On Tuesday I decided to start deadlifting again (I had taken a month off). I wanted to see how much strength I had lost so I started on 315 and it was going up very easy…so easy that I lost concentration and on my 6th rep it got out in front of me and I arched my back…next thing I know I’m hearing a disgusting crunching noise and my back is throbbing. I had pain and numbness immediately in my left leg, and pain in my lower back when doing anything but lying down. I thought this a clear-cut disc herniation. Anyways I went to the doctor the next day, and after looking over my X-Rays she told me it was just a strain, and that it would be ok in 10 days. Now I want very much to believe her, but I don’t want to go out in 10 days thinking I’m better and aggravate a prolapsed disc. If I had herniated a disc would it necessarily show up definitively on an X-ray? The fact that I heard a crunching noise, along with the pain and weakness in my left leg make me think this is something more serious, but admittedly I know very little on this subject. My back feels a LOT better today, but still have very little ROM. Should I press to get an MRI to make sure…or is the X-Ray diagnosis definitive?
You would need an mri for sure to rule out a prolapsed or herniated disc. It won’t show up on an xray.
You should just take yourself to an orthopedic doc and tell them you want an MRI.
screw insurance, etc… pay for it out of pocket and get it done.
I agree, there are a few joints (or series of them) that I never play around with… back, neck, knees. If you are in doubt at your doc’s diagnosis, which it sounds like you are, put your mind at ease and get a second opinion, and the MRI.
Ow dude. That is just aweful. I know how it feels to injure your back. Just a side question to some of the others here. When I do deads I like to keep the reps around 2…max 5. But after this I think I will stay at 2. Now with respect to weight I won’t be doing my 2 reps max. What I mean is if I’m doing 5x5 that’s 25 total reps. So I would do 12 sets of 2. With the same weight. I think that there is less chance for injury. Any comments? Thanks. Get better Realest. 
You started with 315! That’s your problem. I hope you learned your lesson, and before you tell me how big and strong you are and how easy 315 used to be for you just remember that even the Westside guys(read: very strong men)always start with minimal weights and work up. Putting ego aside and educating oneself is the best preventative medicine.
By “starting on 315” I meant that it was the first set after my warm-ups…but even so you’re still right, all too right. I hadn’t done deads in a while, and I should’ve taken it slower…much slower. The most important thing is that the weight itself wasnt that hard, but I let my form slip and instead of dropping it i tried to force it up, which just goes to show you…PERFECT FORM ON EVERY REP at every weight when it comes to DLs. This has really opened my eyes, and I won’t let this happen to me again. Made some calls today and am scheduled to go in on Monday and have an MRI scheduled. Insurance will cover it. Thanks guys.
Man I did a similar thing a few weeks ago. My ego got the best of me and I started at what I was pulling before the layoff. The next day I couldn’t bend over to even touch my knees.
Irondoc is right, you need an MRI or CT. Think about what kind of densities are seen on an x ray. It’s hard enough to get a good look at soft tissue, let alone fluid. Maybe your doc was only looking for a fracture because she didn’t think you didn’t had the clinical signs of a herniated disc. I’m not a doc yet so don’t take my word for it. Get a second opinion. I hope she was right for your sake, though.
This is exactly why i never do more than one rep per set on deadlifts.