Many faithful readers know that I've had my share of back pain over the years. In fact, I've experienced on-and-off back problems since I was 14. I remember exactly how I hurt my back the first time. I was doing hack squats the "old-fashioned" way – straddling a barbell with one arm in front and one arm behind.

I read in a bodybuilding magazine of this fantastic way to build front thigh mass called the hack squat. Because I was 14, didn't (and probably couldn't) belong to a gym (this was nearly 30 years ago), and didn't have the money or space to buy my own hack squat machine, I fashioned one myself.

Needless to say, you know the outcome. I tweaked my back to the point where I had severe pain in my lower back area and had a really hard time participating in sports. I remember at the time that I was in PE class (back when Physical Education was thought of as an integral part of a young person's education); it was winter so it was football season. Because I was fast, my team relied on me to run streaks, posts, corners, and other speed routes.

The pain really hampered my ability to get open. To this day, I do not know how I ran at all. The pain was quite severe. But being the stubborn fool, I "toughed" it out.

That episode lasted for a month or so.

I didn't have any more issues for several years. After college, I got a retail job at a sporting goods store. There was the normal selling, stocking, and administrative stuff. The stocking is what got me this time. I was moving a case of shoes. Rather than pick it up, I decided to push it across the floor. The bent position I took put my lower back in a compromised posture, exposing it to a shear force that was, looking back now, probably quite severe.

Again, the back went pop and I momentarily lost some feeling. I was in pretty severe discomfort for many months this time around. In fact, the excruciating pain did subside, but it never went away, fading into a dull ache that ranged in severity from a pain level of 1 to about 5, depending on seemingly random factors. In other words, I was always conscious of my lower back; it never let me forget or give me any relief from pain.

Fast forward 10 years. I had one last bout with tremendous back pain. I was doing really heavy leg presses and let myself do them in poor form, rounding my back at the bottom of the movement so that I could get the maximum range of motion and – my hope – getting the best leg stimulation possible.

That worked! My legs blew up in size and my lower back again got tweaked. This time, really badly. To the point that I became almost totally immobile. This time, the episode lasted 8 months. I was on Vallium, cortisone, heavy doses of Aleve; I saw a chiropractor (who only made it worse), an accupuncturist (minimal short-lived pain relief), even an orthopedic surgeon.

Yes, I almost succumbed to surgery! I was in a shambles. At the time, I ran a consulting business. I couldn't make appointments so my income dried up. It was the most dire time of my life.

I never contemplated suicide, but I came to understand why someone might end it all. Life was simply miserable.

What made it worse is that I had just met a woman that I fell in love with. I was such a miserable trainwreck that I felt this relationship slipping away, too. This made life even more desperate.

I literally tried everything short of the knife. I bought an inversion table and practiced inversion therapy religiously. I began using DMSO along with several over-the-counter medications. I stopped taking Vallium (now I knew what being a drug addict felt like and I certainly did not enjoy it).

I found a great physical therapist.

After several months of PT (both professionally-administered and on my own), I emerged with 80 percent less pain. More importantly, I became a functioning human being again.

Turns out, after having an MRI, that I had a slight bulge in a disk, but my physiology being what it was, that tiny bulge was pressing hard on my sciatic nerve.

Fast forward to about 7 months ago. I began taking heavy doses of supplements: Calcium, condroitin, glucosamine, fish oils, MSM. I began drinking a ton of water. I cut out soda (caffeine and sugar are inflammatory).

Most interesting thing: I began doing heavy deadlifts! I think all along that my core was in an out-of-balance situation (my abs were way stronger than my lower back), made worse because I had back pain, so I didn't do any lower back work.

Now that I've balanced my core strength and give my body plenty of nourishment without the inflammatory chemicals, I am now pain-free.

The weirdest thing is, I start to develop pain in my low back with even a single soda!

I am certainly no back expert. Nor am I a chronic pain expert. I know what works for me. I have no idea what works for you. However, I do know that Eric Wong, author of Bulletproof Back, is an expert at healing bad backs. He has the scars to prove it! A Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), Eric has the perfect program for making your back stronger than ever and removing pain forever.

It's called Bulletproof Back. If I'd have had this program 10, 20, or 30 years ago, I'd have had a much more productive and happy life.

In the recent past, I've been lax on being consistent with my supplementation. I could make excuses: Work, vacation, kids, etc. Those all come into play, but it's really just laziness. And my back paid for it. I have been experiencing some pretty severe discomfort in my lower back (from numerous injuries, poor posture at work, sitting at the computer for 12-15 hours per day sometimes).

So I got consistent for a week. And my back pain vanished. The back pain resurfaced (because that's just what my back does — it's a real bitch sometimes), but it never got to the point of bothering me. That discomfort comes and goes, and I'm okay with that. I've lived with pain for many years; hours or even minutes without pain are incredible.

In all honesty, my back feels better now at 43 than it has for the last 30 years. My first memory of really bad back pain was at the age of 12. Then it got worse at 14. So, I've dealt with it for over 30 years. Trust me when I say that any amount of time that passes without pain or even discomfort is simply AWESOME. So you might be wondering what I am taking.

Zero medication. All supplements. Here's the list, all bought at GNC and/or Costco. Each dose is per MAJOR meal (breakfast, lunch, and dinner)

• Men's Multi-vitamin/mineral – 1 tablet
• Calcium complex – 2 tablets
• Fish Oil capsules – 2 capsules
• Ginko Biloba – 1 capsule
• TripleFlex (glucosamin, condroitin, MSM) – 2 capsules
• Vitamin C – 1 tablet

NOTE: These are 2-3 times the recommended dosages per the manufacturer's recommendations, and about 50x the RDA. Please don't construe this as medical advice and certainly don't try this without your doctor's approval. I am not a doctor, just a guy who's experimented a LOT with supplements over the past 20-25 years and knows what works for him. I could die tomorrow, too, so what the heck do I know?

Here's a funny video about how squats can cure cancer, as told to a young man by a powerlifting robot.

WARNING: Contains potentially offensive language and is somewhat negative towards bodybuilders and powerlifters at the same time (which I didn't think was possible).

back pain relief

If you’ve ever suffered from back pain – any pain, really - then you’ve got to hear this:

Back Pain Audio

It normally sells for $79, but you can get the recording here for free.

Is it possible to cure back pain in 7 days? As a long-time sufferer of chronic low back pain, I was curious when I read about the 7 Day Back Pain Cure. Once I got the book, though, I was a believer. After only a few days, I have seriously less back pain than I’ve had in years.

Really.

As you may guess, especially if you’ve been here before, I like to lift weights. I’ve recently gotten the “heavy bug” too, so having lower back pain has really put a damper on my enthusiasm for lifting heavy. Especially my newly beloved deadlifts.

But now I can.

When I was 12, I strained my back doing some hokey homemade hack squats. When I was 14, I could barely walk after a flare up. I distinctly remember gym class, trying to run pass routes during football games. It was horrible.

About 10 years ago I had a bad injury from poor form on some really heavy leg presses. In fact, I was nearly off my feet for 8 months. I was diagnosed with a bulging disk and spinal stenosis (a narrowing of the spinal column). Short of surgery, there was no cure. At least according to the “experts.”

I’ve had quite a few bouts with these types of painful episodes over the past 30 years that I cannot remember a day without back pain. Until yesterday.

I am so pissed, actually, that I didn’t seek out this book sooner. But I guess I couldn’t, since it was just published this year. The author, Jesse Cannone, gives a complete analysis of all the things that could be wrong with your body, mind, and diet. And then he tells you how to deal with very specific back problems.

This book is literally worth its weight in gold. Actually, that’s way off the mark. It’s a paperback, so it doesn’t weigh much, but it sure is worth a ton of money. But by clicking this “back pain cure” link, it’s free (you pay for shipping and handling).

I really dig this book. It simply talks about the issues, the causes, and the cures. Stuff you won’t get from your doctor, therapist, or chiropractor.

NOTE: The links above are MY affiliate links. I liked the product so much because of what it did for me that I became an affiliate. I simply want to pass this information onto as many people as I can. Buy it from me or don’t. But buy it.

Wrist injury

Last month, I went on an excellent road trip vacation with my family (my wife and two boys — a 3 1/2 and 2 year old) up through central Oregon and back down the west coast. Absolutely stunning scenery!

We loaded up (and I’m not exaggerating) the Pilot — 2 bikes, bike trailer, stroller, porta crib, and enough food and clothing to last most sane people 6 months!

But we’re insane.

We spent the first week at a cabin on a ranch outside Ashland, OR. There was a ton to do there for the boys, and I could ride my mountain bike on some pretty hilly and rugged terrain. It was hotter than you-know-what, and even the flats felt like mountains.

That’s the prelude

So I picked the hottest day of our stay to explore. I climbed a bunch of hills to get where I was going (which, essentially, was “nowhere”). Then the trail disappeared. After a little trek up some ridiculous terrain, I became “the decider.” Bad idea!

I turned around. As I approached warp speed, I started to brake, but obviously not enough! I made a slight turn of the wheel, the tire dug in, the bike virtually stopped, but I didn’t. After slamming hands first into the gravel, I made two somersaults and landed on my shoulder.

After I picked the gravel from my palms and knees, brushed off a bit, I hopped back up on the bike. A little blood, but remarkably not much pain.

Until two days later. My right wrist had taken the brunt of the crash and was pretty sore. That was a month and a half ago. It is still sore.

Especially after I had the shots yesterday to burst the ganglia that had presented itself. Plus, apparently, I had broken my hand, but it had already healed. Now I’ve got this red (soon-to-be-purple) bruise on the back side of my arm where the hand meets the wrist.

The doctor said the treatment given works about 50 percent of the time. Let’s hope. Otherwise, my alternatives are to “live with it” or have surgery to remove it. I guess it’s like a cyst. Not a big deal, but man am I tired of surgeries! 3 on the knee and an emergency appendectomy are enough for this cowboy!

So, to the subject of this post.

How to Deal with Minor Injuries

First and foremost, the treatment I am about to describe is not to be construed as medical advice. I am not a doctor, just a guy whose had his share of minor injuries and is sharing his successes and failures with you. We’re talking sprains and strains, slight pulls, and the like. Not bone breaks, muscle tears, incessant bleeding or other soft tissue damage that might require surgery. Seek medical attention right away!

Then, treat your injury right away with RICE:

• Rest
• Ice
• Compression
• Elevation

I hate medication as much as the next guy, but I recommend that you also take a pain reliever like Motrin. It will take the edge off and reduce swelling. Obviously, don’t take a medication that you know you’re allergic to or have had adverse side effects in the past.!

I’ve found success by also keeping the joint immobile for a day or two. I ice the injury for 10-15 minutes every hour for as long as I’m awake. Of course, you may have some timing issues if you’re at work or have to drive somewhere, but if you’re home, ice as frequently as possible.

Then, after 2 days or so, start light exercise. Get the joint moving. Do whatever you can without pain. If you experience pain, stop. Ice some more.

After 3-5 days, you should be at 80 percent or so.

Dealing with Injury while Exercising

My particular wrist pain is exacerbated mostly by anything where a weight is pressing against the palm of my hand. Things like bench presses, military presses, and the like. But interestingly, you never notice this until you’re hurt, but supporting weight in things like squats and calf presses KILL!

So I work around it. Rather than grip the bar for the duration in the squat, I wrap my arms around the bar so that my hands aren’t gripping the bar at all. For calf presses, I did donkey presses instead of standing presses.

Things like that.

You have to continue treatment for as long as the injury persists, keep the joint flexible and strong, but without causing any undue pain.

Time doesn’t heal, but it sure helps!

If you follow this advice, I am hopeful that you can keep the minor injuries that you’re going to get to a minimum and allow you to continue to workout with minimal lost time.