Back Problem. Looking for Advise

Bigger Stronger Leaner Injuries and Rehab
1

Hi everyone,

Several years ago I tore my superior labrium and let it go for over and year before I had surgery. Had surgery and went through all the recovery and PT which helped. (This was back in 2008). Then 6 months out of surgery I tore the left and have not had it operated on. To this day my right side still bothers me more than the left which is actually a worse tear than the right. But i’ve accepted the fact that they will never be right and i’ve found pull ups and dips to help a lot.

But heres where the back problems started. I was in a sling for 6 weeks and atrophied pretty bad in the right side of my back/shoulder. Well a good friend of mine has a weights in his garage and we work out 3 times a week doing mostly squat, front squat, dead lift, clean and jerk, Military press etc. After I could start lifting again after surgery my friends noticed that I would sway to my left side while squatting. Pretty much every lift I did I would compensate more with my left.

So then I learned that I also have scoliosis in my lower back. My spine curves slightly to the left which happens to be the side with more muscle. Went to PT trying to correct the problem but nothing and on the very last day the guy I was working with said “yeah squat and deadlift are the best things you can do…” That pissed me off. So as I went back to work out with my friend I dropped my weight back down to pretty much the beginning at 135 and focused solely on technique and making sure I was staying straight for everything. And seeing everyone progressing in weight and leaving me in the dust has been extremely frustrating especially when i’ve pretty much been at the same spot…

So heres my question. Is there anything I can do to get the muscles on the right side of my back to even out with the left? Theres like an inch difference in size between the left and right. I asked my doctor about correcting the scoliosis and he said at my age surgery is pretty much the only thing to do… And i’m only 21. And lately I havent been able to lift much between work and school but I still try to get in pushups, leg raises, pull ups and dips at my house.

But any help on how to lessen the severity of my scoliosis/ muscle size difference would be greatly appreciated

3

Continueing technique work is important to get your body used to working equally.

Is the scoliosis functional or structural?

And as BBB said unilateral work.

4

What types of unilateral work can I do that will help my mid to lower back? Only thing I can think of is DB rows and DB press

As for the scoliosis, I’m not sure. My doctor that did the surgery on my shoulder pretty much said “yeah you have scoliosis” and nothing else. I need to get in and have another Dr. look at it. Im not real sure how long i’ve had it but it wasnt until the surgery that I really noticed it. Looking at the definitions of both, id lean more towards functional. My spine looks normal (except for the curve) and everything works fine, but I have back spasms a lot in the left side of my back which is the side that my spine is pulled towards.

I’ve also tried massage therapy along with using a tens unit and while that helped with the spasms and tightness, it would come right back as I tried to lift agin. But like you said the technique is a must