Hello to everyone and anyone. This is my first post on the internet and i have only taken the leap because i really need some help in trying to fix my back which is deteriorating fast.
Brief history is that i’ve done predominantly physical work to put food on the table and pumped iron for “fun”. I started doing weights when i was 16 (dumbbells) and heavier work since 17(barbell squats, deads, etc.) since 17.
I’ve had nagging back pain since my late teens, but always put that down to cumulated fatigue and poor form i was, of course, always tring to correct.
Anyway, 10 years later and even with deloading for a couple of weeks, i am always in pain. My lower back has now put me out of work for the second time and i can’t turn my neck or lift it without severe pain occuring. I thought my back had improved quite a bit so i ordered the Insanity workout DVD for a change of pace.
If you don’t know, you are required to take pictures of yourself before you start the Insanity routine and it was with this that i possibly discovered the cause of my pain.
If you look on the pictures you’ll see that my left upper trap area is more developed than the right and that my spine is S-shaped. I am just basically asking if maybe a muscular imbalance can cause this or is this a personal deformit?. My Dad has said that i had a bent spine and foot when i was born that required special attention, if that has anything to do with it?. Any help on correcting the problem would be massively appreciated. Thankyou.
To be honest, i do think that my job has caused the imbalance so i will likely have to leave my job to stop the pain, but would it be just a case of training my right side exclusively to balance things out?. I just don’t want to keep banging away with weights if i do have a problem that has to be sorted out by a specialist?. My right side is my strongest too.
Honestly? This doesn’t look like an internet forum question. It sounds like a doctor question. Any reason you’re not seeing a specialist about this? Why would you ask a bunch of people who can’t see you in person to diagnosis what is potentially a severe chronic back condition?
I have asked on other sites, but to be honest i was just throwing it out there to see if anybody had seen something similar?. Going through my local doctor is such a slow process, i just wanted to see if it was something i could correct on my own?. He said last time when i had a scan on my lower back that there was “no significant anomalies present”, so i am unsure what to do next. I’ll just have to try again i suppose. Thanks for the response anyway.
To be honest, i have seen a doctor and after a scan was told that there was “no significant anomalies present” on my lower back. I thought there may be professionals within this community so I was just throwing it out there to see if anybody had seen anything similar?. I have posted on other sites too.
If you’ve seen a doctor, and he said there were no significant issues (by the way, was that recently?), then I’m more comfortable giving some advice.
First of all, what makes you say “your back is deteriorating fast”? what does that mean to you? If that was actually happening, it would be considered a significant issue to a doctor. Now you’re making it sound like there’s nothing structurally wrong, according to a doctor, and that you just have pain.
So here’s a few things I would do in your shoes. Your posture is shit. Your spine looks crooked because you’re not standing up straight. Your left shoulder is noticeably higher, not more developed. Just being consciously aware of your posture can help a lot. What kind of job do you have, is it a sedentary one? That can contribute to bad posture.
I don’t think weight lifting is the answer, or the insanity workout to get in better shape. Think more along the lines of soft tissue work and mobility drills. There are plenty of articles on this site, and others, to get you on the right track. There is a mobility/stretching article written by a professional ON THIS SITE just about every week.
Hope this helps 
Not being a doctor of physiotherapy or anything what have you tried to fix your back?
Did you try yoga or pilates?
Which movements aggrevate the area?
[quote]flipcollar wrote:
If you’ve seen a doctor, and he said there were no significant issues (by the way, was that recently?), then I’m more comfortable giving some advice.
First of all, what makes you say “your back is deteriorating fast”? what does that mean to you? If that was actually happening, it would be considered a significant issue to a doctor. Now you’re making it sound like there’s nothing structurally wrong, according to a doctor, and that you just have pain.
So here’s a few things I would do in your shoes. Your posture is shit. Your spine looks crooked because you’re not standing up straight. Your left shoulder is noticeably higher, not more developed. Just being consciously aware of your posture can help a lot. What kind of job do you have, is it a sedentary one? That can contribute to bad posture.
I don’t think weight lifting is the answer, or the insanity workout to get in better shape. Think more along the lines of soft tissue work and mobility drills. There are plenty of articles on this site, and others, to get you on the right track. There is a mobility/stretching article written by a professional ON THIS SITE just about every week.
Hope this helps :)[/quote]
I may of been dramatic when i said that my back is deteriorating fast. It’s just that i can’t lift my neck or turn it without pain and i can’t sleep with a pillow because of a headache developing very quickly, and waking up in the morning i am in agony with any movement. My lower back isn’t recovering even when taking noticeable time off from lifting either so it does at least feel like i am deteriorating!.
Although weightlifting isn’t the answer, i now don’t think it’s the problem. Due to suffering from severe anxiety and depression that i’m still trying to fight, i’ve been stuck in a job as a cleaner( mopping, sweeping, etc) and typically use my right side to clean and it’s the only unbalanced thing i do. My posture i’ve always tried to keep straight because it hurts to even slouch. I’m writing this bolt upright to avoid pain!.
I have tried the book called Treat your own back by Robin Mckenzie by the way, but it just seemed to aggravate my injury.
Maybe the answer is to change jobs (yay!) and do the mobility work you suggested while avoiding heavy lifting?.
Thanks for the help!. 
A note about mobility work: Don’t over-correct your problems. If you do your research, you’ll see others saying the same thing, do everything in both directions, not just one direction because you think your problem’s only on one side. just throwing that out there.
Understood and much appreciated. I’ll get right on it.
Hi. I’ve known a couple of people who had scoliosis. One of them had a major operation in which two vertebrae were removed and some rib bone was used to fuse the T-L transition phase, along with a titanium rod. The other saw a chiropractor. I’ve got friends of friends with scoliosis who see manipulation therapists, usually chiropractors, for their scoliosis.
Seeing a chiropractor is going to cost you a lot of money, that’s a fact. It’s questionable whether it’s the therapy that does you any good or the exercises they prescribe. I’d suggest that you ask for a second opinion from a different doctor, on the grounds that pain and loss of function is a pretty good definition of ‘something wrong.’ I’d also ask around on here for a recommendation for a good chiropractor or osteopath and see what they can do for you.
I’d also try ditching lifting for bodyweight work with a strong focus on mobility, at least temporarily, and I’d echo the other posters who’ve pointed out that this site is a great source of mobility drills. It’s also not a bad place to look around for a trainer in your area who might be able to teach you some stuff to help correct your posture.
I read a study (cant remember where it is so no reference, sorry) that stated that the human spine without its supporting musculature could support only about 20kg (c. 50lb) before it collapsed. The shape of your spine is to a large degree down to the strength, tone and mobility of the supporting muscles. So there’s probably a lot you can do to help yourself.
I have no medical training whatsoever. I’m just trying to offer helpful information.
[quote]Injurytime wrote:
Hi. I’ve known a couple of people who had scoliosis. One of them had a major operation in which two vertebrae were removed and some rib bone was used to fuse the T-L transition phase, along with a titanium rod. The other saw a chiropractor. I’ve got friends of friends with scoliosis who see manipulation therapists, usually chiropractors, for their scoliosis.
Seeing a chiropractor is going to cost you a lot of money, that’s a fact. It’s questionable whether it’s the therapy that does you any good or the exercises they prescribe. I’d suggest that you ask for a second opinion from a different doctor, on the grounds that pain and loss of function is a pretty good definition of ‘something wrong.’ I’d also ask around on here for a recommendation for a good chiropractor or osteopath and see what they can do for you.
I’d also try ditching lifting for bodyweight work with a strong focus on mobility, at least temporarily, and I’d echo the other posters who’ve pointed out that this site is a great source of mobility drills. It’s also not a bad place to look around for a trainer in your area who might be able to teach you some stuff to help correct your posture.
I read a study (cant remember where it is so no reference, sorry) that stated that the human spine without its supporting musculature could support only about 20kg (c. 50lb) before it collapsed. The shape of your spine is to a large degree down to the strength, tone and mobility of the supporting muscles. So there’s probably a lot you can do to help yourself.
I have no medical training whatsoever. I’m just trying to offer helpful information.[/quote]
Medical training or not, you make a lot of sense. I’ve, to be honest, been putting off stopping lifting as it’s been my hobby and “psychological escape” for years, but you’re right, i do need to avoid lifting. After years of going no where in the major lifts and just trying to push through my plateaus i think getting my body back in harmony is gonna have to be my number one priority for the next several months. I should of seen to this ages ago. Ignorance is not bliss!
Anyway, thanks for your comments. Much love.
