hey guys, i’ve been floating around for a good while now, but never posted. great site, and that brings me to my question
in january i bulged my L4-L5, gave it plenty of time to heal, but stayed away from deads and pretty much legs in general.
So yesterday i’m in the gym, do a little stretching and then do light weight squats (115) just to get warmed up. Well low and behold here comes the pain again.
It’s not my form, and obviously it wasn’t the weight.
I’m sure there are plenty of people on here that have had the same problem. What can I do to keep this from happening again? I need to work legs, and i can’t keep getting knocked out of the gym for a week or so.
I strained my disc between L3 and L4 while squatting, and couldn’t walk for 5 days. Got EMS treatment and took Aleive for a week and I was squatting 2 weeks later. Your experience makes me greatful.
Maybe you gave your lower back too much rest, but I don’t know. Did you see a chiropractor? Somethings not right if 115 is hurting you. Maybe you should try some rehab exercises that don’t involve weight.
Back problems are really tough. Good luck with this man. You said your form wasnt an issue, im not saying it is an issue, but it had better be perfect. And I mean perfect. On the other hand, you might have to accept the fact that your spine wont handle even the loading during lifting with excellent form, very well. This is a possibility.
[quote]in january i bulged my L4-L5, gave it plenty of time to heal, but stayed away from deads and pretty much legs in general.
So yesterday i’m in the gym, do a little stretching and then do light weight squats (115) just to get warmed up. Well low and behold here comes the pain again.
It’s not my form, and obviously it wasn’t the weight.
I’m sure there are plenty of people on here that have had the same problem. What can I do to keep this from happening again? I need to work legs, and i can’t keep getting knocked out of the gym for a week or so.
Thanks in advance[/quote]
Like Shadowzz said, you need to reevaluate your form. Injury and detraining can throw off your form more than you realize.
Aside from form and assuming that, medically, it’s ok to do so, I’d look into some myofascial release work, stretching, electro-stim, etc. and make sure that your hips, lower back, abs, hamstrings, shoulders, etc. are all flexible and strong.
Do you have good posture?
Do you sit up straight when seated?
Do you avoid sleeping on your stomach?
Do you use good technique when lifting things at home and at work?
Usually back pain is caused by the abuse you heap on it everyday, not the event that triggered the pain.
As others have said, go see an expert. Just be aware that back squats are always going to cause some shearing forces in you lower back regardless of how good your form is. Front squats may be a better option (unless you have some compression issues) because the spine is better buttressed against the shearing. If you are really desperate to do some leg work lunges, low step-ups and cable pull throughs are all options. Avoid leg presses and leg extensions.
Go see an expert, find out exactly what is wrong and good luck.
