OT: Foundation Training (rehab exercise)
I figured I'd mention this since I'm sure a lot of other people here have had back problems, neck problems, etc. Plus I figured it could be good for some people to pick up if things are slow for you at home. Even if you're healthy it's really good to do. I've tried different things like physical therapy, rolfing, etc., and that's helped, but I've been doing Foundation Training for a little over a year now and that's helped as much as anything. I really wish I had started a few years ago when I had first heard about it. But I had another disc issue early last year and figured I really needed to do something on my own, especially to save money.
They're pretty simple exercises actually, mostly holding in different positions, but it does take time to get all the nuances. The videos are only about 10 to 15 minutes a day usually.
https://www.foundationtraining.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDslSFxx_yg
The first link is their main site, which I don't think is that informative really, but the streaming site is linked from there. It's 15 bucks a month. The 2nd link has one of the first videos you see if you subscribe. It gives you a better read on the kinds of things you'll be doing. I like how they don't dumb it down. And then you can see the rest of their Youtube videos from there obviously. There's also a directory for their trainers, so I visited a guy a couple times after I had gotten through some of it and he gave me some adjustments to make.
The site is set up well. They have videos for each day, so you're not left to your own planning. They're all broken down by 2-week programs. There were originally 8 weeks total, but they added 6 more weeks recently, so I subscribed again. The first time I subscribed, I had it for 4 months and then on my computer recorded a couple of the videos each 2-week program has. I thought that was fair payment. Now I just cycle through those depending on what I think I need most or what matches well with whatever exercise I'm doing that day. Really I could just do it on my own, but I find following with the video makes it easier to keep up the intensity and focus a bit more and reminds you of a few pointers.
Curious if anyone else has tried it or has some other routines/therapies that have helped with your physical ailments.
I'm a PT and haven't really heard tons of the foundation training. It does look interesting and it's hard to find really good courses for low back pain (they are almost all redundant and learn little to no new stuff). This is something I am going to add to my list of cont Ed courses to keep an eye on to take so thanks for the post!
Is this for low back pain only? Or do they have something for people whose cervical discs are trashed?
It's not meant for low back pain only. And I've absolutely felt things improve besides that. My knees get far less fatigued or sore from standing long periods or hiking. I've actually known a lot of ways in which my body was imbalanced or had weaknesses, but this definitely helped. I could go into detail but I don't have the expertise to know what I'm talking about properly and explain it properly. But it definitely could help your cervical discs. Decompressing your neck, along with the rest of your spine, is a big part of it.
Sounds like yoga. Why not just lift weights??? If you have a good resistance training program that involves a proper dynamic warmup, focuses mostly on multi-joint, ground-based exercises, uses all planes of motion, utilizes good form and technique, and involves a post-lift stretching routine, you shouldn't need to do this type of stuff. I can see if you're sitting all day then it might be useful. Then, something like this might be good to put in the middle of your day to counter all the sitting. I guess if you don't like weight lifting then it's fine and if you don't know how to create a proper weight lifting program it also could be helpful to fill in the missing gaps. But, everyone should do some sort of muscle fitness work, whether that's weight lifting, band, or body weight exercises with some form of resistance. One of the things we teach our HS PE students is in order to be fit in a health enhancing way, everyone needs flexibility, muscle fitness, and cardiovascular endurance exercise (and maintain a healthy body composition) at least 3 days per week consistently. So, if you aren't doing that, you're setting yourself for a lowered quality of life as you age.
If you have acute/new onset back pain, lifting weights is probably the worst thing you can do
Yeah I've definitely had some imbalances worsened with weight training. My glute medius and minimus on the left side is way weaker than the left. If I squat slightly to flex it a bit and feel both sides of my hips it's look there's chunk missing on the left side. Weight training can help fix imbalances too. It's not like it's bad thing to do in general. But sure as hell not a cure. I mean, how is weight training supposed to fix a slipped disc?