What If A Chronic Stressor Can't Be Avoided?

[hei]

For example, suppose someone had a severe vertebral compression fracture some years ago in the lower thoracic spine (say, 70% anterior compression), long since regarded as "healed" by his doctors and obviously not very likely to change in response to metabolic improvements. The deformity persists and causes terrible posture, physical weakness, greatly increases the strain on all the structures in the chest, and limits the scope of physical activities that may be performed. It may also be a source of great emotional discomfort to that person.

Of course that is just an example, but how would someone go about managing chronic stress from an untreatable, internal source?

 

[yerrag]

my doctor told me to do backstretches to strengthen my back muscles. I did that for at least 20 years. I think it helped while my lumbar L3 healed.

In a general sense, the body will have to use its other parts/subsystems to compensate for the stress in that part. And we can take some adaptogens to help the body deal with that stress. The body adapts to the new condition. Hopefully, that condition will be temporary only. But if the owner of the body is aware that the condition and the adaptation exists, he will try to slowly correct the condition so that the adaptation is not needed anymore. But not all conditions can be corrected, and in that case the adaptation will be permanent.

 

[hei]

my doctor told me to do backstretches to strengthen my back muscles. I did that for at least 20 years. I think it helped while my lumbar L3 healed.

In a general sense, the body will have to use its other parts/subsystems to compensate for the stress in that part. And we can take some adaptogens to help the body deal with that stress. The body adapts to the new condition. Hopefully, that condition will be temporary only. But if the owner of the body is aware that the condition and the adaptation exists, he will try to slowly correct the condition so that the adaptation is not needed anymore. But not all conditions can be corrected, and in that case the adaptation will be permanent.

The thoracic spine isn't very mobile and stretching is of doubtful benefit anyway as it is likely to aggravate the discs. Physiotherapy wasn't very helpful, nor normal weightlifting exercises (limited to laughable weights anyway, just pathetic for a man).

 

[yerrag]

The thoracic spine isn't very mobile and stretching is of doubtful benefit anyway as it is likely to aggravate the discs. Physiotherapy wasn't very helpful, nor normal weightlifting exercises (limited to laughable weights anyway, just pathetic for a man).

You would know better on your condition and the healing of the stress fracture on my L3 is be much easier done than the healing on your thoracic. I can see how much less mobile it is being connected to the rib cage.

You must have explored all the options with your doctors. Have you explored other avenues other than western medicine?

 

[yerrag]

One thing I realize about the practice of medicine in the US is that doctors dare not assume the risk of being sued by their patients. So, they won't advise you to do anything that would benefit you greatly when there is the slightest risk of things going awry. So the advice they give you would always be wrapped in a layer that serves them more than it serves you. If the doctor trusts you enough to know you're not going to throw him to the lawyer wolves, you may ask him off the record what he would do if he were you.

 

[Malris]

The thoracic spine isn't very mobile and stretching is of doubtful benefit anyway as it is likely to aggravate the discs. Physiotherapy wasn't very helpful, nor normal weightlifting exercises (limited to laughable weights anyway, just pathetic for a man).

My experience is that a good physical therapist makes a huge difference. I’ve given up finding a good one, it’s just too hard. I try to do it myself from YouTube now. This pt guy is pretty good, here’s a link for working on your thoracic spine mobility -

He’s got a number of videos on posture that have different stretches for the thoracic spine area, take a look through his channel. I think face pulls might be helpful, too, since they help strengthen the muscles in the back while working on rotator cuff mobility. Tight rotator cuff will round your shoulders and lengthen the back muscles that help support the thoracic spine.

Finally, it’s physical therapy, man! Check your ego at the door and do the light weights, concentrate on form! You’re doing your pt workout for YOU, not to perform for other people. Who cares if you’re lifting a 5 pound or a 50 pound weight?

 

[hei]

You would know better on your condition and the healing of the stress fracture on my L3 is be much easier done than the healing on your thoracic. I can see how much less mobile it is being connected to the rib cage.

You must have explored all the options with your doctors. Have you explored other avenues other than western medicine?

Yeah, at the time the care wasn't exactly patient-driven but while I was in the hospital I did get a second opinion from a bigger hospital in another state (it went to some sort of case review board) and they agreed with the "conservative" treatment that my doctor prescribed. After the bone "heals" it's apparently perfectly healthy to just have a little sliver of bone left in the middle of your spine, and not a medical problem at all.
The problem is really the amount of bone lost, my upper spine has an extra 35º of kyphosis that I can't do anything about so my head sticks way out instead of sitting on top of my body where it should be. I think my organs are being squashed too; my ribs hurt for years afterwards and I can sort of feel it in my lungs. Additional mobility doesn't exactly help; the video posted above talks about getting an extra 15º of extension in a healthy spine to do exercises of a short duration correctly; that would still put me bent 20º forwards from normal.
IMO the only option to actually fix it would be to replace the whole bone, but that kind of surgery seems only to exist for new trauma cases or cancer patients and would be very invasive and risky. Like you say, I doubt that a western doctor would even agree to do it in an otherwise "healthy" patient and I'd probably be suspicious of a doctor who would.

My experience is that a good physical therapist makes a huge difference. I’ve given up finding a good one, it’s just too hard. I try to do it myself from YouTube now. This pt guy is pretty good, here’s a link for working on your thoracic spine mobility -

He’s got a number of videos on posture that have different stretches for the thoracic spine area, take a look through his channel. I think face pulls might be helpful, too, since they help strengthen the muscles in the back while working on rotator cuff mobility. Tight rotator cuff will round your shoulders and lengthen the back muscles that help support the thoracic spine.

Finally, it’s physical therapy, man! Check your ego at the door and do the light weights, concentrate on form! You’re doing your pt workout for YOU, not to perform for other people. Who cares if you’re lifting a 5 pound or a 50 pound weight?

I watched the video and already do the second exercise but had forgotten about rolling. I have been doing a simple program from a book called "Back Mechanic" by Stuart McGill and it's part of that; I think the overall program helps a bit but it's not like some epiphany where everything is cured quickly (though supposedly it can be if you just have a minor disc problem, it's mostly targeted at lower back problems anyway).

 

[schultz]

Have you looked into reverse hypers? Louie Simmons broke his back twice and healed it with the reverse hyper (and presumably steroids). I don't think Stu likes the hyper though. But Simmons went on to squat some pretty serious poundages, so it might be worth considering.

Watch the documentary "Westside vs the World". It's very enjoyable.

 

[hei]

Have you looked into reverse hypers? Louie Simmons broke his back twice and healed it with the reverse hyper (and presumably steroids). I don't think Stu likes the hyper though. But Simmons went on to squat some pretty serious poundages, so it might be worth considering.

Watch the documentary "Westside vs the World". It's very enjoyable.

Yeah, his other book says they put too much force on the lumbar spine. I'll check out the documentary though.

 

[schultz]

Yeah, his other book says they put too much force on the lumbar spine. I'll check out the documentary though.

I really enjoyed the documentary. Those guys are crazy lol.