Pilates Ball for lower back?

[Goju - Joe]

So I bought one of those inflated Pilate's ball and have been lying on it - face up, trying to put a curve back into my spine and force my bulging disk back in place.

I was given a cat stretch exercise by a physio to do this and figure the Pilate's ball does it even more.

But I also had an intense grappling day on Tuesday as people are getting ready for an upcoming competition and my back is sore.

My question has anyone else used a Pilate's ball for their lower back?

Good / bad any thoughts?

[Teh El Macho]

Do you have a link to that product by any chance? One like this?

http://z.hubpages.com/u/206550_f520.jpg

Use that a lot at home - it's pretty good.

For pple with a painful lower back, I recommend instead a a small but soft medicine ball (make sure it's a soft, mushy one and not a hard one), a bit deflated basketball, or a stability disk:

http://www.buckaball.com/prodimages/GFCDISK.jpg


The stability disk is an inflatable disk, much smaller than a pilates ball, but with a flat end that you put on the floor. This takes away the instability of the larger ball (which can be risky at first when you are trying to curve your back on it). So basically, curve your lower spine back in place with a stability disk, then (lightly) on a med ball/basket ball (as well as with a foam roller), and then on the pilates ball.

Come to think of it I like to roll my back (face up) on a smaller medicine ball. I basically move myself back and forth, with the ball rolling under the lenght of my spine. That seems to put **** back into place better than curving my back on the larger ball. I'll see if I can post some pics later today or during the weekend.

[It is Fake]

Yes, please do, this sounds like my problem.

[Fuzzy]

Seconded

[dumblucky]

Given the range of problems people have with their backs, this may not help but for what its worth:

I’ve got a long term L4/L5 injury complicated by a hip problem and lordosis that comes from sitting at a desk all day. I’ve tried both the cat stretches and the some stability ball stretches but haven’t gotten them to work for me. With my particular problem, arching my back backwards tends to aggravate the disc. (But lying on foam roller with my face up and rolling does help).

When the disc is sore – I can’t do much but rest, ice, and anti-inflamatories.

When my low back is just tight, I need to align my hips, work on my SI joint, abs, and strengthen my posterior chain. I’ve have had a lot more luck with the mobility drills, glute activation work and the foam roller drills recommended by people like Eric Cressey and Mike Boyle. Both have articles at t-nation that are pretty easy to find.

(This is the start of a five part series on common shoulder and back problems for the desk bound that helped me put a lot of things together: http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_...ore_part_i&cr= . My apologies if it has been posted before).

I’m never really free of pain or soreness but twenty minutes a day of these drills allows me to be respectably active otherwise. Again, for what its worth.
__

On a related note – Goju Joe did you ever get an inversion table? Did it help? I seem to remember a post about this a while ago. . .

[MilkManX]

I use one to do lower back extentions and also ab crunches and oblique crunches.

[Student]

Come to think of it I like to roll my back (face up) on a smaller medicine ball. I basically move myself back and forth, with the ball rolling under the lenght of my spine. That seems to put **** back into place better than curving my back on the larger ball. I'll see if I can post some pics later today or during the weekend.

Hey - have you tried a foam roller - works great for exactly what you describe doing above (and you can roll just about any part of your body).

[Neildo]

I use one all the time at work. It's improved my core strength and my low back and hip pains are mostly gone.

For you office drones: fitness ball as chair - No BS Martial Arts
My Hip HURTZES!!!! - No BS Martial Arts

Balls.

[Goju - Joe]

No i didn't get the inversion table :(

That's next on my list, I tried a good one that costs about $400 as a father of three it's hard for me to spend that type of money on myself

My Pilates ball only cost $19

Trying to see if this helps.

I pretty much roll my self back until the top of my head is touching the floor.

The other thing is this seems to make my back ache, although it also feels good to do it.

My Phsyio told me that my sciatica has settled in my foot, but the root problem is in my lower back and doing excercises that cause and ach in that spot means that the right area is being effected.

so I am trying to find out if this has worked for others before or not



is what I have

[Neildo]

i stretch my low back a lot using the ball. it's great for that.