I am 38, i used to do dead lifts (nothing big, 135, a little higher, used to do a lot of reps). Now I also have a hernited disk and buldging disk. It does not hurt me too much.
Ok now and then my back gets stiff at times and the other thing is I throw it out like ever few month (only time that happens is say like after a shower, moving the wrong way). Oh I did mess it up a little bit recently. I also do martial arts, and did a workshop where I did some falls (Ok I found out I have to stop that). Day after that I could not move.
I am still recovering from that, but when I am 100% again, I wanted to get back to doing DL’s.
So I am wondering if I should. I got the herniated disk a couple of years ago in a car accident, but did dead lifts when I got better. Only thing was maybe I would be stiff the next day.
Also I found out I was probably doing them wrong. I was reading an artical that you are supposed to keep your back strait at all times (so maybe that might keep me from getting hurting myself).
I guess I am thinking cause I am getting older, I don’t want to do exercises that would mess me up in the long run. Maybe other people have simular experiences out there. I like to hear what you did.
I have had a long history of back issues that stems from simple issues: poor torso stability, bad movement patterns, poor posture, and lack of hip flexibility.
Are you 100% sure you have a bulging disc? That’s not the kind of thing you generally get in a car accident. Who diagnosed it? With what technique? I would not trust a chiropractor to diagnose anything - go to an orthopedic specialist and have them diagnose you using an MRI machine, not an X-ray machine.
If you, like me, have poor movement patterns, you tend to use your spinal erectors for stability instead of using your core trunk muscles. This makes your lower back stiff and sore all the time. Exercises from Magnificent Mobility or Core Performance will help you with this.
Don’t deadlift until you have solved your deficiencies. You will only reinforce your poor movement patterns.
I’ve got moderate scoliosis (I’d be about 3 inches taller without it), and I have a tendency to slip a disc like once a year, so I’ve always avoided deadlifts. Then about 8 months ago, I started doing them and my back has never felt so good.
Blocking out and resetting after each rep is the key I think.
I have a bulging disk, as confirmed by a MRI four years ago. It goes away and then it will “reappear”- as it has recently after doing cleans from the floor.
I realize I have poor movement patterns and I’ve used Magnificent Mobility to correct some of these.
I don’t deadlift anymore using a barbell I also don’t do back squats. For me, the risk isn’t worth it. If I reinjure myself, then I know I’ll be out for about a month. It only takes one rep, one time for an injury to happen.
I deadlift dumbbells, when the weight is more centered to my body. I try to work around these issues, and focus on what I can do.
I have had back problems over the years, starting after I tore up my knee and had surgery on my knee. I followed my doctors advice and did not heavy deadlift or squat variations for 10 years and it gradually got worse. So, rather than keep doing what obviously did not work I started doing deadlifts and squats again.
Started with stiff-legged deadlifts with an empty bar, full range of motion, 12-15 reps, added 5 pounds every month. Now 10 years later, at 52, I do sets of 6-8 reps with 400+ pounds and my back never felt better. I think as long as you don’t have some underlying structural defect which will be worsened by the movement, doing something is always better than doing nothing.
Yeah I bulged a disc years ago doing something stupid at college. Eventhough it has been rehabed good I still find DLs with a straight bar cause me problems, although squats are ok. I started to use DBs for deadlifts as their position can be slightly more to the side of the body and this has helped strengthen my low back. For heavier DLs I’d recommend a Trap-bar as you can hold it with your arms more at your sides and therefore take the pressure off your low back somewhat.
but I’d make sure your injury is healed up before you start back with any kind of heavy lifting.
If you’re not planning on competing stay away from barbell deadlifts…it’s just not worth the risk. I obviously love deadlifting but wouldn’t recommend you go there with a damaged back…take the dumbell / trap bar advice above and keep the weight moderate. Also, do hyper extensions if you have access to a bench.
When my back is acting ‘tweaky’, I use dumbells, nothing too heavy compared to what I would use on a BB, and I don’t lockout or touch the floor. Try to keep constant tension on the muscle, and slow your reps down to receive some stimulation from them.
[quote]fedwin wrote:
I’ve got moderate scoliosis (I’d be about 3 inches taller without it), and I have a tendency to slip a disc like once a year, so I’ve always avoided deadlifts. Then about 8 months ago, I started doing them and my back has never felt so good.
Blocking out and resetting after each rep is the key I think.[/quote]
Interesting. I have had the same experience. My back would go out on me every 8 - 12 weeks when I was lifting and not doing any deadlifts except squats. Now I deadlift doing regular, stiff leg and sumo style DL’s. I don’t go too heavy. Probably around 315 - 365 lbs. My back feels better than it ever has and my back never goes out.
One of my co-workers said the cure for his back problems was deadlifts. I thought he was crazy. I started doing them and it has really helped my back.
Anyone else had this kind of experience after deadlifting for a while?
[quote]HOV wrote:
I have had a long history of back issues that stems from simple issues: poor torso stability, bad movement patterns, poor posture, and lack of hip flexibility.
Are you 100% sure you have a bulging disc? That’s not the kind of thing you generally get in a car accident. Who diagnosed it? With what technique? I would not trust a chiropractor to diagnose anything - go to an orthopedic specialist and have them diagnose you using an MRI machine, not an X-ray machine.
If you, like me, have poor movement patterns, you tend to use your spinal erectors for stability instead of using your core trunk muscles. This makes your lower back stiff and sore all the time. Exercises from Magnificent Mobility or Core Performance will help you with this.
Don’t deadlift until you have solved your deficiencies. You will only reinforce your poor movement patterns.[/quote]
Well, I went to a ortopedic, and had an MRI done on my back. That is what I was told. My back was sore for a while, but got therapy and that helped.
Yeah I am going to stop the MMA. Well my back is feeling better now (after my MMA injury). Yeah, I don’t want to put myself at risk. I like the reconmendation about the dumbells, I will give it a try, nice and light.
I too have had many back issues over the years. I have a small Leg length discrepency or LLD several mm outside of the normal range… This coupled with lots of heavy squats over the years has left me with a pretty rough looking L5/SI joint.
I have found over the years that the best medicine for me was not to aggravate it which mostly meant very strict form on deads (mostly summo) and lowering the weight of my Squats to a very controlled weight.
Also core strengthening with lots and lots of abdominal training has helped me pretty much get back to lifting. I had years go by where I had trouble daily driving/ sleeping / sitting… All in the past though.
I can’t add a whole lot to the replies already posted accept to say that I have had some frustrating issues to overcome myself in order to do my personal favorite exercise, the deadlift.
The biggest one being that the muscles on the right side of my posterior chain are more developed than my left as a result of early life injuries and poor diagnosis and treatment.
Pavel Tsatsoulines advice in Power to the People on total body tensioning, keeping the reps low and the weight high, and performing isometric ghost lifts throughout the day, really helped me nail better form and helped me get up to my latest personal best of 395 lbs.
*Core strength is extremely vital in the deadlift. Build it up whenever possible, and try not to train to failure.
The absolute worst thing you can do to your back is round it. So, if you can perform deadlifts properly, i.e. with your back straight, you should be fine.
Like some of the other posters commented, I too have had a major back problem. I slipped 2 discs going for a PR on my deadlift back in 2004, and when I watched video of the lift, duh, I rounded the shit out of my back…
That would take 6 years to get to 400lbs. Are you squating and also doing regular DLs in addition to stiff legged DLS? How often do you do stiff legged DLs?
A physical therapy MD recently discribed our disks as jelly doughnuts. Her words were “how much do you want to crush a jelly doughnut in your back at the price of permanent pain & injury”. I do good mornings, chins and very light high rep deadlifts and rowing. I also use a lot of DMSO for pain relief in the back.
I recommend that you get Dr. John Sarno’s book, “Healing Back Pain”. Sarno is Professor of Clinical Rehabilitation Medicine at New York University School of Medicine. His idea is radical but it is cheap to try (basically free, save purchasing the book…I got it at the library) and a lot of people have benefitted including me who used to have lots of back issues.
Now I have absolutely NO back pains or back problems. I also no longer feel anxious about lifting heavy weights in the deadlift or squat. Check it out.
[quote]entheogens wrote:
I recommend that you get Dr. John Sarno’s book, “Healing Back Pain”. Sarno is Professor of Clinical Rehabilitation Medicine at New York University School of Medicine. His idea is radical but it is cheap to try (basically free, save purchasing the book…I got it at the library) and a lot of people have benefitted including me who used to have lots of back issues.
Now I have absolutely NO back pains or back problems. I also no longer feel anxious about lifting heavy weights in the deadlift or squat. Check it out.[/quote]
entheogens, that sounds pretty damn good, what exactly do you have to do?