L5S1 Strain and Teen Angst

Bigger Stronger Leaner Injuries and Rehab
1

Hi guys, been lurking around for a couple months now, had a shoulder problem (subacromial impingement) a few months ago but stabilised my scapulas and so most of the impingement has gone away other then having a little trouble OH pressing but with some mobility work its getting better bit by bit.

Anyways, was deadlifting recently, and on that day I made the amateur mistake of doing T bar rows almost immediately after (stupid mistake I know) and my core gave way and i felt a shooting pain in my back…

From studying anatomy and the position I was and stuff like that, I’ve boiled it down to an l5s1 strain or possible minor herniation.

The thing is, almost all the symptoms point to a herniation, except there’s no sciatica thankfully. Been reading all of the forum threads on similar strains and all of that and almost all point to a life where the injury will always be there and remain to be a pain in the ass and I’m only 15 so I’m really worried that I’ve snapped something really badly. I hope it’ll recover fully without surgery and other stuff like that cause of financial issues and stuff like that

If you guys are gonna ask about mobility and stuff like that, I actually can squat almost ATG without much rounding of the lower back at all.
Before my back injury I was squatting 110 lbs (135 bodyweight) for 8 reps almost completely to the point my glutes were touching my calves, my anterior core strength is actually pretty strong, so no worries there

I really don’t want to come across as another teen just ranting to a forum board, but right now its quite difficult to even just wake up and do anything and my end of year exams (which are an incredibly big deal considering i live in an asian country) and almost no amount of motivational videos or talks or pictures can push me to do anything and yes, I’ve watched rocky 4 and it still fails to pull me out of this stupor.

I have no idea how I fell into this state. The beginning of this year I was a hell lot skinnier, but way more motivated to go to the gym, study and look forward to a life ahead of me. But right now there’s less than 3 weeks to my exams, and I can’t bring myself to sit down and study or do anything at all (even jerking off)

I know I’m burning out, but I have no idea what I can do to alleviate it considering the exams coming up and the amount of studying I have to do and I also want to become a doctor so everyday I feel my dreams just fading away.

I feel like a complete loser not being able to go to my friends or family about these issues and having to go to a forum where at the very least I won’t be judged so much, but here goes.

What do you guys thing I should do and will my l5s1 strain recover?

2

Go see a doctor. I have an old disk herniation that doesn’t prevent me from deadlifting in the mid 400s, BUT I took a lot of time off did all the prescribed PT and educated myself very well on the subject.

But the first step is go see a doctor.

As far as educating yourself goes. Learn the normal anatomy first and learn it well. Then start reading on the rehab and strengthening process. Get Stuart McGills books and read them, but don’t bother until you learn the normal anatomy so you can understand the why better.

3

Thanks. went to a sports PT and an ortho, PT said faulty movement pattern and that I’m hinging at L5S1 as compared to hinging at the hip, as well as that my lower back muscles are incredibly stiff, so that led to my strain on the t bar rows. She gave me a deep tissue massage that helped a lot, and she estimates about 2-3 weeks recovery which is awesome. I’ll be picking up McGill’s stuff after the exams, right now asian parents making focus on school textbooks

4

Thanks. went to a sports PT and an ortho, PT said faulty movement pattern and that I’m hinging at L5S1 as compared to hinging at the hip, as well as that my lower back muscles are incredibly stiff, so that led to my strain on the t bar rows. She gave me a deep tissue massage that helped a lot, and she estimates about 2-3 weeks recovery which is awesome. I’ll be picking up McGill’s stuff after the exams, right now asian parents making focus on school textbooks

5

Just went to the PT after seeing a sports ortho. she said its a strain caused by me hinging on my l5s1 instead of at my hip, and my tight lower back muscles, so i got a pretty painful deep tissue massage that alleviated about 50% of the ache, 2-3 weeks recovery, just awesome to hear that

6

Just went to see a pt after seeing a sports ortho. No disc damage thankfully, just a back strain caused by hinging at the l5s1 region instead of at the hip. PT gave me a deep tissue massage that was incredibly painful to release my tight lower back, and 50% of the pain has gone away. She estimates a 2-3 week recovery and she’ll work on rehabbing me into a safer hip hinging movement pattern, which is just great.

7

[quote]Chinesechris wrote:
Just went to see a pt after seeing a sports ortho. No disc damage thankfully, just a back strain caused by hinging at the l5s1 region instead of at the hip. PT gave me a deep tissue massage that was incredibly painful to release my tight lower back, and 50% of the pain has gone away. She estimates a 2-3 week recovery and she’ll work on rehabbing me into a safer hip hinging movement pattern, which is just great.[/quote]

Sounds like good news in the realm of back injuries. Also sounds like you’ve got a decent PT

8

She’s pretty good, been doing it about 10 years. Way better than previous pt’s ive seen, she’s a private one(expensive) but you gotta pay for quality I guess? My ortho got fed up of me coming to him with shoulder problems, wrist strains, elbow tendinitis so he’s forced my parents to make sure I get checked out right by this PT