back injury and it isn't good

[CohibaRobusto]

and read about the Mackenzie method. There is light at the end of the tunnel no matter what your final outcome is. Be patient.

McKenzie Method seconded. I think the book is called "Treat Your Own Back" it's on Amazon.

I have multiple herniated disks and I squat every week. I hit 405 on the Smith a few weeks ago for the first time, but I usually backsquat in a rack.

That book changed my life man I was getting unmanageable back pain frequently. Mainly just focusing on maintaining lordosis (look it up) has been the biggest help. Lumbar support is your best friend now.

 

[john_and01]

That's quite an inspiring story. You have gone through a lot in these few years. It would inspire the people here and they will take your advice about sticking with physical therapy and learning about the McKenzie method. Recovery could be tough, but it’s definitely worth it!

 

[gibz]

The day has come....and it sucks.

About 5-6 months ago I was working outside having no issues. I picked up something heavy and moved it around the garage. Nothing to it. I went to bed and woke up the next day and dropped to my knees. I couldn't even stand up straight.

I was mind blown. I couldn't even go to work that day. For about 4 weeks I could hardly walk. It was the most intense pain ever. On day 3 I went to the doctor it hurt so bad. They did an X-ray and said they couldn't see a whole lot. They gave me some pain pills and scheduled 7 weeks of physical therapy. As time went on the paint slowly went away. But it is still there. Just not like it was. Physical therapy was hit and miss, I guess.


I finally had a MRI. The results just came in. I have a herniated disc from my L5 to S1. They said the herniated disc is pressing on my spinal cord and nerves. The want to give me a steroid shot. I told them I don't want a band aid. I want it fixed. Not stuck on pills and shots the rest of my life. The Dr got pissed off saying he isn't doing surgery on me because I am too young. Pain pill and injections is all they are willing to do.


I am literally sick to my stomach. I can't believe at the age of 32 I am going through this....i don't know what to do guys. I tried lifting today. For the first time in a long time. I can't do it as of right now. I start doing an exercise (light weight) and the pain just throbs down my back and legs.

I thought about getting a second opinion if my insurance company will allow it.

I don't know. I know I'm not the only one with this issue. I don't know how the heck I can deal with this the rest of my life though....something has to give. Is this really it?

Can you guys give me advice? Information? Suggestions?

Same shit happened to me. L5/S1. I got the spinal fusion and my shit ended up way worse. One of the top Orthos in Cali. Try everything before surgery.

 

[GSgator]

My back injury at the time changed my life . Shit looked bleak man it really did I had to completely change my way of how I trained. Dead’ lifts and squats were cut out immediately. From time to time I’ll get sciatica pretty bad 2 winters ago it had me crippled for a couple months I couldn’t fucking walk . Also like Sendo mentioned I experienced that dreaded as well but my foot wouldn’t work .

Give it time and be proactive let it calm down then start reading up on exercises to strengthen the core and look into stretching for the lower back also incorporate the glutes and hams those play a huge part . My L5-S1 are herniated and I have a bulge in my L4 . I know one of these flare ups will end up landing me on an operating table but today I feel great so there’s hope it just takes time .

 

[buck]

I find how well a surgery goes depends on the quality of the surgeon, how well he can actually diagnose the real issue and how well the patient does what is needed to heal with realistic expectations. As on Dr. pointed out to me orthopedic surgeons are carpenters, and some carpenters are better than others. My spine surgery went as weel as i could have hoped.

 

[vipersknot]

My back was really bad summer 2023 after being pretty bad for years. Now I don't even notice it. I attribute this to heavy cable crunches and twisting movements on the transverse plane. At some point I realized after almost 35 years of lifting, I never trained anything in terms of twisting/transverse plane. I have also been overloading the core with weight like any other muscle to get stronger. Body weight stuff really didn't help me at all.
I have also had to figure out in general what I can do and what had to go.
Back squats are done for me . I have shoulder injuries too so benching is done.
I think a big problem is the mattress you sleep on. When my back was hurting I would sleep on two yoga mats with a pillow between my legs or a recliner. That gave the most support. I noticed from staying at hotels how tough it was to find a mattress that didn't cause me issues. The chair I am sitting in now has a pillow supporting my low back. I don't think twice about sitting in a chair that has no lumbar support without a pillow.
There is hope but there is a ton of tweaks that have to be made. What you can't do is the same old stuff and just mask it with ibuprofen.
It also took a big mindset shift to stop doing these movements that I loved but were hurting me and be the old guy doing goofy shit on the cable machine.
Get rid of the things that trigger the pain, figure out what you can do that doesn't cause you pain and then rebuild from the ground up while getting a massively stronger core to brace everything is what has worked for me.

 

[moleman]

The day has come....and it sucks.

About 5-6 months ago I was working outside having no issues. I picked up something heavy and moved it around the garage. Nothing to it. I went to bed and woke up the next day and dropped to my knees. I couldn't even stand up straight.

I was mind blown. I couldn't even go to work that day. For about 4 weeks I could hardly walk. It was the most intense pain ever. On day 3 I went to the doctor it hurt so bad. They did an X-ray and said they couldn't see a whole lot. They gave me some pain pills and scheduled 7 weeks of physical therapy. As time went on the paint slowly went away. But it is still there. Just not like it was. Physical therapy was hit and miss, I guess.


I finally had a MRI. The results just came in. I have a herniated disc from my L5 to S1. They said the herniated disc is pressing on my spinal cord and nerves. The want to give me a steroid shot. I told them I don't want a band aid. I want it fixed. Not stuck on pills and shots the rest of my life. The Dr got pissed off saying he isn't doing surgery on me because I am too young. Pain pill and injections is all they are willing to do.


I am literally sick to my stomach. I can't believe at the age of 32 I am going through this....i don't know what to do guys. I tried lifting today. For the first time in a long time. I can't do it as of right now. I start doing an exercise (light weight) and the pain just throbs down my back and legs.

I thought about getting a second opinion if my insurance company will allow it.

I don't know. I know I'm not the only one with this issue. I don't know how the heck I can deal with this the rest of my life though....something has to give. Is this really it?

Can you guys give me advice? Information? Suggestions?

Grab some resistance bands, use these wisely to hold your strength and for conditioning until you can get back in the gym.
Maybe also try the Bpc157, tb500 route