I know, and I am confident that you’ll do very good as well.
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Thanks man
That’s definitely understandable given the circumstances.
Just two things to add to the advice already given:
If you have an inversion table accessable, that might be worth your time.
Best position for acute pain and healing. Decrompresses your spine.
All the best mate, focus on what you can do. Don’t worry about what can’t influence.
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Seems like laying down on the floor with feet on couch might be a poor man’s variety of the same. I do that on occasion after reading,
I don’t feel that different to be honest but if I’m going to read a book I can do that at the same time.
Pretty similar, yes. The inversion table helps to stretch out the lower abs and hip flexors which might get tight as the result of a back injury.
The laying down position cues your back to relax. Also a great way of releaving a back pump.
There’s someone around here who did this for years and is convinced he’s hyper mobile and his back is jacked (not in the good way) because of it.
This is a fine line to walk. Inflammation doesn’t always mean injury. Look at my shoulder. It hurt. It was weak. And it had horrible scapular dysfunction. I got a steroid injection and it got 80% better immediately. I’m sure the inflammation started off like normal, but it became the problem.
I’m not sure where @MarkKO’s body is in the process, but both your and Flap’s advice are correct. Mark just has to figure out his body and address it accordingly.
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Stretching is dangerous if you don’t know why or what you’re stretching (not saying this is you Mark).
We don’t know for sure this is the origination of this injury, but from the looks of it, you just got injured stretching. Just think about that! You’re squatting 600lbs, and just got hurt stretching!
I completely agree with @flappinit that stretching cold is a recipe for disaster. I’m very surprised your coach has programmed it in that manner. Perhaps post training, but pre is very surprising.
If I remember correctly he was just testing it right? He needs to take note of this injury.
Quick healing.
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Just so you know, Stuart McGill (world’s leading back specialist who works with plenty of powerlifters, including Chris Duffin and Blaine Sumner) specifically advises against stretching your lower back. That itself can be a cause of injury. Also hamstring stretches that involve letting your back round are no good, same issue.
My guess is seeing that you have had back issues on and off for a while you have a herniated disc or discs in your back and from time to time you aggravate it again. I fucked my back up in the summer and started following McGill’s protocols, McGill big 3 every day and going for walks 2-3 times a day, 15-30 minutes. There won’t be any magic fix for your back right now, hopefully it will feel better in a couple of days but stretching and mashing this and that is not going to improve anything.
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You mentioned piriformis. Apparently if that little dude get tweaked and inflamed it can press on some nerves and cause all kinds of strange tightness, stiffness and pain all over your back and hip. Muscles can feel tight or painful but stretching doesn’t work because the pain isn’t really coming from there.
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Inflammation can actually cause secondary injuries in the surrounding areas. Ice actually is shown to reduce that secondary inflammation, as are the anti-inflammatories. Also, lots of people recommend the exact opposite of bringing blood to a recently injured area, which is why PT’s by and large will employ ice right after an injury, and rotating ice and heat for maintenance. Ice will draw blood away. BUT, that’s also up for debate, sort of, as are a lot of other things, so definitely no disrespect taken and always encourage others to disagree with me whenever they feel I’m wrong or misguided. No worries, dude.
And finally @markko he does seem to be on the mend. Appreciate the well wishes dude.
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Thanks everyone. Seems like simply sleeping on my back did the most good. My lower/mid back is just monumentally stiff now, very little real pain. I’m going to be as sedentary as I can within reason today and hope another night will help even more.
Going forward I think the walking and McGill big three will be on the menu for sure.
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Woke at 265.2 lbs, looking quite a bit less bloated.
Ok, so here’s a funny thing.
If I sit on our ottoman, which is around 14" high, like I’m doing a box squat and push my knees out my back feels a bunch of relief. So I added a band looped under the ottoman and over the tops of each knee, and pushed my knees out against that and it felt AMAZING
@FlatsFarmer @flappinit any idea why this helps?
Nope! Never particularly tried that one myself. Is your pain in your lower back specifically, or is it SI joint?
Fucked if I know. It’s like, I’ll move certain way (pitch forward coming out of a squat, twist when seated), and something happens somewhere that tugs in my lower back in a really ominous way.
When I do those band knee opens, my glutes and just above them to the sides get all warm and pumped up and it makes my back feel great
I don’t know what as SI joint is. Or a piriformis. I know there’s my lower back, and then my glutes, and then everything else is just hips and all the shit in them that’s connected to every damn other thing.
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Those two points on either side of your spine, just above your glutes, are the SI joints, and they’re the cause of most people’s back pain.
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Oooh, now that looks mighty close to where it gets all funky. I think on me it’s a mite higher, but not much. Again, thanks
So I think there’s some improvement. More than some, even. I did thise leg open things a couple of times and it helped. I can also comfortably get into a deadlift start position and come back up and I can air squat comfortably too, provided in both cases I brace hard. Pushing deep feels a little off, but with a belt I think I’ll be fine to hit depth and not have any issues.
This being six days out, I’m a lot more cheerful
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I’ve had some SI joint issues, I’ve been able to do some PT stuff that helped, amongst those was massage from the PT who new what he was doing.
I’ll ask you to take a look at @Koestrizer and @Voxel’s suggestion about the lying on the floor with the legs in that 90/90 position. That relived me a lot.
Then as you said do the McGill big 3, I’m absolutely certain that you’ll be fine this weekend
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