No lifting for me

OP: I completely understand what you're going through. I had lower back problems on and off for a number of years that would leave me completely bed ridden for a few days to over a week and hopped up on over the counter pain killers. I saw my GP about it who simply told me to take Advil. When I told her that I did, she said "take more." Then it went "out" (not sure how else to describe it) the day of my sister's engagement party. It was hosted by her in-laws, and I literally crawled from the bus stop down the street to their house. One of my brother-in-law's friends is a chiropractor. He took a look at me, drove me to his office, and spent an hour doing a physical exam and a number of tests. This was WAY MORE than my GP ever did. I still see him regularly and I go a bit more often when I have the odd flare up just so things don't get out of control, but he literally changed my life. He also gave me exercises to do in order to strengthen my lower back and other muscles.

I now lift heavy twice a week (I'm not super serious about it - I just do it as part of a group power class) and I know that I would not be able to do it without him. He has never once told me not to do something. Instead, when I first started lifting, he helped me with it and showed me proper form, etc. My lower back muscles have gotten to that point where in the past I knew it would go out soon thereafter (where you feel that little twinge in your lower back muscles?), but it has never gotten worse than that since I started going to him. Obviously there are contraindications to chiropractic adjustments, so if you choose this route, be sure to go to one who is reputable and does diagnostic tests. However, if the problem is with weak muscles, then I highly recommend this route. I think someone else mentioned that you should consider a sports chiropractor. He/she should be able to help you with proper form so that you don't injure your back or give you instructions on how to work up to it. My chiropractor has never once told me NOT to do something - instead, he just helps me get there.

Try to get a referral to a Sports Medicine specialist. I am so glad I did. Have had neck stiffness for years, but finally got a referral for an MRI for the first time. At least now I know the true severity of my problem, and realize I might need surgery at some point in the future.

I have a herniated disc (L5-S1); I noticed the pain returning when I would life higher weights. I experimented with cutting out different exercises; for me, the leg press was causing the most pain. Since then I lightened up the weight (I had been doing 180, now I do 100) and it's been much, MUCH better. I generally do high weight, low reps, but for the leg press, low weight high reps (like 3 sets of 20) works better for me.

Also properly stretching before and after has made a big difference.

For cardio, I find that running on the treadmill--especially at an incline!!!!!--aggravates my back, but spin class has been just fine.

Good luck!

I have 5 herniated discs in my lower spine, 3 bad discs in my neck area as well a bad hip that likes to dislocate when I lift anything heavy so I can't do any heavy lifting and have to be very careful or else I'm in excruciating pain for weeks.

I do however use bar bells to do bicep curls and use a weight machine. I just have to keep the weights below a certain amount. I've learned the hard way what my limits are.

I went to a physical therapist after I got the results back from all of my CT and MRI scans and he showed me different exercises and ways to lift that wouldn't aggravate my particular injuries.

Swimming is really the best for me. When I was in too much pain to do much of anything I was always able to swim even if it was by holding onto a kick board.

Get to a good doctor. Tests need to be done to see exactly what the problem is and then a physical therapist would be needed to help you prevent further injury as well as help you learn what you can do with the injury you may have.

Not putting down your accomplishments at all.

I'm saying if you have serious back problems seek medical help until its sorted out.

You apparently have no idea to what extent the injury is.

Find out.

Fix it.

Lift.

Telling me I'm making excuses and not putting the effort in is doing just that.

I have already established that the first step is to see a different doctor. If you read through my posts you can see that I did have repeated appointments after my injury where I asked for further investigation and a physio, and was refused.

I applaud you -- you've taken an initial issue (your back), decided to make a healthier life for yourself from there, made lots of progress, tried lifting, and as soon as there was pain, went to your doc to ask all the right questions before you injured something, or did more permanent damage.

Heck, a lot of people would have said "OH, woe is me. My back is bad, the doc says don't do anything, so I'm not." How many of us know people that do this with all kinds of things in their life?!? You took control, made changes, and are questioning how to keep moving forward EFFECTIVELY. :flowerforyou: KUDOS. :flowerforyou:

I do believe lifting is healthy -- I spent 5 months at my local CrossFit box, and the overall strength and fitness I achieved there was amazing, better than anything else I've tried (running, biking, circuit training, etc.) HOWEVER, I have three bulging discs in my neck right now, and after seeing a great sports ortho and having PT for 6 weeks (and ongoing PT daily at home on my own), I haven't been able to get back to that level...yet. My goal is to get back to heavy lifting...but at 3 months out, I'm still not cleared for anything close to that. :grumble:

Necks and backs ARE complicated. Like others have said, get a good diagnosis (ortho, physio) and then go SLOW. Even though my ortho says I am doing amazingly well for 3 discs, it is incredibly hard to hold back on things you want to do. But I can tell when I've done too much, and as frustrating as this process is, I'm still trying.

And so are YOU. So don't let anybody discourage you. Keep asking questions, keep going, keep moving, stand your ground. I'm proud of you. :flowerforyou:

Thank you for your support, I really appreciate it. :flowerforyou:

OP: I completely understand what you're going through. I had lower back problems on and off for a number of years that would leave me completely bed ridden for a few days to over a week and hopped up on over the counter pain killers. I saw my GP about it who simply told me to take Advil. When I told her that I did, she said "take more." Then it went "out" (not sure how else to describe it) the day of my sister's engagement party. It was hosted by her in-laws, and I literally crawled from the bus stop down the street to their house. One of my brother-in-law's friends is a chiropractor. He took a look at me, drove me to his office, and spent an hour doing a physical exam and a number of tests. This was WAY MORE than my GP ever did. I still see him regularly and I go a bit more often when I have the odd flare up just so things don't get out of control, but he literally changed my life. He also gave me exercises to do in order to strengthen my lower back and other muscles.

I now lift heavy twice a week (I'm not super serious about it - I just do it as part of a group power class) and I know that I would not be able to do it without him. He has never once told me not to do something. Instead, when I first started lifting, he helped me with it and showed me proper form, etc. My lower back muscles have gotten to that point where in the past I knew it would go out soon thereafter (where you feel that little twinge in your lower back muscles?), but it has never gotten worse than that since I started going to him. Obviously there are contraindications to chiropractic adjustments, so if you choose this route, be sure to go to one who is reputable and does diagnostic tests. However, if the problem is with weak muscles, then I highly recommend this route. I think someone else mentioned that you should consider a sports chiropractor. He/she should be able to help you with proper form so that you don't injure your back or give you instructions on how to work up to it. My chiropractor has never once told me NOT to do something - instead, he just helps me get there.

That is EXACTLY what happens with my back too. Twinges, and you're right, it just 'goes', I then collapse on the floor and have to crawl everywhere. It's good to know that it is possible to get it better though. Out of curiosity, what did they diagnose you with, if anything?

The problems for me were mostly coming from my neck (I've had chronic migraines since I was a child, which have also gotten better since I started seeing him), which was causing my entire spine to twist, which was in turn caused my pelvis to be crooked. All of that was causing my muscles to spasm in my back. It took about a year, maybe less, for my pelvis to level out. I haven't experienced any twinges in my lower back in about 6 months (I've been seeing him for a year and a half, but my back hasn't gone out since I started seeing him). He does adjust my neck, but he doesn't twist or crack anything. He is a traditional chiropractor, which at the beginning made me uneasy when I realized it, but he is also very knowledgeable, was way more thorough than my GP and has helped me way more than she ever has, and at the beginning did a complete orthopedic and neurological exam and sent me for x-rays and then an MRI just to be sure. If you go this route, be sure to do your research.

Backs are tough, I know how you feel. Truth of the matter is, most back pains or issues can be resolved with abdominal and core strengthening. Correct form sit-ups, crunches, and planks can help in the long run, and making sure you sleep on your side or back to prevent anterior pelvic tilt which is very stressful on the low back. Watch your running, which can cause axial loading on the lumbar vertabrae and cause more inflammation of the discs. Slowly you should get better, but definitely do self-body resistance training like push ups, dip ups on a chair, and crunches along with your core workouts. Lean proteins can help but only with muscle repair, otherwise excess protein is just turned to free fatty acids and stored as adipose tissue just like any other macronutrient.

This is about the best thing I have read in a long time. I might just print it out and post it on my fridge.

I am 50 and I've always tried to be active. As a kid I was in sports so I've had my share of injuries. Nothing as serious as your back, but I really agree with the fact that we need to strengthen our bodies no matter what. It might seem minor, but I had very weak wrists. Once I started building the strength in them, the pain and weakness went away. My back has always given me problems but once I learned how to strengthen my core my back is so much better! Yes, I still have pain most days but I've learned that when I am idle it just gets tighter so when I get up and move around it loosens up and feels better. I also found that stretching really helps. I used to think that when my back hurt, I should just stretch my back. Now I've learned that I should stretch other areas near my back (like my hips) and my back starts to feel better. I never gave much thought to how everything is all connected together. When I have pain in my elbow, it helps to rub my shoulder muscles. Things like that. It's all connected. I hope you find what works for you! I know we are all different. I hope, in time, you figure out just what works for you!

Thanks : ) Sorry to be so wordy, it's just how us exercise physiologists are use to talking.

my doctor has told me not to do over head presses or squats...(probably my 2 best lifts).

What is wrong with your lower back?

With the exception of herniated disks, there is no reason to not be lifting weights to strengthen your back.
Strong back = healthy back.

I'd definitely try to get a session with a physical therapist or something to have them assess your issues and come up with exercises you can still do.

To be honest, I am unsure about whether I had either a slipped disc or muscle problems. The doctor I had at the time was very unsympathetic and didn't take me seriously; kept telling me to walk to the surgery for an appointment, and not believing me when I said I could barely walk to the toilet, let alone a surgery. Repeated appointments after where I asked for a physio and for it to be investigated, and they said because the pain was not severe for more than 6 weeks, it is not classed as 'chronic' back pain, so they aren't worried. As a consequence it was never fully looked into.

I may look into a private physio. You are right, lifts are meant to strengthen your back, but mine definitely doesn't like it!

And sometimes the apin is just trying to mess with your head. I lift. While I don't have lower back issues, I do have issues with my shoulders. I still lift. Sometimes I "overdo it". Pain is a part of life. Learn your limits. Also keep in mind that not all pain is necessarily bad. If you are strengthening muscle then it will swell and retain water. This is painful to different degrees depending on how worked the muscles are. Sometimes the pain won't be felt until as much as two days after the workout... if it is severe then obviously dial back on the lifting until the pain has almost completely subsided. I push my limits every single time I work out and if I can't feel it, even ever so slightly, then I didn't lift heavy enough and I increase the weights.

KNOW your body. IT can tell you more about yourself than the doctor. If you know you have a low thresh-hold for pain or discomfort, take that into consideration as well.... "how much of this 'pain' is because I just don't like to feel any soreness anywhere, ever so it seems worse than it is?"

"Pain is fear leaving the body" ~ Jillian Michaels

Edited to add that I was ordered no high impact... no running. I listened, for a while. Then I decided to take it slow and now I can jog over two miles before having to stop. My knees and calves hurt like hellO the first few times but with each time I persisted and the pain becameless and less and I got stronger....

I'd first look into exercises that involve stretching and strength like yoga and pilates. It's not just for girls... a lot of pro lifters spend an extensive amount of time warming up and stretching. Machine weights vs. free weights might be the ultimate compromise. Dead lifts put a lot of pressure on my lower back, but you could also just low t-bar row instead. You can find alternatives to you situation and I would agree go to someone who deals with sports injuries. Going through rehab twice I've found the only way sometimes to get better is to push past the pain whereas sometimes you need to take a break.