Newbie needing Advice on Back Injuries

Hi

Welcome to MFP

First of all, I wish you a speedy recovery.

My experience with MFP tool is that to lose weight you have to eat at a deficit.

This link may help you
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

Second , I realize your activity range will be limited for a while. Focus on keeping a caloric deficit.
You may need to have physical rehab. I hope your medical insurance covers it.

I hope you do achieve your weight loss objective and the pain subsides.

Good luck in your journey

What did it for me was hunger for life with my eyes wide open. I am permanently totally disabled due to my L5 S1 so I do know where you are coming from. Was on large does of Oxycodone. I was in so much pain I didn't know what was real pain and what was in my head. 10 years went by in a blur. I wanted my Life back, so I quit the pain pills, signed onto MFP and started walking. For 6 months every time I would do some exercise my back would blow out and I could barely move for weeks. But I kept going. Month after month, suffering set back after set back. Now I haven't been laid up in over a month, walking 2 miles a day and doing 30 minute cardio videos online. Averaging over 10,000 steps per day. I still have pain but its manageable. I guess my hunger for life won out. Good luck!

I am so very sorry about this terrible pain you've been experiencing. Probably weight loss will help, and you don't need to exercise for that. Maybe it will help a huge amount.

I have not had a back injury as serious as yours, but what the back dr. told me back when I had sciatica is that doctors' diagnostic tools are of limited use when gauging spinal pain. Sometimes a spine looks pretty good and is causing terrible pain; other times an X-ray shows all sorts of problems and the person feels fine.

You're going through enough of a tough time without a doctor making you feel guilty about experiencing pain on top of everything else.

I was in a car accident and got herniated discs in L5 and S1. I had gone and seen a dr who also told me if I lost the weight the pain would go away. I found another dr, as he made me feel like it was all in my head. I did lose weight and the pain was still there. I finally had a spinal fusion, and the dr said when he was in there, the damage was so much more than what was showing in the scans, which would explain my constant pain. 6 yrs later, I feel great, yes I do have pain from time to time, I have to watch what I do all the time, one wrong movement could ruin the rest of my back or take me out for a few days from pain, and when it first gets cold in the season or sometimes on rainy days, I feel it in my body. The surgery left me 25% disabled, but I don't let that ruin me. I know I feel a ton better after the surgery. I am also only 34 yrs old, I have many years left to deal with it.

My advice, take it slow, walk, don't run, proper shoes, and if you need a rest day, then take it.

My $0.02, for what it's worth? Do Starting Strength. Get a coach, and learn to deadlift. Start very light, and use perfect form, and go up very, very slowly.

If this story doesn't convince you, nothing will.
http://startingstrength.com/index.php/site/index/barbell_training_as_rehab

having had major back trouble and surgery, i have been on the same goal that you have, hydrotherapy, physiotherapy for 16 months, joined the gym in feb, have to take it carefully and slowly, but im getting there...I wish you luck, remember to start slow and small, you will get there..hugs I know your pain very very well! I still feel it every day, but at least now I can cope with it...

I added that when my back does go out from time to time, we work around it, wear a belt, or support belt, whatever type you use, and try to do exercises that dont put any pressure on the back, after 6-8 weeks I can resume normal routine again if I do as I am told!

I like the theory, but considering I can't even bend to tie my shoes or lift a washing basket off the floor, I do not like my chances of being able to deadlift. I used too before my injury, but I cannot bend at all without supporting my upper body weight by putting my hands on my knees then sitting down to be able to pick anything up off the ground

You need to build up your back muscles before you can do that safely, my program did not start deadlift till 8 months in, we worked on my back, legs and arms, but did not do any deadlifting till about 1 month ago..and i have started on a very strict program with it, you need to build your strength up before you can safely do this... You should take professional advice with a trainer of course and every individual respond differently to different programs, hopefully they will find one that works for you!

Consider hypnotherapy to help you deal with the pain. If you are stressed or anxious you will experience more pain.

I had a prolapsed disc so understand being in pain. After surgery and a pregnancy I'm back in the gym. I did pilates with physiotherapists and now do mainstream classes a couple of times a week which really help.

If you are up to swimming lengths, I have achieved very good results from swimming and consider it one of the best over all body toning you can do. If you don't know how to swim efficiently, consider lessons. I took them and it helped a lot. Back pain is the worst. I have not experienced anything like you have, but I'm sure it is not "all in your head".

Hi! You can add me!

I had L5 S1 back surgery in 2008. I only push myself as far as I can go, I sometimes have trouble in group exercise classes because they move so fast that I'm afraid just the slightest movement will bring back that excrutiating back pain than landed me in the surgery. You just have to go at your own pace at all you do. I must say spinning seems to be what works for me now.

Just whatever you do: don't stop moving! Keeping active definately helps me! Good luck!!

Walking is what saved me. I have L4 L5 & S1 discs all stuffed. I no longer take painkillers cause I spend all day walking. I had one Dr tell me that losing weight would help & then another go "well I never think that losing weight helps" that one was a fat Dr & the 1st one was skinny... I dunno...just a guess. All I know is losing weight did nothing for the pain. It's constant moving that helped & still helps.


Oh and it's that good I can run 10km easily. Do Zumba, I can dance as well. But lift weight .......no way. Extra weight on my back is not what it likes or needs,

Do what you think you can. Lose weight if you must for healthier reasons, cause it's not going to do crap for pain. But exercise will help it more than you think. Worst thing for back pain is being still... at least for me. If I sit for more than 5 mins a day...I can move right for a week.

I like the theory, but considering I can't even bend to tie my shoes or lift a washing basket off the floor, I do not like my chances of being able to deadlift. I used too before my injury, but I cannot bend at all without supporting my upper body weight by putting my hands on my knees then sitting down to be able to pick anything up off the ground

I know where ya coming from as this has been my life off and on also. Fed up of Doctors that didn't want to help or only give me pain killers and told to go away I recently decided to do something about it.

I changed my diet and found this website page.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/drobson92.htm

I started at home using this website doing whatever exercises I could as often as I could. Then as Improved I started to add press-ups. I couldn't do 1 to start with as I couldn't lay prone in the press-up position as it hurt my back too much. I started kneeling and just used my top half. As I improved I started full press-ups..

I don't think healthy people with good backs realise just how debilitating a back injury is. I had a very very active life before hand & I certainly took it for granted.
Start slow and do what you can. Persevere and things should hopefully improve.

I just did these home exercises & I started using this web site to track my diet. Then as I improved I joined a gym. Im on my 3rd week and im loving it. Had a slight blip for a few days where I over did it and went back on the painkillers. But ive learnt from that and im back in the gym again feeling 1000 time happier than I was 3 months ago.

I hope this website can help you as it did me or if it doesn't then I hope you find something that works for you!!
Living in constant pain really really sucks.

Feel free to add me if ya wish.

Oh I nearly forgot. Over these months where I was trying to improve I left the car at home and walked as much as possible into town, to the shops etc. I just tried to spend less time on the sofa and being active. Even if that's starting small and walking around the house or to the end of the road etc
Good luck!