Pants

[FLYRFAN 0]

Well as you can see I am still in search of a pant or girdle. I have a change of plans here. I am sidelined for a while due another attack of my herniated disc in the lumbar region of my back. Which I might add was done at work not on the ice. Here's the short story. I was thinking of going to a girdle but, due to my back problems I don't think that would be wise. I don't think they would give me the support I need for my back. Any recommendations on a good pant with great lumbar support and not bulky? I am being told by my family to stop playing but, right now it's not in me to do so. Since the both times this has happened was not hockey related but, work related. I do though want to find a pant that has great back support especially in the lower back thanks. Maybe this was a blessing not wasting my money on the girdle since the pant would be the best for my situation. Thanks again

[Spreedizzle 1]

Out of curiosity.....what is your profession that consistently causes to you to slip disks, and hockey not being the culprit?

[wickedwrister 0]

Any recommendations on a good pant with great lumbar support and not bulky?

Perhaps I am not on the same page as you, but I am not familiar with any hockey pants that offer "support" for any part of your body. The best thing you can do for your disc issues other than rehab, stretching, or surgery is to invest in an inversion table. It's the ONLY way to truly decompress you spine. It increases the space in between your vertebra and allows the disc to slip back into place. I have one and they work. Far better than chiropractic. They are less than $200 and require just a couple of minutes a couple of times a day (on your bad days).

[number21 3]

have you consulted a doctor?

i mean the back is nothing to mess around with! Can you get a recommendation from your doc to a sports medicine doctor?

Like w.wrister said, i don't know how much pants offer support, they are more protection.

As an uneducated guess, sounds like you need a good back brace along with some pants with as much upper protection as possible.

But I would see a qualified sports doctor over taking forum advice on my spine.

[FLYRFAN 0]

have you consulted a doctor?

i mean the back is nothing to mess around with! Can you get a recommendation from your doc to a sports medicine doctor?

Like w.wrister said, i don't know how much pants offer support, they are more protection.

As an uneducated guess, sounds like you need a good back brace along with some pants with as much upper protection as possible.

But I would see a qualified sports doctor over taking forum advice on my spine.

Yes I have and will see my ortho tomorrow. The fist time this happened I was working on the house and twisted it leaning to remove a light. The doctor didn't see it as serious at first he gave me an epidural shot and sent me to rehab. My job is very demanding and requires a lot of lifting and stair climbing and getting in a lot of unorthodox positions that are not very ergonomically fit. So at first I was doing all this as well as going to rehab. I probably never gave it a chance to rebuild properly as I continued to work. I did all the right things like stay away from hockey, golf etc. I was just getting back into it I was just playing open hockey and just skating alone working on getting back into playing. At work last week I lifted a piece of equipment that I think was the culprit. When I woke up the day after is when it started so what did I do I went to work and did my normal duties. I see the Ortho tomorrow and hopefully I can try and rehab it and take some time off from work and let the rehab rebuild it and work which i never did the last time. That’s of coarse it didn't get worse.

Out of curiosity.....what is your profession that consistently causes to you to slip disks, and hockey not being the culprit?

I am not saying it's all work but, I'll tell you what i feel good after playing hockey. I am a civilian working for yhe Navy.

[TBLfan 25]

NBH offers an "Adjustable spine protection" piece that protects the lower back. I think that's your best bet with pants. It comes up rather high and is actually very nice... although if you like your jersey untucked you're going to have some issues, haha.

[FLYRFAN 0]

NBH offers an "Adjustable spine protection" piece that protects the lower back. I think that's your best bet with pants. It comes up rather high and is actually very nice... although if you like your jersey untucked you're going to have some issues, haha.

What about the Easton Stealth S9's. They look pretty high as well.

[Viking 1]

The spine protection on pants isn't going to do anything to support it, or prevent any of the injuries you've been having. It seems like you need some kind of brace/support that you can wear for this, and just wear that under your hockey pants.

[hapamatt122 0]

back "protection" doesn't seem the same as back "support"... at least to me. as you need 'support' I think you should possibly go the route of a back brace or belt that you see guys working out with, I don't think the ones that the guys at home depot wear are conducive to playing hockey in.

[TBLfan 25]

Dammit, I forgot to add that part to my post... No matter how high or how good the protection is, no pant is going to offer your back the support you're looking for. A brace would be recommended, along with something protective to help avoid injuries to that area.

[Wolverine 0]

There is no ice hockey pant that will "support" your spine.

............ end of that discussion.

I will NOT address any specific information regarding the history, present condition or medical interventions regarding YOUR spinal pathology.(and please do not PM/email me because you are NOT under my care)

However, I WILL say that in the patient population that suffers from chronic low back problems, hockey is NOT an indicated activity. Especially in regards to a herniated nucleus pulposis of an intervertebral disk.

During vigorous activity, the human body releases endorphins. Many athletes/patients will claim that a certain sport (hockey in this case) 'makes' them feel better. That is really not the case. All of us reading this thread understand fully well that the biomechanics of hockey is TOUGH on the spine! Especially intervertebral disks!!! The flexed forward posture that a hockey player skates with forces the nuclear material to protude EVEN more through the weakened annular wall of the disk.

............................... you interpret and take this GENERAL advise and apply it to your situation as you wish.

me?

Senior Physical Therapist & Certified Athletic Trainer

Sports Medicine Department

University of Michigan

This is my playground:

http://www.med.umich.edu/medsport/index.htm

[FLYRFAN 0]

There is no ice hockey pant that will "support" your spine.

............ end of that discussion.

I will NOT address any specific information regarding the history, present condition or medical interventions regarding YOUR spinal pathology.(and please do not PM/email me because you are NOT under my care)

However, I WILL say that in the patient population that suffers from chronic low back problems, hockey is NOT an indicated activity. Especially in regards to a herniated nucleus pulposis of an intervertebral disk.

During vigorous activity, the human body releases endorphins. Many athletes/patients will claim that a certain sport (hockey in this case) 'makes' them feel better. That is really not the case. All of us reading this thread understand fully well that the biomechanics of hockey is TOUGH on the spine! Especially intervertebral disks!!! The flexed forward posture that a hockey player skates with forces the nuclear material to protude EVEN more through the weakened annular wall of the disk.

............................... you interpret and take this GENERAL advise and apply it to your situation as you wish.

me?

Senior Physical Therapist & Certified Athletic Trainer

Sports Medicine Department

University of Michigan

This is my playground:

http://www.med.umich.edu/medsport/index.htm

Are you saying I should quit. I appreciate your concern. First let me explain my situation I play in a no check mens league. My days of old time hockey are long gone. Besides insidential contact there's no checking. Yes contact at times but , no full body contact or no one lining you up and blasting you to the ice or boards. I intend to see a orthopedic doctor and doing what he says before I think about playing hockey again.

[Spreedizzle 1]

I think that you may suffer from what most women refer to as "selective hearing/reading". Sounds like you missed the main point that he stated in his post.....that being that the very posture in hockey is detrimental to the spine. Regardless of intensity, check/no check, the consistent bent over posture is terrible for your spine.

[FLYRFAN 0]

I think that you may suffer from what most women refer to as "selective hearing/reading". Sounds like you missed the main point that he stated in his post.....that being that the very posture in hockey is detrimental to the spine. Regardless of intensity, check/no check, the consistent bent over posture is terrible for your spine.

I think that's a man's sickness when their wife or girlfriend is speaking.LOL

[clg6556 0]

I don't post much (or at all) on this board, but this topic interested me. I had surgery on a herniated disc 4 weeks ago. I battled the pain for about a year, but irritated it enough during a beer league game and had to take the surgical route.

As has been stated earlier, there isn't a pair of pants out there that can take care of the pain. The only thing that will help you short of surgery is to take TIME (lots of it). Also try to lose some extra weight and strengthen the core. My disc was damaged from years of playing football, so the core strengthening and weight lose was only delaying the inevitable.

From what my doctor has told me, there is no reason I won't be able to play hockey in about 6 weeks (that would be 2.5 months after the surgery). I am still concentrating on core work and getting in better shape...and hockey is part of that plan.

Somebody with a bad back needs to realize that the ailment is something that needs constant attention. A bad step off a curb, taking out the garbage or sneezing can just as easily cause a problem as a hockey game.

I would be interested if the trainer who posted earlier would disagree with me on any of points.

[Wolverine 0]

Spreedizzle is correct.

It is the persistent forward flexed posture of hockey skating that is NOT good for weak intervertebral disks. Checking/no checking is insignificant.

- Hockey

- Golf

- Bowling

These all 'brutal' on the spine. All involve the 'double-jepardy' position: forward flexion with rotation!!!! = tough on disks!

Another note:

Lumbar disk disease in > 90% of the cases is degenerative in nature. It occurs over a period of time from chronic flexed postures, poor lifting mechanics, sitting for long durations and weak spinal muscles.

Although a patient (I cannot comment on your specific case) may experience acute episodes at work, and believe that: "the nature of my job has caused my back problem" ... this is usually NOT the case!!!!!! It is the accumulation of ALL of the patients activities & habits that has caused the disk disease!!

Lumbar disk disease is VERY similar to heart disease and the building of plaque in your arterial walls. The patient does NOT feel the accumulative micro-trauma & degeneration of the weakened annular wall of the disk. The wall progressively weakens, fissures, cracks and then gives way. Then, the nuclear material forces it to bulge out!

At that point, the patient enters my clinic with a complaint that: "I was lifting/reaching/bending at work and my back gave out/slipped my disk."

My response is usually a dose of reality: "Nope, you've been BEATING on your spine for years. The '''''lifting incident''''' at work was just that last straw that broke the cammel's back & could have just as easily happened reaching for your slippers at home!

.......... of course in today's society, everyone is SO QUICK to blame & file a suit against work for any thing that occurs. Such a lack of ownership now-a-days! (No, I AM NOT making a reference to YOU!!!!)

Now, my advice to you is to seek an orthopedic specialists advice and to proceed with whatever he or she suggests that you should do.

My advice is to NOT..... "listen to what some Physical Therapist said in a post on ModSquadHockey.com." This is NOT the place for acurate medical advice.

Getting back to the original question: There is NO hockey pant on the market designed to SUPPORT one's spine (nor will there ever be).

I wish you well is getting well!

Good Luck.

[halfmoonyote 0]

Wolverine:

I had back surgery two years ago (September) to correct a herniated disk and it was the best move I could have possibly made.

I endured an entire summer of excruciating pain as a result of Sciatica and 'drop foot'.

My MRI results were really eye opening as they contained phrases such as: Disc spaces at all vertabral bodies from L2 though S1 are dehydrated with the most severe findings at L4-5 where this is mild end plate marrow edema.

What was giving me all the pain evidently was an extrusion on the right side of the L4-5 which effaced the ventral epidural fat, abutting the exiting nerve root, causing deformation of the ventral surface of the thecal sac and narrowing the lateral recess of the neural foramen. It all added up to PAIN!

Anyway, after all of that, the surgery took the pain away INSTANTLY. After RIGOROUSLY rehabbing, I was able to regain an active lifestyle.

As you've indicated, my doctor told me my disc problem was degenerative as a result of years of wrecking my body through skateboarding, bmxing, and hockey.

Now back on topic - there is no such thing as a back supportive hockey pant. :)

[Wolverine 0]

Halfmoon,

I am very glad to hear that you are doing well after going through all of that. Some great info there. Thank you for sharing it with us.

The truth about lumbar disk disease is that it is present (to some degree) in all of us.

The research literature demonstrates that if you perform MRIs on 100 healthy subjects (with ABSOLUTELY no history of back problems) between the ages of 25 and 52, 33% (1/3) have protruding disks. However, these herniations are not touching the dural sac, therefore these individuals have no symptoms.

1/3 of the individuals reading this right now between the ages of 25 and 52, even with ABSOLUTELY NO HISTORY OF A BACK PROBLEM, have protruding intervertebral disks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yeowza!

[Zac911 317]

Halfmoon,

I am very glad to hear that you are doing well after going through all of that. Some great info there. Thank you for sharing it with us.

The truth about lumbar disk disease is that it is present (to some degree) in all of us.

The research literature demonstrates that if you perform MRIs on 100 healthy subjects (with ABSOLUTELY no history of back problems) between the ages of 25 and 52, 33% (1/3) have protruding disks. However, these herniations are not touching the dural sac, therefore these individuals have no symptoms.

1/3 of the individuals reading this right now between the ages of 25 and 52, even with ABSOLUTELY NO HISTORY OF A BACK PROBLEM, have protruding intervertebral disks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yeowza!

thanx for laying that out properly- i went most of my life with an undiagnosed short leg. shimming my skates and shoes and lots of core training has helped!