Lower Back Injuries

grizzle78 · July 14th, 2007, 11:44 AM

Has anybody ever had a lower back injury? About 6 weeks ago I was doing a bent over row, I thought I was keeping my back strait looking strait and during my last set I felt fine, until after I set the bar down I stood strait and I felt like a pop or something in my lower back....

I went to the doctors and he labeled it a "lower Lumbar sprain"... Gave me the old shot in the but, which may I add was done by a decent looking girl

Anyways he gave me a muscle relaxer, some pain meds, and some steriod to take prenidsone, or something like that I think??

Anyways it didn't help so I returned, and of course he refilled my meds bla bla bla and wait another week. Oh yes I diddn't take a MRI because my insurance requires a pretty big deductible, so I actually decided on another week..

Well I waited two more finishing off the meds, and it was still sore, I was never laid up, or couldn't walk or anything like that, I did notice I would sometimes get a pain in my back leg, maybe once or twice on each side, so I thought it was as disc.. It never reoccured, and after about 5 weeks just suddenly it was better? No soreness or anything like that, and actually my back stopped hurting after I worked out??

Now I ran the other day, and it is a bit sore but nothing, like it was about a week after I initially injured it.. No pain down the legs or anything like that just like tight... I guess my question is has anybody had a lower back injury or in contact with somebody who has had a disc Slip??? If I can walk fine, and bend over, bench press and workout would it be likely to have a disc injury, it seems like it cracks more often now, and is a bit sore, but nothing that I even need to take meds, and get laid up for..

xpat3bn · July 15th, 2007, 01:45 AM

I had a similar injury, I was recouperating from a 14 foot fall returned to work bent over to hammer a couple of nails and felt something go pop. Had a hard time straightening up, it hurt like hell. Went to doctor later that day. It was my lower right back. The dr gave me a great discricption on what it was he asked " If I had ever watched a movie where you saw some one sneeze or bend over and not be able to stand up? And then you always saw some one come up behind then put thier knee into the persons back and pull on thier shoulders, or grab them from behind and give them a bear hug to straighten up."

A couple of your vertabrate are grinding against each other. I was on T3's, aspirin, advil and Robacisil. Nothing worked for the pain. Doc said seen as how it never happened to me before that there was a good chance it would clear up in as little as two weeks up to 12 weeks. It's been 10 weeks now and and now my lower back is only sore and not throbbing.

**ColdFX** · July 15th, 2007, 12:43 PM

I injured my lower back doing deadlifts a couple weeks ago...that was something I dont want to experience again.
It was hard to sleep, and even hard just to stand straight and take a piss :S.
Anyways I iced it each night before bed, and after a week it seemed to heal up.

**wildstang** · July 16th, 2007, 01:07 AM

yea i have had a severe back injury. L-5 region fusion, and bulged cervical disc, and thats kinda why im on this sight as to see if anybody has similar injuries and alternative workouts for the injured areas. as a result of my injuries i am forced to leave certain exercises out of my workouts. it has been some time since the injury and i am able to still lift heavy things like for instance one of my hobbies in rebuilding motors. and i can heft the block around and install it on the stand but i do feel it deeply in my bones in the fusion area. i am not supposed to heavy things but what am i supposed to do when ive worked all my life with the weights and was never afraid of hard work. so i just work the areas of my body i can. i can tell you if your back still bothers you what works for me (physical therapist recomended to me) is to thoroughly stretch your hamstring region and for some odd reason it does help eleviate some or most of the pain i normally go through on a daily basis. now if someone would have afew suggestions as to how to work around my injurys i would appreciate some advice. i do run and deadlift on a regular basis but have to use lighter weights then usual for the back. i can and do sometimes go heavy but i pay for it with pain the following day, so i need a change of plan.

**ColdFX** · July 16th, 2007, 01:17 AM

The only advice I have is to try and lift with your legs instead of with your back, get a friend to help you if something is too heavy, and to use a weight lifting belt to help keep your back straight when doing excercises which require your back to be straight.

As well, if you have a muscle injury in your back, I would assume that getting a massage every now and then would be quite beneficial.

P.S- When I wanted to ice my entire lower back I filled a LARGE ziploc bag with water, and placed it flat along the bottom of the freezer, so it froze as a large sqaure which can sufficiantly cover your lower back.

Remember to think ahead!
Is it really worth lifting that extra weight or spend a week recovering?

**ColdFX** · July 16th, 2007, 01:18 AM

Sry, accidentally posted twice :S

grizzle78 · July 16th, 2007, 10:49 PM

Well mine aches a bit today, but nothing major, I can bend over just fine, and really usually don't get much pain until I lay down or sit for a while, I had to drive a box truck for work today in Michigan and their roads suck thats why I think it probly aches. I am a bit afraid to use my lower back to lift anything, so I just stick to the basic bend at the knees, and I manage. Just don't want it to effect my cardio work like running, I need a different exercise.

Anybody with knowledge on the subject please post as this seems to be effecting more than just me... Most things you look up on the internet like lower back injuries or Disk injuries always give you the old "sometimes it won't hurt" theory and its not really helpful...

**wildstang** · July 18th, 2007, 11:59 AM

well grizzle, you do sound as if you have a slipped disc or possibly even a bulged disc.....that was one of the problems i had also (bulged disc) yes you do get a clicking sensation in the area and occasional pain with it and a constant dull ache. the more you do the more it changes from dull to stronger. have you looked into seeing an chiropractor? it can help with some of the pain, but can cause some more if it is a bulge. mine the nerve was being pushed against the vertabrae from the bulge and required surgery sad to say. but i feel better now that its been 3 years down the road. the bad thing about it was the lamenectomy for the bulge cut muscle to get at the sight and that required extra down time. talk to a chiropractor and at the very least use traction or gravity boots it helps.

grizzle78 · July 18th, 2007, 09:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wildstang

well grizzle, you do sound as if you have a slipped disc or possibly even a bulged disc.....that was one of the problems i had also (bulged disc) yes you do get a clicking sensation in the area and occasional pain with it and a constant dull ache. the more you do the more it changes from dull to stronger. have you looked into seeing an chiropractor? it can help with some of the pain, but can cause some more if it is a bulge. mine the nerve was being pushed against the vertabrae from the bulge and required surgery sad to say. but i feel better now that its been 3 years down the road. the bad thing about it was the lamenectomy for the bulge cut muscle to get at the sight and that required extra down time. talk to a chiropractor and at the very least use traction or gravity boots it helps.

Ugh thanks for the advice, and I am sorry to hear about that.. I really hope I don't need sugery and although it still bothers me I must say it seems to have gotten better but still has a long way to go. I am going to see a chiropractor and see what he says and thinks. For now I have been doing hammy stretches alout and my back feels ok, but I want this to be over...

**wildstang** · July 19th, 2007, 04:18 PM

grizzle the surgery option is always a last method but a person can learn to live with these type of injuries without surgery. for me there was no other option at the time. (extent of my injuries). im not saying you have a bulged disc but to treat it as one untill you know for sure. unfortunately the procedure to tell weither its bulged is spendy. (MRI) even your basic x-rays your doctor or chiropractor will take can at the least give you a clue on weither its an alignment issue with the vertabrae. get well guy and be carefull, one dosent realize how easy it is to mess up his back.

grizzle78 · July 19th, 2007, 11:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wildstang

grizzle the surgery option is always a last method but a person can learn to live with these type of injuries without surgery. for me there was no other option at the time. (extent of my injuries). im not saying you have a bulged disc but to treat it as one untill you know for sure. unfortunately the procedure to tell weither its bulged is spendy. (MRI) even your basic x-rays your doctor or chiropractor will take can at the least give you a clue on weither its an alignment issue with the vertabrae. get well guy and be carefull, one dosent realize how easy it is to mess up his back.

Hey man I am having a excellent day starting early in the morning and ending whenever I go to bed tonight! I have been killing the hamstring stretches and my pain is so minimal I actually noticed other sore spots on my body, as well as jumped in and out of boxes today at work, and had my best upperbody workout at the gym this year! Don't worry not rushing anything, as I did that a few weeks ago and one reason I feel I possibly might have worsened my injury.. It seemed to be healing but I messed it up worse when running, DUMB

Anyways I feel like I was "offset" or out of balance, as I went to bed the other night and noticed my upper body felt more to the right than my lower body... I started hammy's, 100 light crunches a day 4sets of 25, as well as some other back exercises, including laying on my bed hooking my feet on the foot of the bed and lightly stretching out my lower vertebra which feels excellent

... I hurt so much less when I am active....

My plan of attack is to see a chiropractor and have him align me, than I see my doctor on Tuesday where I will tell him I would like to begin a few Physical Therapy work.. As of right now I belive that will honestly return me to 100percent

Although I know a back injury can jump on and off, it has felt "tight" the past two days instead of feeling "weak, cracky, and frail" which to me seems like a really good thing, as feeling tight, and not hurting bad is good.. When I lay flat on the floor and do like a superman or a pushup without taking my pelvic off the floor it sort of increases the pain and if I understand correctly if I had a herneated disc, or sliped a disc than this would help "ease" it back in releasing pressure

Well thanks for all the advice, and help I will keep this updated on my progress, as maybe it will help others if they have a similar injury

**wildstang** · July 20th, 2007, 01:07 PM

your reference as to feeling like your bodys leaning to the right, is common in a back (lumbar injury) were the body tries to eleveate some of the pain by preloading more onto one hip then the other, hence making you feel off-balance when walking. geez i never thought i'd be quoting my doctors explainations to anybody on what my body was doing with the symptoms i was experiencing then. but then thats what were here for to exchange info.
amazing how just stretching the piss out of your hamstrings can relieve the pain. but it does work. take care and get better.

**wildstang** · July 20th, 2007, 01:10 PM

the chiropractor or physical therapist wichever you choose will notice your hip lower on one side and help realign it wich ive had done many times. it wont go just like that but with a little work you'l be fine.

grizzle78 · July 20th, 2007, 10:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wildstang

the chiropractor or physical therapist wichever you choose will notice your hip lower on one side and help realign it wich ive had done many times. it wont go just like that but with a little work you'l be fine.

Thanks man, I cannot wait till this gets healed and done with!

yakko75 · July 29th, 2007, 02:03 AM

Lower back problems are usually either spinal or muscular. xpat3bn's fourteen foot fall resulted in an impact that must have dislocated or damaged some vertebrae, which almost always results in disc rupture. That kind of injury most often results from impact accidents.

Lifting more often results in muscle strain; rarely in vertebral dislocation. Unless your doctor is incompetent, he would have been more cautious about a potential spinal injury. If he felt that "lower lumbar sprain" was the proper diagnosis, it means he had taken steps to rule out the more serious possibility of spinal injury.

Most injuries of the lower back involve the posterior thoracolumbar complex, a mass of tissue layers that provide foundational core strength. As athletes move out of their adolescent prime and begin to add bulk, this complex, which doesn't do much for the ego visually, tends to be neglected. The transverse abdominals are especially weak in most people, even athletes who don't know how to train it, and they don't provide the necessary stability in the trunk. When stressed, the brain recruits other muscles that were not designed for the task, and the result is usually a pop or worse. At first, there are painful spasms as the surrounding tissues attempt to protect the damaged ones. And over time, the body will shorten muscle fibers around the injury, resulting in postural misalignment like anterior or lateral rotation of the pelvis.

So, before you bother with an expensive MRI, I'd recommend you find a NASM certified trainer who can help you strengthen your transverse abdominals and exterior and interior obliques. When they are properly trained, your lower back will be relieved from the faulty muscular recruitment that probably contributed to your initial injury.

It will take a little time, but you will recover fully and learn how to prevent it from happening again.

Hope that helps.

**wildstang** · August 3rd, 2007, 01:04 PM

i posted the training exercises yakko75 spoke of in a thread started by coldfx under weight belt. so try that out grizzle. it helps.

**falconfootball** · August 3rd, 2007, 05:31 PM

Throw the medical docs and pills out the window! As others have said here, a chiropractor will align your spine, help to correct subluxations, and get you on your way to health! This pain will NOT disappear overnight. It will take awhile to correct, but this investment in your health will pay dividends in your training and health

**wildstang** · August 3rd, 2007, 11:03 PM

sure the chiropractor can realign you with little effort other then opening your wallet deeply. and on the other hand you can do some core strengthening and and abdomen work and get your back in the shape it needs to be or you can just keep going back to the chiropractor every few months. guess thats anybodys choice.....me i prefer to strengthen the areas critical to succed first and then if all else fails go see your doctor regardless of who you choose.

**falconfootball** · August 3rd, 2007, 11:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wildstang

sure the chiropractor can realign you with little effort other then opening your wallet deeply. and on the other hand you can do some core strengthening and and abdomen work and get your back in the shape it needs to be or you can just keep going back to the chiropractor every few months. guess thats anybodys choice.....me i prefer to strengthen the areas critical to succed first and then if all else fails go see your doctor regardless of who you choose.

Will core exercises strengthen and support your lower back?

Yes

Will hamstring exercises (stretching and strengthening) help to keep the tension of tight, weak muscles creating a domino effect of pain on the lower back?

Yes.

Will these two correct the subluxations that may be causing the whole problem?

Absolutely not!

Only a DC can diagnose and adjust your spine to correct the problem (which can quite possibly be causing your pain)

**bouncer** · August 4th, 2007, 04:21 AM

I've had a number of lower back probs through the years. None of them through training, but work related, and the last one through pure stupidity on my part. I was stuck helping friends move a piano up 14 stairs, and the "help" they put together to assist me could collectively lift a pencil box. I lost my patience and lifted wrong as I was feeling 9 ft tall and bulletproof. I felt a series of pops in my lower back accompanied by an elecrical surge down my outer quads. I blew three discs.

In most cases a good chiropracter is the answer. A good one. Not the ones who line their pockets by endless return visits, but the ones who will discuss the treatment with you and give you a reasonable idea of the results you can expect.

I really urge everyone reading this thread to pay close attention to good solid core work, which is what I have used to rehab myself out of the pain zone for the most part. That keeps me off of the operating table.