Back problems

AndrewB

Member
Location
Kincardineshire
I have damaged/ worn discs, (too young to operate on) I’m 36, i bought a tractor with full ( front and cab)suspension 18 months ago and this has made a huge difference to my life, still have some sore days but haven’t been to the osteopath since. Improving fitness/ core strength also helps.
 

Sandpit Farm

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Derbyshire
I get inflamed discs every so often. It usually happens if I have a big break from exercise and then over exert. I find rowing and cycling are pretty good and then general fitness. What often happens is the body recognises an inflammation and the muscles spasm causing extra pressure on the inflamed disc which causes pain. A good sports massage from a physio will work wonders on those muscles.
 

Farmer Roy

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
NSW, Newstralya
Exercise
Build up core strength
lose weight - especially around the gut
yoga

in my 20's I had lower back / disc problems
spent a fortune on chiro
in my 30's I was told my discs had degenerated & fusing my spine was suggested
I also sustained a neck injury which caused headaches & discomfort & monthly visits to the chiro with no real long term success
In my mid 40's I started going to a gym regularly & still do ( not to "bulk up", just to improve my fitness & mobility )
A few years ago I started doing yoga as well, find it great for flexibility & stretching
Im now 53 & don't have back or neck issues - with NO medication, chiro or surgery . . .
Always hated tractor driving as it would kill my back or give me neck & headache problems after a couple of hours. Have just spent the last 4 months hunched over the steering wheel of a cotton stripper with no problem.
Although, 4 months without regular exercise & yoga I can really feel the body aging & my joints stiffening up as a result - am getting back into it now that job is over

research it - there are a lot of non medical solutions to bad backs. Mainly exercises & stretching. To be honest, if it doesn't involve pushing pills like a drug dealer, or cutting you open, the medical industry has no idea or interest . . .

exercise
core strength
yoga
 
Last edited:

Bogeyman

Member
Location
North Antrim
Pilates (y). Since i had a fall 1 1\2 years ago and in body cast for four months the physio working on me and now daily Pilates has me in better nick and and an old back pain gone.
 

Bobthebuilder

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
northumberland
after years of poor posture and 18 seasons playing loose head prop got a few twinges here n there, pop and see a sports physio every now n then at £30 a shot it's a LOT cheaper than chiropractor (been to 1 a when back was popped out) but physio seems to do the trick atm
 

slackjawedyokel

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Northumberland
Find yourself an excellent sports physio. I have the standard ‘farmer’s back’ and it was fairly bad last year, getting worse and worse towards the end of the year. In January I went to a sports physio (as recommended to me by two doctors). She’s pretty brutal at the massages and manipulations (I have joints in my lower back that are prone to seizing up), but since the first session my back’s been 80-90% better. She also provides a tailored exercise/stretching regime with core strength building exercises. I’m now down to going every 3 months.
 

Macsky

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Highland
I would recommend you try and increase the flexibility in your legs, especially posterior chain - backside/hamstrings/calves. Tight legs puts your lower back right out of kilter. Also do planks, tight core takes the pressure off your spine.
A good physio is well worth a visit too, I have shuffled in crumpled over to visit one on more than one occasion and more or less skipped out the door, main things he worked on was tight hamstrings and IT bands.

Other than that, try and keep fit with plenty of walking and eat real food.
 

How much

Member
Location
North East
Exercise
Build up core strength
lose weight - especially around the gut
yoga

in my 20's I had lower back / disc problems
spent a fortune on chiro
in my 30's I was told my discs had degenerated & fusing my spine was suggested
I also sustained a neck injury which caused headaches & discomfort & monthly visits to the chiro with no real long term success
In my mid 40's I started going to a gym regularly & still do ( not to "bulk up", just to improve my fitness & mobility )
A few years ago I started doing yoga as well, find it great for flexibility & stretching
Im now 53 & don't have back or neck issues - with NO medication, chiro or surgery . . .
Always hated tractor driving as it would kill my back or give me neck & headache problems after a couple of hours. Have just spent the last 4 months hunched over the steering wheel of a cotton stripper with no problem.
Although, 4 months without regular exercise & yoga I can really feel the body aging & my joints stiffening up as a result - am getting back into it now that job is over

research it - there are a lot of non medical solutions to bad backs. Mainly exercises & stretching. To be honest, if it doesn't involve pushing pills like a drug dealer, or cutting you open, the medical industry has no idea or interest . . .

exercise
core strength
yoga
Yes
So many back problems relate back to issues with legs, hamstrings, hips, posture etc


I would agree entirely with what farmer roy says here , I would go to a good osteopath as starting point but the correct exercise and stretching can fix permanently allot of back pain , I have had both severe lower back pain that was alleviated by hamstring and IT band stretching and using a foam roller strength building in other muscles and much lower levels of neck and shoulder tension and pain that was solved with specific exercises for strengthening one group of muscles at the back of my shoulder . You have to work at it , unfortunately there is not a magic bullet that will fix it overnight, if you go to a osteopath they can often make a huge difference , but you will most likely end up visiting more often unless you get to the cause that is more then not lack of flexibility and muscles weakened by injury or lack of use and others being overworked to compensate .
 

Farmer Roy

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
NSW, Newstralya
I would agree entirely with what farmer roy says here , I would go to a good osteopath as starting point but the correct exercise and stretching can fix permanently allot of back pain , I have had both severe lower back pain that was alleviated by hamstring and IT band stretching and using a foam roller strength building in other muscles and much lower levels of neck and shoulder tension and pain that was solved with specific exercises for strengthening one group of muscles at the back of my shoulder . You have to work at it , unfortunately there is not a magic bullet that will fix it overnight, if you go to a osteopath they can often make a huge difference , but you will most likely end up visiting more often unless you get to the cause that is more then not lack of flexibility and muscles weakened by injury or lack of use and others being overworked to compensate .
Yes . . .
Like everything else in life, you need to take a Holistic approach to back pain & look at the "wholes", not just one single issue
 

Cowlife

Member
Anyone any advice on back problem, having on going problem with discs in my back an im only 27 its getting to the point where im thinking that i may need a career change
Used to be tortured with my back.
Now weights running and stretching and I m OK unless spend too long bouncing about in old tractor. It got bad when I was 25.
 

Drillman

Member
Mixed Farmer
I’ve suffered with back issues for 15 years.

Normally do something daft which buggers it.

Quite often I just chuck some ibuprofen down try to keep working and hope it goes away. 7 times out of 10 it does in a day or 2. The other 3 times I gotta go to a chiropractor who lightens my wallet which seems to cure the problem ;)

Strangely driving tractors rarely bothers it even though when baling I don’t sit square in the seat. I won’t buy tractors without suspension though and even though 2 out of 3 only have it on the cab I find it makes a massive difference.
 

wdah/him

Member
Location
tyrone
fell about 5 years ago and only now getting around to sorting it right. mechanical skeletal damage to lower back and wear and tear in shoulders. physio is good for repositioning my back, but I find a personal trainer at the gym once a week would nearly do away with the physio, nearly have proof as I didn't go for 6 weeks over grass and cancelled a physio appointment and ended up not fit to walk a few days later, two trips later to two different physios and the PT-£100 in total and im ok, not as good as before grass but I know what has to be done and the PT can sort a lot of it if I tell him the problem area, not muscle building, just working and stretching the unused muscles.
 

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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