on recumbent bikes. But since I've got a good hammock sleep system, and starting to use ultralight techniques and trekking poles, I think I can get back on the trail without worrying about my back.

I can say, that hammock truly help you relax. But sure to get the right size. Too small a hammock is about as bad as the ground.

Good info, THANKS!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cannibal

RockStar, I'm surprised. You're the one that got me thinking about hammocks over on WB.

I too have a lower back problem. After chatting with you about it I went to talk to my Chiropractor and asked him about it. He actually laughed at me and said he couldn't believe he didn't think about it sooner. He is a major outdoors guy and said that the hammock is MUCH better for back problems than the ground. His only problem is he's worried if too many people find out, his wife might make him get a 2nd job! :) I ordered my "test" hammock that night.

Don't be surprised. Mainly I wanted to know what kind of back problems others experienced and the degree to which the hammock helps. Any help was worth the switch in my book! :p I am excited you ordered your test hammock!

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackie

hammocks seem to help many people with lower back pain...have yo uthough of exercising in water..i know th college in enterprise has offered it in the past..great for toughing up weak muscles ..with out the danger of falling..hope you get better i am looking forward to reading your journals of the at...safe journey..

I would love to do water exercises! Maybe when we go out to L&L the fishing will strengthen my back! :p I am excited about my next attempt as well!

Quote:

Originally Posted by jpringlemn

Im use to waking up from tent camping with a temporary stiff back ( i expect something after turning 40 :eek: ). Since i started using a hammock and now a Hennessy I havn't experienced any problems what so ever. The nice thing about the asym hammocks is you can lay slightly arched at the center line, or lay fairly flat laying slightly angled in the hammock.

I like that I can lay flat or angled mostly b/c I love OPTIONS! Hammocks just have so many more options than tents!:cool:
05-12-2007, 07:59
slowhike

in 2002 i broke 2 vertebrae in my back & 13 breaks or fractures in ribs. when i discovered the combination of the hammock w/ a partly inflated air mat in early 2005, i was in heaven!!!
been sleeping w/ that combo every since. ...tim
05-12-2007, 08:23
Hooch

Quote:

Originally Posted by slowhike

in 2002 i broke 2 vertebrae in my back & 13 breaks or fractures in ribs. when i discovered the combination of the hammock w/ a partly inflated air mat in early 2005, i was in heaven!!!
been sleeping w/ that combo every since. ...tim

I've had numerous fractures, but can't claim any to my back or neck. But I have taken to sleeping out on my back porch in my hammock when I'm at home on a night off. I sleep a LOT more comfortably in it than I do in my bed. I may build a hammock stand some time before fall/winter hit for indoor use and get rid of the bed. If I do, I'll probably make a double so Short Stuff can snooze in his too. :D
05-12-2007, 09:24
slowhike

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hooch

I've had numerous fractures, but can't claim any to my back or neck. But I have taken to sleeping out on my back porch in my hammock when I'm at home on a night off. I sleep a LOT more comfortably in it than I do in my bed. I may build a hammock stand some time before fall/winter hit for indoor use and get rid of the bed. If I do, I'll probably make a double so Short Stuff can snooze in his too. :D

a double stand would be a great idea & fairly easy to do in a bed room.
short stuff would be the envy of all his friends. they might even want to show their parents short stuff's hammock!
05-12-2007, 09:51
Ewker

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hooch

I may build a hammock stand some time before fall/winter hit for indoor use and get rid of the bed.

hmmm, you might want to keep the bed for overnight guest:p
05-12-2007, 14:23
T-BACK

Basically I am sick of lolli gagging and doing Mickey Mouse exercises. I want to tough it out. Its just "weak muscles". Not a pull or slipped disk or anything like that. I know of a lot of ppl that hike with WORSE health problems. Maybe I'm just being a woman!?:cool:[/QUOTE]

Rockstar,

Don't give up on those exercises. My icon is an x-ray of my lower back (thanks to a woman who ran a red light). If I don't do my stretches daily I start to lose my range of motion very quickly. Don't feel like you're wimping out. I met a woman in physical rehab that delivered her baby naurally. She said that the birthing pain she experienced was nothing compared to her back pain after her auto accident. She said "the fact that some women choose to have more than one baby is proof of that." My muscles are weak also and it's because it hurts me to exercise them a lot. I've found that flexibility and a light load go a long way toward keeping my back from complaining too loudly. Trekking poles help me to maintain my balance which takes a large burden off my lumbar muscles. Last but certainly not least is my hammock! This one piece of equipment has made it possible for me to sleep outdoors. I can sleep ok on a thick air mattress but I have a very hard time getting up from and down to the ground. My advice is to make a test hammock out of inexpenisve materials and give it a try. It might be just the ticket. Good luck and let us know how things work out.
05-12-2007, 20:18
Frolicking Dino

Quote:

Originally Posted by RockStar

My back hasn't been giving me much trouble. Overall I have a weak lower back. It takes some fine tuned exercises to get it going in a stronger direction and not much to put it out of wack again. Which leads to me throwing my hands up in frustration.

My question is...if my back is just weak and my main problem hiking was losing sleep b/c of spasms...do you think sleeping in the hammock will help me get some sleep and reduce the spasms? And over time my back will strengthen?

Most of the time once I got up and got going my back would warm up and be okay. A little tight on the uphill but, no spasms. After DAYS of losing sleep though, it begins to cause my shoulders to fatigue and so then my back AND shoulders start to tense up as I hike.

Basically I am sick of lolli gagging and doing Mickey Mouse exercises. I want to tough it out. Its just "weak muscles". Not a pull or slipped disk or anything like that. I know of a lot of ppl that hike with WORSE health problems. Maybe I'm just being a woman!?:cool:

RockStar, may I suggest getting one of those huge exercise balls and sitting on it instead of your computer chair? Because it is round and has no back, your body is constantly making fine adjustments with the 'core' muscles -- it has really helped my abs and back muscles.
05-12-2007, 20:51
btourer

I also had a simular problem with spasms in my lower back. I had gotten out of my bike riding for a few years because of having to spend long hours at work and then it started coming on. After my doctor got tired of seeing me in her office she told me I needed to find something aerobic to do and she said biking would be perfect. By the way, she said it's brought on by stress. I got back into riding and I haven't had one in years. I was told to do those little exercises too, but they're boring. Get a bike and some bags, grab the hammock and hit the road. I head out on Saturday's and ride as far as I can then hang for the night. Which forces me to ride back that far on Sunday. You get rid of stress and get to hang too.
05-12-2007, 21:05
Hooch

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ewker

hmmm, you might want to keep the bed for overnight guest:p

My overnight guest liked my hammock, thank you very much. :D
05-12-2007, 23:07
Coffee

Has anyone here tried yoga with respect to their backs? I am thinking about picking that up when I get back from my hike.
05-12-2007, 23:20
RockStar

Quote:

Originally Posted by T-BACK

Basically I am sick of lolli gagging and doing Mickey Mouse exercises. I want to tough it out. Its just "weak muscles". Not a pull or slipped disk or anything like that. I know of a lot of ppl that hike with WORSE health problems. Maybe I'm just being a woman!?:cool:

Rockstar,

Don't give up on those exercises. My icon is an x-ray of my lower back (thanks to a woman who ran a red light). If I don't do my stretches daily I start to lose my range of motion very quickly. Don't feel like you're wimping out. I met a woman in physical rehab that delivered her baby naurally. She said that the birthing pain she experienced was nothing compared to her back pain after her auto accident. She said "the fact that some women choose to have more than one baby is proof of that." My muscles are weak also and it's because it hurts me to exercise them a lot. I've found that flexibility and a light load go a long way toward keeping my back from complaining too loudly. Trekking poles help me to maintain my balance which takes a large burden off my lumbar muscles. Last but certainly not least is my hammock! This one piece of equipment has made it possible for me to sleep outdoors. I can sleep ok on a thick air mattress but I have a very hard time getting up from and down to the ground. My advice is to make a test hammock out of inexpenisve materials and give it a try. It might be just the ticket. Good luck and let us know how things work out.[/QUOTE]

The Stretches are fine...the resistance band they gave me is Mickey Mouse all the way. I prefer light weights. I just LIKE weights and the gym. I know I get out what I put in at the gym and they get paid the same per month. Unlike the P.T.s that get paid for the DURATION of my treatment. They start me on exercises then leave the room until I am done. If my job was that easy I would ALSO have ppl doing Mickey Mouse exercises to keep padding my pocket with insurance money! I can get the same results faster at a gym. Only my insurance WONT pay for that. :p Sadly enough. :(

I DO have a hammock and Tarp already.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TeeDee

Don't know if this is any help or not, but: I get muscle cramps in my lower back unless I keep the muscles toned and stretched. For stretching I have found that 2 excercises help me a lot: 1. Simply bending over, knees locked and touching the floor just in front of my toes, using my knuckles instead of my finger tips works even better. Repeat at least 10 times. Do not touch the floor for more than 2 seconds. 2. laying flat on my back, arms at my sides, hands palm down and on the floor. Lock the knees and raise the legs, up and over the head and touch the floor above the head with the toes. It may take a while to get that far, but keep trying. Hold for no more than 2 seconds, any longer and the back muscles will contract which you do not want. Since I have been doing the above religiously every day, my lower back cramps are no more. My back tightens up if I miss for more than 2 or 3 days.

The first one I already do sometimes. The second I was told is "advanced" and was causing more problems b/c the muslces weren't ready for that. However the Mickey Mouse troop told me that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frolicking Dino

RockStar, may I suggest getting one of those huge exercise balls and sitting on it instead of your computer chair? Because it is round and has no back, your body is constantly making fine adjustments with the 'core' muscles -- it has really helped my abs and back muscles.

THIS is an idea as the chair hurts my back unless I use the back heat massager I got for Christmas! :D I am short and most chairs hurt my back b/c of the way my "complex" would have me sit in them. ;) Oh how the needy ego needs.

Quote:

Originally Posted by btourer

I also had a simular problem with spasms in my lower back. I had gotten out of my bike riding for a few years because of having to spend long hours at work and then it started coming on. After my doctor got tired of seeing me in her office she told me I needed to find something aerobic to do and she said biking would be perfect. By the way, she said it's brought on by stress. I got back into riding and I haven't had one in years. I was told to do those little exercises too, but they're boring. Get a bike and some bags, grab the hammock and hit the road. I head out on Saturday's and ride as far as I can then hang for the night. Which forces me to ride back that far on Sunday. You get rid of stress and get to hang too.

I thought about getting a bike but, being over analytical(sp) and undergifted in the height department-I havent found a bike SMALL enough yet rugged enough to handle that kind of biking. Basically BMX style bikes are the only I can ride without jumping on and off of! *I live in a small town and Wal Mart is the low price low quality leader here.* :rolleyes: A friend bought a bike there and 2 years later took it to have something fixed at a Bike shop...the bike had been put together wrong and she didn't even know it. The front tire wasn't even LOCKED into place. The guy said he doesnt know HOW she never did a face plant! :eek:
05-13-2007, 07:00
btourer

Quote:

Originally Posted by RockStar

Rockstar,
I thought about getting a bike but, being over analytical(sp) and undergifted in the height department-I havent found a bike SMALL enough yet rugged enough to handle that kind of biking. Basically BMX style bikes are the only I can ride without jumping on and off of! *I live in a small town and Wal Mart is the low price low quality leader here.* :rolleyes: A friend bought a bike there and 2 years later took it to have something fixed at a Bike shop...the bike had been put together wrong and she didn't even know it. The front tire wasn't even LOCKED into place. The guy said he doesnt know HOW she never did a face plant! :eek:

I'm not much on bike shops where ever I am. I get frames and then I build up my own bikes. But there's nice bikes to be had even in the small sizes. Go see: http://www.terrybicycles.com for conventional bikes. Also look at http://www.bikefriday.com which are folding bikes but they have a section for folks that are height impared. These days all better bikes are pricy but what can you do. You might look into recumbents also. And all bike are hammock compatible.
05-14-2007, 11:15
peanuts

i do yoga and i do pilates.it has done wonders for my ability to hike!!<a
05-14-2007, 11:28
Coffee

Quote:

Originally Posted by peanuts

i do yoga and i do pilates.it has done wonders for my ability to hike!!<a

Thanks. I am going to have to get into that. It should be another funny thing for people to stare at me in the woods. Doing yoga next to a hammock.:p
05-14-2007, 15:45
RockStar

Quote:

Originally Posted by btourer

I'm not much on bike shops where ever I am. I get frames and then I build up my own bikes. But there's nice bikes to be had even in the small sizes. Go see: http://www.terrybicycles.com for conventional bikes. Also look at http://www.bikefriday.com which are folding bikes but they have a section for folks that are height impared. These days all better bikes are pricy but what can you do. You might look into recumbents also. And all bike are hammock compatible.

Thanks for the sites!
05-14-2007, 21:03
Just Jeff

No such thing as too much gear. Move the wife into the backyard if you run out of gear storage areas. (Just don't tell MY wife I said that... :D )

I've looked at those mats. The CCF ones seem like they'd insulate well but they're much heavier than camping mats...that's why I've never tried them. I bet they'd be good for car camping, though.
05-15-2007, 16:57
peanuts

no, i use a pilates machine. the pilates matt is waay to heavy, in my opinion.