I always lifted with my legs and not my back to keep it from hurting.

About 7 years ago my knees went out so I started to lift with my back. My back started feel much better, go figure.

I finally picked up the clubs again and went to the driving range. My back never felt better.

I'm sure it was the stretching form swinging the clubs that did it.

I always thought it was counter-intuitive that being bent over my handlebars for hours would make my back feel better for days, but it does.

My dad was a stoic guy, never complained, never bitched or moaned. A mill worker , lean and thin. I remember him groaning on a bed as my mother applied Ben-gay and applied heat pads on his back. And, I , being a callous, stupid-ass teenager thought he was being overly dramatic and thinking he was he somehow malingering , not wanting to go to work.

All that came back to me several years ago when I was stoned with drugs and undergoing therapy for my bulging discs which laid me flat and had me crawling around , tears streaming down my face. I've suffered some different types of pain, but back pain is a whole different thing.

During cardio rehab the therapists have been very protective of my back but I wanted to try the rowing machine before I finish rehab in a couple of weeks.

I'd been using the treadmill and NuStep mostly, and some of the weight machines that target specific muscle groups. But I've been having problems with muscle spasms after using the NuStep. Last week I started with the rowing machine and frankly my lower back is much happier. The Nu Step keeps the back muscles still while the legs push against it. The rowing machine flexes the back and muscles and I think that is the key.