
Ask HN: Back problems - kyro
With many of you coding for multiple hours a day, presumably hunched over your keyboards for a portion of that time, I'd imagine back pain being a relatively common problem throughout the hacker community.<p>For those of you with back pain, knots, lower back pain, etc., how do you deal with it? Are there any exercises or movements that help alleviate whatever pain or soreness your backs might be experiencing? Have chiropractors or acupuncturists helped?<p>I've had back pain for years now, and although contorting my body to snap my spine provides immediate relief, it hasn't really provided any long term alleviation. In fact the problem has gotten much worse.<p>Thanks.
======
how_gauche
Try stretching out your hamstrings. A lot of lower back pain is actually
caused by shortened hamstrings pulling the pelvis and lower back out of
alignment.

~~~
jongraehl
As another comment suggests, there are many muscles acting across the pelvis
and trunk that might be contributing. A physical therapist will either
correctly identify what specific areas you should focus on, or (more likely)
make sure that you work them all.

I've had several acute lumbar disc incidents leading to up to 6 months of
sustained sciatica. By the end of that time, my hamstrings were indeed
extremely tight, from inactivity and sitting.

------
keeptrying
Improve your hip mobility and the strength/activation of your _glutes_.

It takes a bit of reading to understand whats happening to your body but
essentially sitting for long periods of time weakens your glutes and also the
mobility of your hip. This in turn causes your lower back to compensate
(flexion) in any movement requiring glutes/hip movement. Since the back wasnt
designed for that movement, you tend to get hurt.

Start with these 2 articles and you'll understand what I mean:

[http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_trai...](http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance_repair/lower_back_savers)

[http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_trai...](http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance_repair/the_mobilitystability_continuum)

I'm a programmer too but I've had no back problems as soon as I started fixing
my glutes/hip-mobility.

------
rdouble
I have 3 squashed discs in my lower back from a skateboarding injury. I've
tried everything for back pain. Before I share what works for me, I'll say
that if you don't have a structural injury you probably just have very weak
"core" muscles and the best thing you can do is get into a general state of
good fitness and then add in some core strengthening exercises.

After doing tons of PT, and trying everything from yoga to pilates to
accupuncture to cyclobenzeprine, I figured out three main exercises that
strengthen the muscles in the lower back:

\- "superman": lay on your stomach on the floor. raise your left arm and right
leg up at the same time. hold for a count of five. repeat on other side. do
this 10 times for each side.

\- "planks": this is like a pushup but you're on your elbows and instead of
doing a pushup, you just hold in that position. It sounds easy but is very
hard if you don't have strong abs. try to work up to 3-5 sets of 60 seconds at
a time.

\- "bird dog": like the superman but you're on your knees and hands, doggy
style. raise left leg and right arm at the same time, hold for count of 5.
alternate. do 10.

Those three things, and being generally in shape have helped my back more than
anything else I've tried. You can find videos of them on youtube if you google
those exercise names with "core fitness" or similar search strings added in.

Other lifestyle changes are good, too. Don't sit down in a pile for 8 hours at
a time. Get up and move around, even if you're just getting out of your chair
at least once an hour. Change your position. Sit on an exercise ball for a
while, lie down on a couch with a laptop for a while, work standing up for a
while. Go for a walk at least an hour a day.

I've found that pilates is much better for back care than yoga. many of the
yoga moves are not good for your back if you have slipped discs. in
particular, "downward dog" which is the staple move of most yogas is not good
if you actually have a back injury like mine. Pilates arose out of rehab so
most of the moves are safer for your back. I mention these activities because
one of the side effects of back problems (or sometimes the cause of back
problems) is very tight hamstrings. You'll need to do some sort of stretching
to get the hamstrings back in order and I've found this easier to do in a
structured, class context.

I'll be semi controversial and say that you want to have strong abs, but you
DON'T want to do situps. do planks instead. Situps strengthen your abs while
pulling your back into the same position that makes it hurt. planks strengthen
your abs but you're also extended and working all your stabilization muscles
at the same time.

~~~
philjr
This is excellent advice. I still play sport at a high level at the moment and
being 6'6, I was getting back pain. Superman, plank and bird dog are all
excellent exercises to help strengthen your back and core. Since I've been
doing them, I've alleviated all the back pain which I used to get after
training and matches.

The only thing I'd say is that the plank exercises may not be the best
exercises for people with a reall weak core. You may want to start at
something lower (bird dog and other light core exercises might be better).

------
mixmax
Exercise - it works.

~~~
tom_rath
No kidding! I used to have frequent back pain, with aches that wouldn't go
away even after an age of stretching.

Six years ago I started on the RCAF's old 5BX program (a quick Google search
will lead you to the booklet that describes it -- dead simple) and, in
exchange for 11 minutes of exercise a day on an open floor, had the body I've
always wanted within a year.

I've since moved on to weights and other gym-like stuff and have not had back
pain in years.

It's so stupidly obvious I'm kicking myself for it now: If you have decent
muscle to support all those bones and tendons up your back, they won't be
straining themselves to the point of pain while supporting your body.

~~~
giardini
Yeah, yeah, 5BX is great! While a certain rare exercise machine gives the most
relief, one simple 5BX back exercise (chart 1, exercise 3) is as effective,
provided I do it regularly.

I do other exercises too: stationary cycling, rowing and treadmill with some
weight work. All necessary because I enjoy food!

------
blogimus
At work, I try to remember to stand up and stretch periodically. Drinking a
lot of water forces me to get up out my chair regularly and go for a short
walk down the hall.

When not at work, I try to take care of my back by wearing a back brace when
doing heavy work or home improvement tasks and try to remember to lift with my
knees, not my back.

------
mattchew
Look into the ideas and books of John Sarno. He believes that many chronic
pain "syndromes" that resist treatment are actually psychological in origin.

I discovered Sarno when I came down with untreatable "RSI". Eventually I got
better using his approach. My story is similar to Rachels (google for others):

<http://podolsky.everybody.org/rsi/>

Sarno originally worked with people who had chronic untreatable back pain.

All that said, if you're not getting any exercise I would try that first. But
if you have tried that and a bunch of other things and nothing works, look at
Sarno.

~~~
jongraehl
I read Sarno when I was suffering from "carpal tunnel" like symptoms that
wouldn't heal. I didn't believe his claims, but his argument about the
possibility of self-perpetuating psychosomatic pain made me put more effort
into being happy, which was valuable.

In cases where you have inflamed or slipped disks pushing on the spinal nerve
(e.g. sciatica), Sarno is completely inappropriate.

Of course, bulging or not-perfectly straight disks in an MRI or xray do _not_
mean the pain should be solved by an operation - most symptom free people have
some irregularities that will show up.

------
jongraehl
Stuart McGill's [http://www.amazon.com/Low-Back-Disorders-Evidence-based-
Reha...](http://www.amazon.com/Low-Back-Disorders-Evidence-based-
Rehabilitation/dp/0736066926) is a good textbook. It's not for the layperson
looking for quick recommendations, but he does give some recommendations based
on physical and computer models of the spine under various exercises (and
traumas).

------
jongraehl
In a vulnerable state (from athletic wear and tear), I've incurred unexpected
sharp nerve compression pain (feeling like part of my spine crunching against
the nerve, maybe some minor lumbar disk slip) from things like kicking a lid
shut on a trash can, or crouching down to open a cabinet - in those cases,
conscious bracing (or just being more cautious when not feeling 100%) would
likely have avoided the irritation altogether.

Those minor tweaks have always resulted in at least a few days or weeks of
pain, which seems a little ridiculous, but one of the unfortunate things about
back pain (not muscle strain or soreness, but actual spinal soft tissue
incidents) is the increased likelihood of reinjury later in life. For many of
us, there's a direct and obvious spinal trauma causing a few weeks or months
of injury, followed by seemingly normal function, but with (lifelong?)
heightened risk of reinjury from more minor strains.

------
nathanb
I'm going to have to go with the AOL comment on this one. I had both upper and
lower back pain. A proper understanding of how my back can get pulled into
awkward positions and what stretches/posture corrections are necessary to
prevent this has eliminated it thus far without having to make any equipment
changes (buying new chairs, desk trays, etc.).

Tim Ferris also recommends changing your shoes
([http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2009/05/07/vibram-
five-...](http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2009/05/07/vibram-five-fingers-
shoes/)) or your chair
([http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2009/01/27/office-
chair...](http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2009/01/27/office-chair-aeron-
vs-mirra-vs-liberty/)) if stretches/exercise doesn't cut it for you.

------
tezza
* Abs and Back Strengthening *

\- These are simple and only need a yoga mat and 10 minutes 3 times week. Even
1 session a week will kill a lot of back pain

\- I will ignore situps here, because they're simple

\- Get yoga mat.

\- Lie _face down_, legs and arms outstretched

\- Raise your _left_ arm and _right_ leg, so your body evens out

\- Lower left arm / right leg

\- Raise right arm, raise right leg

\- Lower and repeat ~ 20 times

\- Now switch to the situps and do 20 of one of the many varieties you can do.

\- Alternate situps with prone swim, as the core muscles exhaust after 20
repititions. Keep both abs and back at same level to prevent hunching.

* Ergonomics *

\- Get a foot rest

\- Get an Aeron chair

\- If you're right-handed get a left handed keyboard so that your hand does
not have to travel over the numpad to reach the mouse. This extra travel
distance can really hurt over time

I have a Evuloent <http://www.evoluent.com/kb1.html>

* Stretching *

Mentioned elsewhere, do your quads as much as possible

------
udfalkso
James Hong recently wrote a blog post containing a video and excerpts from a
book by Esther Gokhale called "8 steps to a pain free back". It's worth a
look, helped me.

<http://blog.jhong.org/2009/02/back-pain.html>

------
rob
Fix your posture (most likely bad), stretch your psoas and hamstrings, and go
and have an ART or deep tissue massage done. You might also want to invest in
a foam roller for self-myofascial release and then use a tennis / lacrosse
ball once that's not enough.

~~~
jz
I'd recommend buying this book: [http://www.amazon.com/Trigger-Point-Therapy-
Workbook-Self-Tr...](http://www.amazon.com/Trigger-Point-Therapy-Workbook-
Self-
Treatment/dp/1572243759/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1242674470&sr=8-1). It
shows you the trigger points which cause referred pain. I reference this book
quite frequently and would also recommend (no joke) taking a woman's nylon and
putting a tennis ball in it. You can then hold the open end of the nylon and
hang the tennis ball over your shoulder with your back towards a wall. By
applying pressure (by leaning) on the tennis ball for a few seconds, you can
alleviate trigger points or sore muscles.

------
Bjoern
\- Sports

\- Try not to code on a Laptop or use a clever setup to avoid problems. E.g.
see here for some details
[http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/workplacehealth/Pages/Laptophealt...](http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/workplacehealth/Pages/Laptophealth.aspx)

\- The chair you sit in. It makes sense to buy a good chair if you spend all
day in it.

\- Sitting angle. Interestingly a angle of 90 deg has shown to have more
"sitting pressure" than 110-135 degrees.
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6187080.stm> more details here
<http://www.springerlink.com/content/w3k042u614x16900/>

------
terpua
I recommend the StrongLifts 5x5 program. It's 5 exercises per workout (45
mins), 3x a week.

[http://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5x5-beginner-strength-
tra...](http://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5x5-beginner-strength-training-
program/)

------
stan_rogers
Yeah -- chair, general ergonomics, excercise, stretching, massage. All good.
All mostly missing the real point.

Unless you've suffered a real back injury, your pain is probably at least
partly psychosomatic. That doesn't mean "in your head", but "FROM your head"
-- there is real physical pain caused by real physiological phenomena, but the
major contributing factor is unnecessary muscular tension. BLOW OFF STRESS.
Laugh. With friends if possible. Hit things that are designed to be hit and
don't mind it at all. Drink in moderation if it's safe for you to do so.

------
dkarl
These two books are essential reading for people with back problems and should
be reasonably accessible to anyone with both an athletic background and an
advanced high school understanding of anatomy and physiology.

[http://www.amazon.com/Low-Back-Disorders-Evidence-based-
Reha...](http://www.amazon.com/Low-Back-Disorders-Evidence-based-
Rehabilitation/dp/0736066926/)

[http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Fitness-Performance-Stuart-
Mc...](http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Fitness-Performance-Stuart-
McGill/dp/0973501804/)

------
mike463
You can do two things: \- ensure you have proper posture \- strengthen your
"core"

First, do a web search for ergonomics and posture to make sure you're sitting
in a neutral position. If you're not, you will be constantly using your back
muscles (and neck, shoulders, etc) to maintain your posture when you sit,
which will lead to pain.

Second, search for exercises to strengthen your "core". You should strive for
simple exercises to maintain your muscles. Back pain is related to weak back
and abdominal muscles.

------
randallsquared
I would have assumed that the reverse would be true: people who mostly sit all
day should have less back pain. In my personal (apparently anomalous, given
the posts here) experience, this is the case. When I worked in manufacturing
12 years ago, putting commercial refrigerators together, I had back pain quite
a lot, even to missing some work due to it, but since I switched to desk jobs,
it just went away.

------
azsromej
I get back pain every once in awhile and it tends to linger for 1-4 weeks.
Then it goes away for a month or two.

I try to work my abs and lower back, as well as stretch my hamstrings.

As for sitting up straight, I think the most recent guidance is that a 120-135
degree thigh-to-back angle is optimal:
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6187080.stm>

------
thinkzig
This is a repost of some advice I've offered here before, but doing them
really helped me out.

Outside of seeing a doctor to see if there's something seriously screwed up
with your back, I'd offer these 3 pieces of advice I had to learn about the
hard way.

1.) Massage.

You may not think it's the manliest thing ever, but if you can afford it you
should find a good local masseuse and get yourself an hour session. Even if
you go once and never go again, you'll get an education in just how kinked up
your back and shoulders probably are.

I tweaked my back lifting a lawn mower out of my car a few years ago and
didn't think much of it at the time. Over the next few weeks I started to have
all kinds of shoulder problems and other various pain to the point where my
arms were getting tingly and I couldn't sit and code for more than 30 minutes
at a time.

Long story short, I went through a few doctors before I finally just decided
to see a masseuse and see if it helped. I was lucky to find someone that knew
what they were doing and helped get me straightened out. It took about 5
sessions over 5 weeks, but I've never had problems since.

2.) Trigger points.

Learn what they are and how you can fix them. This was my problem that the
masseuse turned me on to. Trigger points are essentially little micro-knots in
your muscle fibers that can add up to cause big problems for you. For me,
lifting that mower was really just the straw that broke the camel's back. It
just exacerbated all the trigger point problems I'd been creating over years
of coding and not stretching out my back and shoulders properly.

If you know where the common trigger points creep up and how to get rid of
them you can save yourself a lot of pain and downtime (not to mention massage
bills).

Buy these two things: The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook
(<http://www.amazon.com/Trigger-Point-Therapy-Workbook-Self-Tr...>) and a
TheraCane (<http://www.amazon.com/Thera-Cane-Theracane-TheraCane/dp/B000...>)

The book will show you how to identify and treat the trigger points all over
your body, and the TheraCane will help you reach the places on your back that
you can't reach yourself.

3.) Yoga.

Once you get all your issues straightened out, yoga and/or a good daily
stretching regimen can help keep you kink free.

Hopefully some of this advice is helpful. I was really messed up for a while
until I figured all this out.

------
Xichekolas
I used to have terrible back, shoulder, and wrist problems.

Then I bought a Herman Miller Mirra, got decent wrist-rests^ for mouse and
keyboard, and took up bike riding and other forms of exercise.

I can't say for sure which of those three had the biggest effect, as I made
all those changes at once, but I definitely don't hurt anymore.

\---

^ Definitely recommend the IMAK ergoBeads products for this!

------
sachmanb
i used to get back pain from working too much as well, but a chair solved
that. i think i take more breaks now too, which was a factor as well, but the
chair upgrades made the biggest difference. i love my freedom chair:
<http://www.humanscale.com/products/freedom_index.cfm>

if an expensive chair isnt an option, figure out how to get good lumbar
support in some other way, and make it easy for you to slouch, distribute
pressure, etc....prob is , slouching in most chairs will result in pain, but
when you work this much, sitting upright can only be sometimes -- thus the
freedom chair. ted talk on the chair:
[http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/niels_diffrient_rethinks_...](http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/niels_diffrient_rethinks_the_way_we_sit_at_work.html)

------
evilneanderthal
squats and deadlifts!

worked for me.

~~~
icey
This is good advice, but it needs to be followed only after you know EXACTLY
how to perform these exercises. Doing them improperly is just asking for
trouble.

You can start by reading "Starting Strength" by Mark Rippetoe. If you don't
feel confident that your form is correct, you can join a forum like the one
over at stronglifts.com. They will probably be happy to review a video of you
doing the lifts to let you know if you're doing things right or wrong (and
what to fix, if it's not right).

Although, if you can swing it, I'd recommend finding a trainer to start you
off.

~~~
jnorthrop
I second the recommendation for Starting Strength. Strengthening your entire
posterior chain (hamstrings, "glutes", lower back and upper back will do
wonders for your back problems.

Having said that, spending 1 hour a day fixing your problem won't be enough
when you're spending the other 23 hours undoing it. Sit up straight or do as I
did and get a stand-up desk.

------
krisneuharth
Yoga has made all the difference for me. It is a great way to unwind for a
short period of time and with practice it will greatly improve your core
strength and relieve your back pain. It doesn't help that it is also a
wonderful opportunity to meet new people, especially flexible girls. :)

------
charlesju
I am religious about ergonomics.

1\. I spent $300 on a herman miller ergonomic chair that forces you to sit up-
right.

2\. Use a keyboard tray to force you to lean back against your chair when
you're coding.

3\. Stretch and walk around once an hour.

4\. Do back exercises at the gym everytime you go.

------
ideamonk
Healthy habits for developers -
[http://stackoverflow.com/questions/330446/healthy-habits-
for...](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/330446/healthy-habits-for-
developers)

------
stonemetal
I get horrible back pain if my chair is not positioned correctly(it doesn't
take much maybe an inch off and I start to feel it). Find a guide on correct
positioning and try to follow it.

~~~
eru
Or when at work: see if your company has a department for such problem. (SAP
had one, when I was an intern there. They adjusted my desk and chair.)

------
mitechka
Find a Tai Chi studio and learn the short form. It is a complete set of
exercises for back, legs and shoulders that takes about 5-10 minutes to
complete. And it is fun to do.

------
modoc
An Aeron. They aren't cheap, but for something that you sit in 10+ hours/day,
you want something that's good for your back.

Exercise, stretching, rowing, etc..

------
slackerIII
Use a standing desk. Odds are your body evolved to spend more time standing
than sitting in a chair.

------
nazgulnarsil
a lot of back pain is caused by weakness in other areas and your posture
muscles trying to make up for it. do an ab routine and hyper extensions for a
strong core and most problems should go away.

------
saikat
I have had a chronic pain in my upper back right above my right shoulder
blade, below my neck, and a little to the right of my spinal cord (the area is
about two square inches in size). I got this injury from (surprise surprise) a
marathon coding session (40 hours straight) sitting in an uncomfortable chair
without taking enough breaks, and it has been plaguing me for about six years
now. It used to be a very sharp shooting pain, but now the area is somewhat
numb and mostly gives me sharp pains if I do certain awkward motions (like
turning my head too rapidly), lifting heavy objects using that particular part
of my back, or coding for long stretches of time.

I have tried just about everything from traditional back exercises to
acupuncture to cure this, and up until recently, nothing really worked. I
finally went to some doctor in India who gave me a different type of exercise
that made a lot of sense. Normally, chiropractors will tell you to do things
like rotate your head or stretch your neck by looking up and down for 10
seconds at a time - basically minor motions that put minimal stress on your
back in the hopes that it will strengthen the back. The doctor in India said
my problem was not that my upper back muscles had grown weak from RSI, but
that my particular injury had caused some muscles to start pressing down on a
nerve there, which is why I have such a local pain and why that area has
started going numb. So, exercises putting more strain on that area were in
fact worse for me.

To get to the point, the "exercise" works as follows: 1) Stand up straight and
straighten up your neck. 2) Gently press on your forehead with your two hands
such that the force is pointing behind you. While doing so, press forward with
your head against your two hands so that your neck stays straight (very
important that the neck stays straight the entire time). 3) Do this for 30
seconds (I started off with 10 seconds). 4) Repeat steps 1-3, but instead of
pressing on your forehead, I press on the right side of your head, the left
side of your head, and then the back of your head. 5) Repeat steps 1-4 three
times, and then do the whole thing 3-5 times a day.

This has helped tremendously in getting feeling back and reducing pain.
Apparently, this part of your back is usually under some minor stress from
holding up your head (and this strain is increased when you hunch). So, after
my muscles started squeezing down on my nerve in whatever awkward way, this
minor stress that is otherwise normal was pressing down on my nerve all the
time, causing it to hurt. This exercise will, five times a day, take the
pressure off my back and into my hands and let the nerve have some time to
slowly get back into place.

Also, I have started using a standing desk for at least some time a day and it
has done wonders to keep me from hunching while working (which in turn has
also made my back feel much better).

~~~
reduxredacted
There has to be a name for that condition. I've had it as well, though it
started in me in my early teen years practicing piano and got progressively
worse throughout my 20s (marathon coding sessions...and I never did give up
piano) The exercise you mentioned was the fix. In my case, my Chiropractor was
the one who recommended it.

I'm not a big Chiropractic fan, I went to various practitioners and have
received various pieces of advice ranging from "non-exercises" to goofy
expensive vitimins. I started getting regular adjustments with this guy only
after I noticed the pain in my neck was going away due to the exercises he
recommended.

He's since also helped me with wrist and finger pain not uncommon to those in
my profession.

The only thing I'd add to your recommendations (haven't tried the standing
desk) is to take "second hand smoke breaks". I get up from my desk twice a day
and walk around the building outside when the weather is tolerable. That tends
to get the blood flowing. I've also found when debugging or troubleshooting a
problem, stepping away and getting some fresh air tends to result in better
solutions.

------
abijlani
One word - Yoga

------
justlearning
I used to sit for more than 12 hours continuously. I also used to be the
default "mover" for my friends.

i have had back pain for last 5 years and never knew it. Twice a year, I would
have lower back pain and I would take rest for couple of days and pain seemed
to vanish. Last year, I joined the gymn to do some weight reduction focussing
more on cardio, less on weights. At some point(i think i picked more weight
than I could munch) my lower back gave off(not literally). There was no pain.
Couple of days later, I felt some pain in my left calf, which I passed as
musle pain. Then the intensity of pain increased and my butt and thigh started
to ache. Hey but no back pain!!

So off I went to meet a doctor-to ellaborate my story- I love US doctors-I
explain my emergency and all they had to say is "oh wait, if you have an
emergency, you'd better go to the emergency to this hospital i am affliated
with, hmmm but I think you'd better take an x-ray first"; I say "doctor- i
have no broken bones.no" doctor"i understand, but if i don't go thru
procedure, the insurance won't pay me!!!!" So I bore the pain for a week and
took my blood-test/x-ray! and meet the doctor. Obviously nothing to see there.
So now he says "Hmmm, why don't we don't I refer you to a specialist- would
you prefer a neurosurgeon or a pain specialist" I say "You're the doctor? no?"
AND he refers me to the neurosurgeon.

3 weeks have passed- Still I have no back pain-but to put in words, you take a
needle and poke it the part where your butt meets the spine. poked? now remove
it and run it down the rear thigh, calf and stop near the ankle and then run
it along the outer part of the feet and stop at your little finger on the foot
- all the while applying pressure. When you reach there, poke once more - just
for fun. _This_ is a bit of what I was experiencing.

I could go on and on - but everyone here is busy- I had to go thru the loops
of the neurosurgeon too - this time on 1 week on pain killers and another on
testing my muscles(i forget the medical term used) and finall after 2 months -
an MRI - something that could have been done the first week. MRI showed that I
had two ruptured discs on my lower back. I was "threatened" by the doctors for
an operation to which I said "f@k you" in a more subtle way.

In the end, accupuncture helped ease the pain. I also tried the Indian style -
Ayurveda - something that revealed the spiritual part of life to me.

The funny thing at the end of all this is not posture that caused pain to me
in the first case. It was constipation. Once my bowel movements were (made)
normal along with medicated oil massages and few other things (include enema
of oils)

The treatment/healing made me consider my revaluation of "east" vs "west" in
many ways and varied thoughts about modern medicine "industry" considering the
threats of operation vs what doctors perceive vs doctors as businessmen etc.

Oh! one more thing - Swimming helps! I can jog for a few minutes beside the
sea, a privilege for me now!

