Newbie needing Advice on Back Injuries

Had surgery on my L5 so I understand where you are coming from. For me slow stretching helped, getting enty of rest ( which can be hard to do ) helped. Took a while and was painful but I did recover. Hope you do too

:flowerforyou: hi, I understand what you are saying! I was in a car accident in 1998 and as a result my entire spine & neck are in bad shape! I just had another mri of the entire spine! my condition has gotten much worse even after losing over 100 pounds! next month I will be having surgery to try to get me out of some of my pain! on the scale of 1- 10 I stay about an 8 all the time! but I walk around 2 hours a day everyday! I was on methadone (high doses 3 times a day for 10 years) and had no life, just wanted to sleep all the time but still had the pain! the pain center at duke hospital wanted to put me on morphine and I refused it! so I found a surgeon at the spinal institute in Philadelphia, PA. that thinks he can correct some of my pain in the center of my back due to spinal stenosis! my lumbar area has my discs sitting sideways of each other! my neck is full of arthritis! hopefully surgery will help! I do know the more you loose the better off you will be! when I first started out losing I could not walk much at all but I walk 2 hours a day at a brisk pace now! I do not take any more pain medicine because I want to be able to have a clear mind, which when you take a lot of meds you can no longer function at all! hang in there because there are a lot of us out there in pain and the best way to cope is just take a day at a time!

I am sending you a friend request & together maybe we can support & encourage each other to a healthier life!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIq_CzIntrE&feature=youtu.be
what he says is dead true

I've had surgery on both L3-4 and L4-5 (twice on this one). I have disc degenerative disease that effects not only those two areas but also L5-S1. I have lived with numbness and tingling down my left leg on and off since I was 19 due to the damage done, it has become almost constant now. Over the years I have yo-yoed in weight and I definitely can tell a difference when my weight goes down. It doesn't stop the pain, but compared to what it was at the higher weight, it becomes bareable. I had my nuerologist tell me once that each extra pound of weight was somewhere around 5 extra pounds of pressure on your lower spine, true or not, it makes sense.

Some things I have found to help me were stretching and vitamins that help with joint pain like Gluocosamine. Also, instead of taking any kind of heavy drugs when in pain I take Arthritis pain meds (Tylenol Arthritis and OTC Naproxen work best). One thing I did when I did when I had my first surgery that made the world of difference was, with my gym membership, used an elliptical and the nautilis machines that help do strength training for you back and shoulders. Both were low impact on the body so I wouldn't hurt myself using them but could push myself on days I felt like it. Being able to hold that weight up properly allowed me to have better posture and not put so much pressure lower in my back.

Good luck in your recovery! It is an everyday battle but it can get better.

I injured my back two years ago and had discectomies on L4 L5 S1 S2 and I refused to take pain killers both before and after surgery so I had to learn pain coping skills in a hurry. It says you have been doing hydratherapy which is great. The first couple months after surgery I swam every day which really helped teach me how to once again gain control of my core muscles.

I started physio which helped but never really became pain "free" until I started with at trainer at my gym upon recommendation from my doctor. Of course we started out with very little weights (5 lbs was my max when I started) so he taught me to do muscle clenches (pull in muscles at belly button and tilt pelvis forward slighly, hold for 30 seconds) and stretches throughout the day that really helped. He then had me doing a lot of exercises on a ball, and I started to gain more core strength. I have worked my way up so that now I can lift 30lbs (if I do so correctly) without any harm, I have to be able to lift 80lbs to get back to my normal job so I still have a ways to go.

I would also recommend finding a yoga class in your area that focuses on those with back issues. Or ask a physiotherapist to place kinesio tape on your back so that you can train yourself how to properly move while keeping your back in a favorable position. This worked for me in just a few days, as you don't really realize how much you move your back incorrectly until you have a constant reminder.

Good luck!

Yes I agree, I know how weak my back is and I definitely need to strengthen my core to support by back before I try doing anything that I know I physically cannot do at the moment. It gives me something to work towards though :-)

I feel like you didn't read the story. This guy had to pretty much shattered legs, and was told he'd never stand again. He now deadlifts 500lbs.

In your situation, I'd start with RDL, as deep as you can, using a broomstick. Once your form is perfect, force yourself to go 1cm deeper every time (which would be every other day). Once your form is perfect at depth, I'd switch to regular deadlifts, using a broomstick supported to the correct height, and then start adding weight. Probably 500 grams at a time, again, every other day.

The body responds to progressive loading.

Up to you of course.