Hey fellas, I’ve been battling chronic lower back injuries for about 2 months now, I need some rehab/prevention advice. It all started during a 1RM conventional deadlift attempt. I wasn’t wearing a belt, and my back rounded just before I pulled the bar past my knees. In the weeks after, my back was very stiff/sore and was aggravated when I would Valsalva (bear down, cough, etc). After doing lots of stretching, back extensions, and bridging, my back was 95% after about 6 weeks. As my back healed, I started to do some light overhead squats pain-free. So a couple days ago, I was in my second set of OH squats (light stuff–85lb x 6 reps), and then…sharp pain…centered right around L5/S1. I had to terminate the workout right there and could hardly walk out of the gym. Needless to say, I’m really pissed. Two days later the pain/stiffness is still there but much better. How do I prevent this from happening again? The thought of not training for weeks/months is killing me. What sort of rehab exercises should I be doing and how long should I wait to begin? Any advice will be appreciated.
step one is see a doctor to see what is going on, i.e., muscle, nerve, etc. a sports md, chiropracter or maybe even a art practioner. once you find out what is wrong with your back and when it is ok to start doing something, i would reccommend reverse hypers 4 times a week. no weight at first. get some jump strecth bands and do band good mornings to keep the blood flowing through the injured area. don’t forget to deadlift again once you are better.
Thanks for the feedback, pete. I’m reluctant to see a physician because I’m sure they won’t tell me anything I don’t already know (rest, NSAIDs). I’ll consider looking into ART…not sure if they’re any around the Indy area. My gym doesn’t have a reverse hyper machine, so I guess I’ll try them off a bench. The band good mornings sound like a good idea, too.