A new member to the Rebuilder’s Forum posted the following question about a fairly new treatment for back pain known as Prolotherapy:

I know that the scientific evidence seems to support its effectiveness. It seems to be used in back pain, neck pain or wherever there’s some kind of issue with the ligaments. But I wanted to find out if anyone here has ever used it or been exposed to it and what was their opinion of it in whatever issue they were trying to solve.

So if you’ve tried Prolotherapy — or are just curious to find out more about it — check out the discussion here: Prolotherapy

Seems like everytime you turn around someone is inventing a new gadget or device designed to alleviate back pain. Some of these products are good… and some of them just end up collecting dust under the bed.

So where does the Trueback orthopedic traction device rate?

That was what one forum member wants to know:

Last night I was up late and saw an infomercial on the True Back. It looks pretty amazing and there were alot of very believable success stories. Aparently it’s good for long term results, as well as immediate relief for when you’re back “goes out”. Anyway, when I saw it my immediate reaction was to get on here and see what you guys, and possibly even Dean thought about it.

If you’d like to know what your fellow rebuilders think of this device you can read the replies here: Trueback Discussion

The following only takes a minute to read and could save the life of someone you love…

Stroke: Remember the 1st three letters… S.T.R.

During a BBQ, a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine and had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes. (They offered to call paramedics, but she declined.)

They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food - while she appeared a bit shaken up - Ingrid went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening.

Ingrid’s husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00pm, Ingrid passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Ingrid would be with us today.

Some don’t die. They end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead.

Stroke Identification

A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke… totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.

Recognizing a Stroke

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms.

Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:

• S … Ask the individual to SMILE.
• T … Ask the person to TALK to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (i.e., It is sunny out today)
• R … Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

NOTE: Another sign of a stroke is to ask the person to stick out their tongue. If the tongue is crooked … if it goes to one side or the other … that is also an indication of a stroke. If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call 911 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher!

Thank God for the sense to remember the “3″ steps, STR … Smile, Talk, Raise… Smile, Talk, Raise… Smile, Talk, Raise.

Take care,
Dean

What is this thing bodybuilders and weightlifters refer to as muscle memory? Is it for real?

The following forum post addresses this common concern often raised by athletes when back pain, neck pain or a sports injury forces them to take a layoff from training.

Steven wrote:

Thanks for the advice Mitch and Ron, but I just have a few more questions. I do agree and think I might need to lay off working out for a while, but the thing is I really couldn’t afford to stop for more than a month. Because after that all my hard work would start to disappear pretty fast.

Longtime bodybuilder, Mitch responds with some good advice for this young athlete concerned over possibly losing strength and muscle mass during recovery…

Hi Steven,

I know you’re concerned about losing your hard-earned gains, but believe me, your fears are unfounded. I’ve been a bodybuilder for over 30 years and I’ve had to take many, many lay-offs for as long as 6 months or more at a time due to injuries and I’ve never had any trouble getting back to my previous strength levels within 3 to 4 weeks.

The reason for this is something most lifter’s call “muscle memory.” Once you train a muscle to a certain level it “remembers” and can return very quickly to that previous condition.

That’s not to say you could take 10 years off and expect to bounce back within a few months, but taking the time off you need to heal from this minor injury isn’t going to affect your long-term gains in any significant way.

On the other hand, the longer you put off allowing this injury a chance to recover the greater risk you’re taking with your entire athletic career. Do the smart thing and concentrate your efforts now on full recovery so you can get back to training at 100% that much sooner.

As far as your lower back is concerned, I doubt the neck problem has anything to do with it. I would think it would be the other way around. Your lower back problem could be contributing to your neck problem.

Good luck,
Mitch

You can read the entire thread of this conversation as well as many more gems of wisdom from fellow rebuilders dealing with neck pain, sciatica, herniated discs and more in the Rebuilder’s Forum.

Be sure to check it out.

Over the past several months I’ve been nose-to-the-grindstone trying to work out all the nuts and bolts of how to integrate blogging software into the original site design.

At first, I figured it would only take a couple of weeks — but you know how that goes — everything always takes longer than you think it will. Especially if you’re like me and just can’t leave well enough alone.

(For some reason I always have to get under the hood and tinker with things.)

Fortunately, most of that is out of the way now and I can start getting caught up on all the other things I’ve been neglecting and/or putting off.

I don’t know exactly what shape the blog will take over time. I intend to just let it evolve naturally and see what happens.

Thanks for your patience during the remodeling.

Dean