Really need your expertise, or if nothing else, your opinion.

have you tried a recumbent bike? Have you gotten those resistance bands and tried pulling them while seated in a good chair? I know that those back exercises sometimes seem counter productive. Good luck - and keep me posted, I could probably use something too.

I have pain all over and in my back if I carry anything or work at anything. The only things I can do is some easy Yoga stretches and walking. Many days I can't do either. I'm on prednisone to help with the pain, but don't start it because you get hooked and now I have osteoporsis, too. Part of my pain was from an accident hitting my back about 20 years ago. I passed on surgery, too. Too scary. Don't bother with the physical therapy exercies. They just made me worse and hurt like heck.

Well, Have you thought of a Thighmaster? I know what your thinking.A thighmaster? Yes, a thighmaster is not just for the legs it is also good for the chest and arms as well. You can do many different exercises with a thighmaster. I recently just bought one and also bands that I can use to strengthen and tone. Well, I do hope you find what you are searching for to help you. Good luck.

I can sure sympathize Pam. I have a very difficult time exercising. I have problems in my lower back with Degenerative Disk Disease, I have Psoriatic Arthritis in my hips and shoulders and Fibromyalgia. I can't stand on my feet for more than about 20 minutes at a time. It is a constant struggle to try to get some exercise since most days I simply can't do it without causing problems extreme pain with the arthritis or taking days to recouperate because of the fibro. The only piece of exercise equipment I can still use (I used to be an exercise nut and dancer before all this hit me) is my stair stepper. I have to set it to minimum resistance since I can't do the full leg motion. That way I can just move my legs a few inches up and down and still get a decent cardio workout for about 10 minutes. It has hand rests like handlebars so that helps me take some pressure off my lower back. I also have several resistance bands that help me stretch. I absolutely love to dance so sometimes when I'm having a particularly good day I just put on some good dance music and dance around the room for as long as I can stand it.

You might like an inversion table. I got one after checking with my doctor to see if it might help. I'm a little afraid of it, because if I'm not careful, I can end up hanging upside down and I'm afraid I might not be able to get up. There are adjustments on it, that you can set so you only go so far, but I don't trust it, and will only do it if someone is here with me. With any exercise machine, you should try and check it out first to see how it makes you feel. You might also try some easy ab exercises, which you can do without a machine. If you have strong abs, your back has more support, and it will he less painful when you stand or walk for a while.

Hi ambie! I know what you're talking about but I don't know what it's called. But, before you go out to buy any piece of equipment first you need to check with your doctor and physical therapist to see what they think would be the best thing for you so that you don't do any more damage. You just can't pick a piece of equipment without them saying that it is ok. You don't want to make your back worse. I think I know the piece that you are talking about. It rocks you back and forth without putting strain on your back. But I don't know what that is going to do for you. What are you trying to increase? The strength in your arms? You really must talk to a professional before even thinking about getting any kind of home equipment.

sorry Ambie I really don't know that much about post accident health condition these are things that only those in the medical profession can tell you I am sure if you go to a gym or talk to a trainer they can show you some choices but I would rather you talk to a chiropractor or medical doctor

Well, i don't know what kind of problem you have, i have a broken vertebra in the lumbar zone (I think is the 4th), and also have a notable deviation on the middle zone of my back. This gives me a lot of pain because i get huge muscular contractures, and if the muscle is so rigid it can press my nerve on the lumbar zone and that hurts a lot more. I haven't been in surgery, and the only solution I've found is make all days exercises that improve the flexibility of the muscles, so they don't stay rigid, and with that i kill all the pain. Once i have very good flexibility I can try make muscles grow, but unless you have great flexibility don't try making this kind of exercises (muscle grow) with weight, because you are going to make the muscle even more rigid. I don't recommend buying any machinery unless that your traumatologist or your kinesiologist recommends you. Because you don't need any machine to make elongations and flexibility exercises, and that's what you need. There are machines used by kinesiologists to help you, but all of them must be used by medical experts, so its better that you go to some kinesio center and be assisted by this people. I hope to be clear, english is not my primary language so I have a short vocabulary, hope that you understood me. Regards

Hi there, really sorry to hear about your back condition. I have heard that acupuncture is a surprisingly good treatment for back problems - have you tried it before?