I herniated a disk in my back doing some event training for strongman(one foot slid out from under me doing conans wheel) and the doctor is telling me no training for the next 6-8 weeks. I really don’t want to miss the entire competition season, not with the mountaineer cup being in my back yard basically. Have any of you come up with any exercises to do while puttling very little stress on the lower back. I’m having an MRI on thursday, and if I am not having surgery, I want to get back to training. Any help would be really appreciated. Thanks
If you have a reverse hyper, that could probably help. It makes my back feel better after stones and other strongman exercises wreak havoc on it. Also, stretching can help. I have a client who herniated two disks while on vacation (no idea how she did THAT!), and stretching has helped with the pain.
What kind of stretches do you have them doing? I don’t have access to a reverse hyper yet, that’s something I’m wanting to buy this summer. I know the event training wasn’t going well at all after I did it, I was hoping I just tweaked it and would work it out, but I couldn’t even break the stones from the ground, so I went to the hospital. Thanks for the advice on stretching. I’ll have to try that tomorrow morning.
Mike-
Which disc did you herniate? I did my L5-S1 on November 1 and am still dealing with residual effects. Let me know and I might be able to offer some insights.
-EC
I would hold off on any heavy training till you find out how bad you hurt it. Don’t make the same mistake that many competitors do, which is training while hurt. It only shortens you competitve years.
Better to miss a season (or part of it), than not be able to compete any more.
I agree with ko, let the healing process take its place. HAving been surrounded with University and college athletes for the last 5-6 years, I’ve noticed a pattern among athletes: Train, Train, hurt, don’t give a shit, train while hurt, train while hurt, hurt some more, go see physio., can’t train anymore for a whole damn year or much longer, ignore physio. insight, terminate career.
This rather pointless and annoying post is just to encourage you to stay cool and stop hammering your wounded spine in pulp!
-LPdSB
I’m not sure of the disk yet, I’m having my MRI on thursday. This was what the doctor told me I’d done, since I am having some problems with numbness in both legs. I was planning to not do much intensive training of events or anything, but hopefully to work on a weakness and get my grip up to par. I’ve been working with the COC grippers. I don’t think I’ll be able to train events again for a while, although the stretching this morning did help me get around today, but do any of you have any ideas on grip (or other muscle) training ideas. The grippers have been giving me a workout, but I was hoping for something to work on a static grip longer, that’s been my biggest problem with farmers walk and events like that is my grip fading fast. Thanks for all your help guys. Ko, are you doing any competitions this summer? I remembered reading about you and patricia getting into strongman in oregon, you’ve got some great ones out there to train with. If so, good luck
Any back numbness/pain, or is it all confined the the legs (glutes, hamstrings, and calves I assume?)?