No response or benefit
After exercising without any relief or benefit for three or four days, you may conclude that the exercises as performed are ineffective. But there are two main causes for lack of response or benefit from the exercises presented in this book.
A lack of response to these exercises is possible in some people whose pain is felt only to one side of the spine, or whose pain is felt much more to one
side than the other. If your pain during the course of the day is felt only to one side, or more to one side than the other, or if you feel pain more to one side as you perform Exercises 1, 2, or 3, you may need to modify your body position before you begin these exercises.
Here is how to modify your body position:
1. Position yourself to perform Exercise 1 and allow yourself to relax for a few minutes .
2. Remain facedown, then shift your hips away from the painful side. That is, if your pain usually is more on the right side, you must move your hips three or four inches to the left and once more completely relax for a few minutes.
3. While allowing the hips to remain off-center, lean on the elbows as described in Exercise 2 and relax for an additional three or four minutes .
You are now ready to begin Exercise 3. With your hips still off-center, complete one session of Exercise 3 and then relax once more. You may need to repeat the exercise several times, but before beginning each session of 10, ensure that your hips are still off-center: remember, away from the painful side. Even with your hips in the off-center position, try in each repetition to move higher and higher. Reach the maximum amount of extension possible, at which point your arms should be completely straight.
For the next three or four days, continue to perform Exercises 1, 2, and 3 from the modified starting position described in the three steps above. The frequency of the exercises and the number of sessions per day should be the same as recommended in the section titled When You Are in Significant Pain, at the beginning of this chapter.
After a few days of practice, you may notice that the pain is distributed more evenly across the back or has centralized. Once this occurs, you may stop shifting the hips before exercising and continue exercises as recommended in the section When You Are in Significant Pain. Occasionally, shifting the hips away from the painful side is sufficient to stop the pain completely.
The second cause of lack of response arises when Exercise 3 is done without the pelvis remaining more or less immobilized in a low position. In this case, Exercise 3 occasionally gives benefit for only a few hours, and then the pain returns.
The effectiveness of Exercise 3 can be improved greatly by holding the pelvis down. There are two main ways to do this. Another person can place pressure on your lower back. Or you can construct a simple device for keeping your pelvis in place: you can use an ironing board and either a seat belt or a strong leather belt or strap. Place the belt or strap around the ironing board and your waistline. The added pressure frequently determines whether Exercise 3 succeeds or fails.
