Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

The $100B per year back pain industry is mostly a hoax

qz.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

201–210 of 348 posts

Re: The $100B per year back pain industry is mostly a hoax

#201

Post by kough »

pyromine wrote: post #180
femto wrote: post #16

I can personally vouch for the effectiveness of a morning routine of 15 minutes of exercise at home, targeting the pelvic muscles. The only equipment required is a floor mat, if the floor is hard. I started gently and naturally progressed to a higher level, taking the attitude that there is no hurry, because I'm going to be doing this for the rest of my life, so there is plenty of time to progress. My initial routine…

I'm a healthy athletic 20 year old and I was having back pain for a while, and when I finally went to the doctor they suggested it may just be an imbalance in the strength of different muscles in my back that I didn't properly train for the sports I participate in. Gave me some exercises, and a month later back pain was all gone and my back felt stronger, with better posture. Crazy what can be done when you just have…

Got any links to similar exercises? I'm also early 20s, spend most of my day sitting at a desk, have dealt with backpain for a few years. Pullups (especially wide-grip) have helped but I'd like to know some stretches, too.

Re: The $100B per year back pain industry is mostly a hoax

#202

Post by nradov »

seanwilson wrote: post #89
CodeWriter23 wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe that's another signal (along with the linked article) that the "science" in this arena hasn't advanced to the point of being repeatable and predictable.

> Maybe that's another signal (along with the linked article) that the "science" in this arena hasn't advanced to the point of being repeatable and predictable. Why would there be a treatment right now that works well but can't be shown to work in a controlled study? There's nothing special about back pain that makes it impossible to scientifically study. Personally, I think the signal you mention is more because bac…

Back pain actually is kind of special in that the back and spine are so complex that a wide variety of different underlying conditions can cause similar symptoms. That introduces a lot of noise into the data and makes it harder to scientifically study.

Re: The $100B per year back pain industry is mostly a hoax

#203

Post by pif »

CogitoCogito wrote: post #190
pif wrote: post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Weight loss isn't "known intractable". Indeed, weight loss is "simple", as you said. The problem arises when you have managed to get to your target and you realize that, short of amphetamines or similarly dangerous drugs, there is no known way to keep your weight stable with an acceptable life quality . Obese people are not stupid when they choose to keep eating; they've just learnt by experience that, unless you s…

> there is no known way to keep your weight stable with an acceptable life quality. Firstly, why does your weight need to be stable? Personally I tend to go on yearly (maybe biennially) cycles with shifts between 170 and 195 pounds. Basically I force myself to get down in the weight (my weight-loss method is to restrict calories pretty dramatically). After that I will have eating habits that tend to keep me low for a…

I'd like to clarify: I think that big sacrifices are easily acceptable while you're losing weight. What can make life miserable is the perspective that sacrifices will always be necessary, just to maintain the status quo.

Your method is indeed interesting, as you basically found a way to concentrate "suffering" in few months per year, still it is another example of a cure that lacks an important bullet point: it never ends.

Solving the hunger problem would let obese people loose their excess weight, no matter the sacrifices involved, and then forget they ever were obese.

Re: The $100B per year back pain industry is mostly a hoax

#204

Post by pif »

nradov wrote: post #199
pif wrote: post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Weight loss isn't "known intractable". Indeed, weight loss is "simple", as you said. The problem arises when you have managed to get to your target and you realize that, short of amphetamines or similarly dangerous drugs, there is no known way to keep your weight stable with an acceptable life quality . Obese people are not stupid when they choose to keep eating; they've just learnt by experience that, unless you s…

Why do people consider mild hunger to be something that seriously impacts their quality of life? Hunger is the natural state of all animals.

Indeed all animals' life is a constant battle against hunger. No brain evolved to accept hunger, but to recognize it and fight it as the no. 1 priority.

Re: The $100B per year back pain industry is mostly a hoax

#205

Post by nradov »

shakermakr wrote: post #163
chad_strategic wrote: post #152

My recommendations for fixing back pain or a slip disc. 1. If you are a man, get a smaller wallet, don't be sitting on a thick wallet. 2. If you are in a crappy job that annoys you, then quit or get fired. Some back pain is psychosomatic. 3. Lose about 20 pounds. (I was in great weight lifting shape, but had kinda of looked like a line backer.) 4. Yoga 5. Running 6. Standing desk 4 and 5 are free. The medical industr…

Running is terrible for the lower back. Every time you stride you send shock waves up your legs that decompress in the lower spine. I switched to elliptical training. As you don't lift your feet, impact free. Swimming is also fantastic for the back of course. Evidence: had a microdiscetomy 4 years ago, lots of rehab, and now pain free. Every doctor said don't run!

Humans evolved to run. Running is good for your lower back, provided you run with proper form and aren't already injured.

Re: The $100B per year back pain industry is mostly a hoax

#206

Post by vibrant »

There is a simple solution for back pain:

- stop eating sugar and flour (and limit rice, potatoes, pasta) - this way you cut excessive weight quickly and become healthier overall

- do basic back exercises at least twice per week - or even better do crossfit

- stretch your legs and calfs often - tension from your legs translates to your lower back and causes spine issues

With these 3 you're good forever :)

Re: The $100B per year back pain industry is mostly a hoax

#207

Post by pif »

mukundmr wrote: post #175
pif wrote: post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Weight loss isn't "known intractable". Indeed, weight loss is "simple", as you said. The problem arises when you have managed to get to your target and you realize that, short of amphetamines or similarly dangerous drugs, there is no known way to keep your weight stable with an acceptable life quality . Obese people are not stupid when they choose to keep eating; they've just learnt by experience that, unless you s…

I switched to one full meal a day and fruits / salads / soup for the other times. This takes care of hunger issues and helps with losing weight. Change of habit is required and it is not easy. Bariatric surgery can help, but it has it's own annoying side effects and long term (>7 years) reports aren't available widely.

> Change of habit is required

Sure, obesity is clearly (also) a problem of bad habits. The question that still needs an answer is: when will the new habit become natural for me?

Hunger is not like exercising: while a couple years of training can make a marathon feel natural for the body of a former sedentary person, no amount of training (AFAIK) can either ease the feeling of satiety with the correct amount of calories or set your stomach/brain system to "hunger is normal" state.

Edit to add: I'd lovee to be proven wrong :-)

Re: The $100B per year back pain industry is mostly a hoax

#208

Post by pif »

m00x wrote: post #186
pif wrote: post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Weight loss isn't "known intractable". Indeed, weight loss is "simple", as you said. The problem arises when you have managed to get to your target and you realize that, short of amphetamines or similarly dangerous drugs, there is no known way to keep your weight stable with an acceptable life quality . Obese people are not stupid when they choose to keep eating; they've just learnt by experience that, unless you s…

Do you mean no known way for obese people? If you're already fit, it's incredibly easy to stay fit. Also, most of the time, obese people don't only eat to satisfy hunger, but much past that.

> If you're already fit, it's incredibly easy to stay fit.

You are right! Thanks for pointing it out.

> obese people don't only eat to satisfy hunger, but much past that.

They surely don't eat for the pleasure of adding some more fat to their body.

Re: The $100B per year back pain industry is mostly a hoax

#209

Post by croon »

nradov wrote: post #199
pif wrote: post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Weight loss isn't "known intractable". Indeed, weight loss is "simple", as you said. The problem arises when you have managed to get to your target and you realize that, short of amphetamines or similarly dangerous drugs, there is no known way to keep your weight stable with an acceptable life quality . Obese people are not stupid when they choose to keep eating; they've just learnt by experience that, unless you s…

Why do people consider mild hunger to be something that seriously impacts their quality of life? Hunger is the natural state of all animals.

This is something I've realized as well, AFTER losing weight. It's very difficult to convey the differences between "real hunger" (when you need energy) and "fake hunger" (you want to eat crap because you haven't for a bit) to someone who hasn't gone through that. I think this is an issue everyone needs to learn themselves.

At this point I actually like the feeling of lingering hunger, I focus better, probably a hunting instinct. I've attached it as a pavlovian response to ambition I think. At first knowing I was losing weight, but now detached from that and more general.

Re: The $100B per year back pain industry is mostly a hoax

#210

Post by nradov »

pif wrote: post #204
nradov wrote: post #199

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why do people consider mild hunger to be something that seriously impacts their quality of life? Hunger is the natural state of all animals.

Indeed all animals' life is a constant battle against hunger. No brain evolved to accept hunger, but to recognize it and fight it as the no. 1 priority.

No, you're describing the intense hunger associated with starvation, not the mild hunger associated with gradual weight loss. If you're doing other stuff then mild hunger is easy to ignore. It's an alert, not a command.
Post reply on HN