Lower back injuries, anyone hurt their back in the gym lately?

[JimP]

About three weeks ago I pulled something in my lower back while warming up doing squats. I've been doing this exercise along with dead lifts for some time and have never hurt myself. Anyone ever do this before, and how long did it take to heal. Is there anything to help speed the healing process up? exercises, stretches that you found worked.

I hate walking around and feeling like it's going to let go again and I haven't been able to workout.

Thanks

 

[getdowngranny]

You need to decompress your spine and lower back. Look into one of those inversion machines, they work wonders with lower back problems. Try to lay on the edge of your bed belly down with your legs on the bed but your torso on the outside of the bed with your head towards the ground. Let your lower back decompress for like 10 minutes at a time for a couple of sets before bed. Also look into "foam rolling", it will stimulate blood to the muscles in the areas that you roll and help recovery. Make sure when you are working out you are using PROPER form, forget about how much weight you can do, its all about form. The weight will be added on with proper time. 90% percent of the injuries i see in the gym are caused by doing exercises without proper form. When you get healthy again start slow with really low weight and you will be back to normal after about a week or so. Please feel free to ask me any questions. I am a certified personal trainer and help clients and work out myself on a daily basis. Recover soon and take care of your body.

 

[charlief1]

Have you had a doctor check it out yet? I hurt my back several years ago and it turned out that I bulged 2 discs and cracked a vertibre. Took almost 2 months for it to heal and the doc was an idiot. I won't go into what happened but he's one of the reasons I don't go to the doctor unless something is hanging out of my body now.

 

[ttaowner]

Inversion table and chiropractor. Ask me how I know !!!!

 

[6cylboost]

how do u know?

 

[ttaowner]

Because my back was really jacked up for a while 1-1 1/2 years . Inversion table about 5 minutes worth would help me for about a hour. I started going to the chiropractor 3 days a week for about 2 months and I was like new again for about a month after stopping and im way better than before but I now go once every couple weeks.

It hurt me to sneeze or even stand for a hour or so or even roll over in bed.

Again since the chiropractor I'm way better than before.

It cost me $30 cash out of my pocket per visit with no insurance. This was the best money I ever spent in my life and I thank the doctor every time I leave !!!

 

[charlief1]

It cost me $30 cash out of my pocket per visit with no insurance. This was the best money I ever spent in my life and I thank the doctor every time I leave !!!

I will also point out the chiropractor was the only one that helped me and actually spotted the damage that the doc ignored.

 

[JimP]

I guess it's time to go see a chiropractor. I have never been to one before. I have coverage through work, which covers 90% of it. Some good suggestions, thank you I will try them. Before hurting it at the gym, it hadn't felt right for about a week, it's been three weeks plus a day since I hurt it at the gym. It's amazing how many things you realize you can't do once you injure an area like this. The best way to describe it is it feels like a strain to the lower back muscles.

Thanks for the replies and suggestions.

 

[ryan george]

Reverse Hyperextention is a great machine to help rehab and strengthen the lower back. If it feels out of place, get a chiro to adjust. If it feels like a muscle pull and there is no swelling, really light higher rep work will help to pull blood and nutrients into the muscle, helping to heal faster. If it feels like more than that, definitely get to a doc.

 

[bison]

Do reverse hyper extensions as suggested by Ryan. If you're serious about proper back training you can buy a nice reverse hyper from elite fitness. Elitefts.com. I did powerlifting for 9 years. I started all workouts where I was lifting through my torso with weight on my back or deadlifts with reverse hypers at about 60% for 5 sets of 12. It really the blood flowing there. I lifted maximally every week rotating exercises and never hurt my back. I always finished with heavier reverse hypers for 3 sets of 8 to 15. This increased volume in the pulling muscles and decompressed my spine as well. I also did many extra workouts with a sled which was 100% concentric. Another thing i should add is that back injuries occur from having a weak back. There is no substitute for heavy back training. Your ab strength is critical to strengthening your lower back muscles. If your abs are weak you will round over doing heavy lifts. All heavy back training I did always starts with the head up and abs flexed hard. Training abs all the time won't overcome a weak back either so don't think it will. Both must be trained heavy if you want to build strength.

 

[2QUIK6]

Inversion table works wonders for my back, throw it out or pull my lower back muscles several times a year water skiing and usually in less than a week I'm back. Had it for about 8 years from the local Relax The Back stores.

 

[asd60303]

I had to 2 bulging/slipped discs from lifting heavy. Going to chiropractor is your best bet; within a month I was back to normal and felt stronger.

 

[Red C5]

Hope you have a speedy recovery, back injuries can be tough. I've been lifting heavy this year again and hurt my wrist almost 2 months ago. It's really set me back.

 

[regan j]

Worst part is the older you are, the longer it takes to recover. I broke my wrist several years ago and a boy half my age did his about the same time. His recovery was much quicker then mine. I dont mind getting older, better than the alternative.

 

[coach]

About three weeks ago I pulled something in my lower back while warming up doing squats. I've been doing this exercise along with dead lifts for some time and have never hurt myself. Anyone ever do this before, and how long did it take to heal. Is there anything to help speed the healing process up? exercises, stretches that you found worked.

I hate walking around and feeling like it's going to let go again and I haven't been able to workout.

Thanks

Do you belt up? As Bison said, there is not substitute for weak core muscles. A properly fit belt is all you have between your abdominal wall and a hernia or back injury. During every lift, your core should be as tight as it can be to support what ever your attempting to lift. When you tighten your core, the belt pulls in and supports your lower lumbar. I too am a trainer. I am the strength and conditioning coach for Alleghney College in Meadville, Pa. I belt up as soon as I hit the weight room. It doesnt matter what body part is being worked. I train legs 2 days a week and back two days a week. These muscles account for more then 80% of your bodies strength. Chest and arms get work on the 5th day.
This Monday we squated 540 for 2 on our last set and today we leg pressed 1000lbs for 6 sets of 8 reps. I see way to many 300lb bench pressers and not enough 300lb squaters. The squaters are stronger and healthier.
Ice your back for 20 min...then rest for 20 min...then heat for 20...the repeat again. Ice, rest, heat. 2 cycles equals 2 hours every evening for a few days and see if this helps. It called Hydro-therapy. We do it with big football players who strain their backs every now and then.

Feel better and DO NOT RUSH BACK TO LIFTING.

 

[longball]

As Bison said, there is not substitute for weak core muscles. During every lift, your core should be as tight as it can be to support what ever your attempting to lift.

That's RULE #1. Hurt my back 35 years ago. It will be a lifelong injury, was in bed for a year. Once I made RULE #1 a life rule, my back
got much better. I am now 57 and water-ski, lift weights, play baseball (longball), if I take a couple days off of RULE #1 - back starts aching.
When I was younger it was all about biceps and triceps - now it's a lot of core training. If you ever had a back injury or a hernia you know
without a solid core you basically can't do anything physical((fun).

 

[JimP]

OK, I just got home from seeing the Dr. and after explaining in great detail what had happened and how the injury occurred, he believes I have injured a facet joint. In the meantime he has suggested I take a break from lifting and work on some flexibility. I am very tense and have always been in the lower back area. I'll be the first to admit I don't stretch this area out enough. In addition my job requires me to do lots of sitting and twisting in a car while wearing a heavy belt and having to also use a computer.

I don't know what to say about the core, I think I'm pretty well developed and balanced, I do work the core, I practice proper technique, I don't however wear a weight belt ( I do own one though). I will incorporate all the suggestions and I appreciate everyone's input. I'm not new to the gym and I'm definitely not an expert but serious about what I do when I am there. At 42 yrs old when I workout heavy my bench is in the 400's, I do squat in the 500's, dead lifts are also in the 500's, recently I have been using the trap bar as well and can get close to the 600's with it. At 5'10 I'm weighing in at 244lbs right now. I should have listened to my body the day I injured it and just done some cardio or some stretching instead. I'll never forget the feeling I got when the back let go. (was a small pop like stepping on a ketchup packet followed by extreme pain in the lower back) then not being able to move for four days.

Thanks guys this has had me worried because I have never even had a cavity and the teeth are all still original unlike my GN. I'm also going to consult with one of the trainers at my gym to oversee my techniques and maybe put a program together for me. I feel isolated despite living in a big city, I have a only a few turbo buick buddies and no one to work out with despite having lots of friends, none of them want to come to the gym and make a commitment which I can appreciate. I get my workout in either before or after shifts and on days off when my wife is at work and kids are at school that way I don't take time away from them.

I'll probably also add a reverse hyper extension for my home gym as I still have room for that too.

 

[longball]

I should have listened to my body the day I injured it and just done some cardio or some stretching instead.

RULE #2 listen to your body. Hope you get to feeling well soon. That's some serious weight you are moving around!

 

[bison]

OK, I just got home from seeing the Dr. and after explaining in great detail what had happened and how the injury occurred, he believes I have injured a facet joint. In the meantime he has suggested I take a break from lifting and work on some flexibility. I am very tense and have always been in the lower back area. I'll be the first to admit I don't stretch this area out enough. In addition my job requires me to do lots of sitting and twisting in a car while wearing a heavy belt and having to also use a computer.

I don't know what to say about the core, I think I'm pretty well developed and balanced, I do work the core, I practice proper technique, I don't however wear a weight belt ( I do own one though). I will incorporate all the suggestions and I appreciate everyone's input. I'm not new to the gym and I'm definitely not an expert but serious about what I do when I am there. At 42 yrs old when I workout heavy my bench is in the 400's, I do squat in the 500's, dead lifts are also in the 500's, recently I have been using the trap bar as well and can get close to the 600's with it. At 5'10 I'm weighing in at 244lbs right now. I should have listened to my body the day I injured it and just done some cardio or some stretching instead. I'll never forget the feeling I got when the back let go. (was a small pop like stepping on a ketchup packet followed by extreme pain in the lower back) then not being able to move for four days.

Thanks guys this has had me worried because I have never even had a cavity and the teeth are all still original unlike my GN. I'm also going to consult with one of the trainers at my gym to oversee my techniques and maybe put a program together for me. I feel isolated despite living in a big city, I have a only a few turbo buick buddies and no one to work out with despite having lots of friends, none of them want to come to the gym and make a commitment which I can appreciate. I get my workout in either before or after shifts and on days off when my wife is at work and kids are at school that way I don't take time away from them.

I'll probably also add a reverse hyper extension for my home gym as I still have room for that too.

You're stronger than 99.9% of anyone in commercial gyms in the country today. Good job. If you start going on the big powerlifting/strongman forums you should be able to find some dedicated people to train with.

 

[JimP]

Thanks Bison, but there are a lot of guys stronger than me in the gym I go too and I even out weight some of these guys by 45+ pounds.
The most impressive man is 62 years old and local bus driver his first name is Pat, don't recall his last name. I think he ranks 5th in Canadian national lifters but I can't pull anything up on him, if I do I'll post a link. Looks to me like your lifting 500+lbs in that pic. and you sound like you really know your stuff, weights, turbo buicks too. I still need to educate myself lots on both subjects. I'm not repping the weights I posted above, those are one shot max weights for me, others are repping them here.