I have been having lower back issues and an MRI confirmed that I have degenerative disc disease. I want to avoid surgery and was sent to physical therapy where I was shown floor exercises to strengthen my core muscles. I was told that strengthening my core muscles would help lock my spine in place reducing pressure and pain.

I did the exercises but noticed little or no difference. While preparing for an upcoming canoe trip I started walking with a backpack and doing some paddling. I was concerned that walking with the backpack and paddling may do more harm to my back but it seems to have had the opposite effect. I have no clinical proof and personal medical conditions vary, but I suspect that walking with the backpack and paddling have strengthened my core muscles more efficiently than the floor exercises.

John

I have no disk issues to my knowledge.

As far as the lower muscles in my back go - I use a bar over the basement stairs. I could maybe do 3 chin-ups, er honest pull-ups er whatever on a good day but I don't think that would help my back at all.

I do, however, find the stretching and clenching with help from my legs with my feet up and down the stairs to be very helpful for any occasional lower back muscle issues I experience.

I have found that when I don't do that simple preventative maintenance, I end up regretting it. That's just me though.

HTH YMMV

If you don't engage your core when performing physical activities you're eventually going to get a bad back. Same goes for proper posture. If I engage my core on portages and carry my should back, I feel fine and can tackle the Missing Link>Tuscarora in one single portage. If I don't engage my core or slouch my shoulders my lower back hurts and aches pretty quickly. I remember learning to engage my core in High School gym class back in the 90s.

I’ve had disc issues for a long time. Don’t give up on the exercises they gave you . They are to keep your back in shape for the long term. I still do most of those exercises and have for years every morning. Yoga classes helped me a lot and swimming is even better.

Great advice regarding engaging the core… keep at it with the weighted backpack walks… simple planks are great as well… I don’t get back pain too often but when I do, simple stretches like reaching for the sky tend to alleviate it. Each body is unique. The important thing is to stay active and try different things.

Tomcat,
I've had the same experience as you. Paddling is especially good for my lower back...I use my torso a lot when paddling and my lower back is always significantly better during paddling season. Walking this winter with trekking poles also helped some because the poles made me more conscious about engaging my core muscles.

I also discovered that portaging was the best physical therapy possible when I was recovering from a broken ankle. Two days on trail accomplished more than 2 weeks of PT.

Tomcat: "... sent to physical therapy where I was shown floor exercises to strengthen my core muscles. I was told that strengthening my core muscles would help lock my spine in place reducing pressure and pain.

... "

I can't imagine many exercises more ideal for strengthening core muscles than paddling a canoe. I added stand-up paddle boarding to my summertime activities thinking it would be an exercise boost over canoeing but, I feel the canoe paddling is the better workout.

Portaging a canoe with degenerative spine seems less beneficial. Any chance the same provider that sent you to physical therapy could prescribe a new "stealth" canoe? I see that heath insurance often pays for those electric scooters, seems a Kevlar form of transport should also be covered ;)

IMO.... Core Mussels are the most... for canoeing & especially portaging.
While young (Teens), I did tons of chin-ups, and push-ups, but I was still skinny and only around 140 lbs.
At 18 I started working at Canadian Border Outfitters, and on days off I forced myself over the Wind Lake Portage (it was worse back then) to fish, on most days off, using only a Grumman Standard weight (75 lbs).
Then there were the Horse Portage Tows....
Dave Sebesta (Now a staple at Williams & Hall Outfitters), and I would tow customers and gear from Moose Lake to Upper Basswood Falls. Bringing motors too back in those days for Crooked Lake use.
Dave was built completely different than I. He was more of a fire plug....but strong as hell.
We would compete to out do each other.
One day each carrying a 110lbs square stern canoe, plus two 50+ lbs food packs front and back, we met at the end of the mile portage..... I said "did you stop ?", he said "no"....neither did I.
That's over 200lbs for over a mile..... I weighed about 165 at the time.
Our boss Tom Harristhal scolded us.
At Canadian Border Outfitters, in the early 80s, I kept chin-up bars lashed between many trees. While working, if I passed them, I would rip off 10 or 15 chin ups..... I did lots of push-ups too. I THINK THEY SAVED MY LOWER BACK !
In to my 30s, I tried to keep up the chin ups & push-ups.
At 35 years old, I bushwhacked to Dettbarn Lake in Quetico, (with my 75 lbs Grumman and 50 lbs pack) down Dettbarn Creek to halfway point (almost no paddling) , then headed East to several lakes (which included hauling canoe and packs, by rope over a 30 foot cliff) until Turn Lake and onto a "normal" route..... Very very hard, and many miles of bushwhacking.
Last Spring I canoed with Bill Rom Jr, and did quite a bit of bushwhacking.
I'm turning 63 soon.
5 years ago I could still do 15 chin-up, and 60 perfect push-ups.

Now the sad part.....
My wife died 2 years ago and I spent the last couple years of her life just sitting by her side, then two years of moping and drinking too much.
I want to get back in shape, but when older, mussel can evaporate quickly.
I'm lucky if I can do 2 chin-ups in my garage !!!

Here is my point....
Chin-ups
Push-ups
Sit-ups
They served me well.

Also...
My old Boss Mr Harristhal, at Canadian Border Outfitters, always said....
"nothing trains you for portaging, except portaging" .... & I agree.

Stumpy: "IMO.... Core Mussels are the most... for canoeing & especially portaging.
While young (Teens), I did tons of chin-ups, and push-ups, but I was still skinny and only around 140 lbs.
At 18 I started working at Canadian Border Outfitters, and on days off I forced myself over the Wind Lake Portage (it was worse back then) to fish, on most days off, using only a Grumman Standard weight (75 lbs).
Then there were the Horse Portage Tows....
Dave Sebesta (Now a staple at Williams & Hall Outfitters), and I would tow customers and gear from Moose Lake to Upper Basswood Falls. Bringing motors too back in those days for Crooked Lake use.
Dave was built completely different than I. He was more of a fire plug....but strong as hell.
We would compete to out do each other.
One day each carrying a 110lbs square stern canoe, plus two 50+ lbs food packs front and back, we met at the end of the mile portage..... I said "did you stop ?", he said "no"....neither did I.
That's over 200lbs for over a mile..... I weighed about 165 at the time.
Our boss Tom Harristhal scolded us.
At Canadian Border Outfitters, in the early 80s, I kept chin-up bars lashed between many trees. While working, if I passed them, I would rip off 10 or 15 chin ups..... I did lots of push-ups too. I THINK THEY SAVED MY LOWER BACK !
In to my 30s, I tried to keep up the chin ups & push-ups.
At 35 years old, I bushwhacked to Dettbarn Lake in Quetico, (with my 75 lbs Grumman and 50 lbs pack) down Dettbarn Creek to halfway point (almost no paddling) , then headed East to several lakes (which included hauling canoe and packs, by rope over a 30 foot cliff) until Turn Lake and onto a "normal" route..... Very very hard, and many miles of bushwhacking.
Last Spring I canoed with Bill Rom Jr, and did quite a bit of bushwhacking.
I'm turning 63 soon.
5 years ago I could still do 15 chin-up, and 60 perfect push-ups.


Now the sad part.....
My wife died 2 years ago and I spent the last couple years of her life just sitting by her side, then two years of moping and drinking too much.
I want to get back in shape, but when older, mussel can evaporate quickly.
I'm lucky if I can do 2 chin-ups in my garage !!!


Here is my point....
Chin-ups
Push-ups
Sit-ups
They served me well.


Also...
My old Boss Mr Harristhal, at Canadian Border Outfitters, always said....
"nothing trains you for portaging, except portaging" .... & I agree.


"

This is a great post, thanks for sharing.

I've kept back issues away (mostly) for nearly 20 years now by rejecting the advice of the surgeon with the giant Porsche ring and instead working on strengthening my core. You are correct to be wary of surgery. That can offer short term relief and is sometimes necessary but if you do some research you'll find that long term results are not much better than doing nothing at all. Same with Chiropractic. The hands down best way to find permanent relief is a lifestyle change. Nothing can overcome a weak core, an unhealthy weight, and doing dumb things that aggravate it.

Freeweights are a great investment and a lot cheaper than medical bills but there are lots of body weight exercises that can be effective as well. Educate yourself on the basics and follow proper form with your activities. Start slow and if you strain yourself allow plenty of time for recovery. Be patient. It can take a year or more to gain full functionality back and setbacks are probably going to happen.

What has been effective for keeping my lower back healthy is deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts, and hanging leg lifts. As I got older I incorporated hyperextensions and reverse hyperextensions. Running didn't bother it and actually seemed to help at times, but I had to quit snowmobiling. There are lots of ways to strengthen your core and what's best for you will simply depend on what you can do with proper form without pain. It can take some experimentation.

I often wonder where I would be today if that surgeon didn't cause me to second guess him by wearing that ring. I still do dumb things from time to time and pay for it but it has never again gotten anywhere near as bad as it was back then when I couldn't hardly walk.

plmn: "
I often wonder where I would be today if that surgeon didn't cause me to second guess him by wearing that ring. I still do dumb things from time to time and pay for it but it has never again gotten anywhere near as bad as it was back then when I couldn't hardly walk. "

Probably a couple hundred thousand dollars further away from having your own fleet of Porsches, as I am sure the surgeon now has today.

I developed back problems while staying on the lake that shall not be named!
I got out of there because my wife, daughter-in-law, and son paddled me out and portaged all my gear. I could walk only with a stick as a cane.
I went to a physical therapist and have been doing the core exercises and stretches he recommended and have been canoeing the wilderness ever since.
So my advise is to go to a physical therapist and follow his advice.

I may have mentioned this before but, when I was a kid my dad had this twister thing. Kind of a lazy Susan you stand on and twist. He had that thing for many years! He'd get on it and twist while watching TV. I don't remember ever having back problems! Worked hard- played harder. I'm thinking that's all about the core.