Wrenched Back Deadlifting

foursirius wrote: »

Id get an mri and a second opinion from a legit dr. I tweaked my back deadlifting a few months ago and it took a good 6 weeks to heal up.

Agreed.

There's not really a direct alternative for the deadlift. I agree with the people who suggest getting a second opinion from an actual doctor. Since you're having back issues and you have a history of back issues, you should absolutely see a doctor.

slideaway1 wrote: »

I have never and refuse to do any deadlifting for this very reason. You cant mess around with your back. I hope you feel better soon.

Any heavy compound movement done with poor form can tweak your back, deads just get a bad name because it's and incredibly heavy and complex movement that people think is just picking something off the floor. They bend at the hip, round their back, turkey neck and try to jerk the bar off the floor, never once considering that there's a very fine tuned method to it. My good friend refuses to do deadlifts for this very reason, his squat form is $#!^^% too, but since he knows everything there's no fixing his issues.

Op, get a second opinion, and an MRI, when you do get back at it do so slowly. I also like to do some form deadlifts about once every 4-6 weeks. When I do this I'll just do sets with warm up weight, maybe up to 315 and focus on form. Form should always be your first priority, especially with heavy compound movements.

Best of luck
Rigger

arabianhorselover wrote: »

I've been deadlifting for about two years, and I still don't feel like my form is right.

Either have a good trainer check your form, or post a form check video here and others will critique it.

Cherimoose wrote: »

arabianhorselover wrote: »

I've been deadlifting for about two years, and I still don't feel like my form is right.

Either have a good trainer check your form, or post a form check video here and others will critique it.

Spot on.

I got stuck on dealift for a while. making little or no progress. I studied videos (Mark Rippertoe) for one and worked on perfecting my form with light weights before I pushed again.

The change and progression after this was huge.

I am not a doctor, but I deadlift.

The bar was probably too far away from your shins and you didn't pull it vertically. Form is very important.

I don't think a chiropractor did you as much good as you believe 10+ years ago. Time, on the other hand, probably did you some good.

Massage, physical therapy, and a reputable orthopedist - one trained in sports medicine. These do more to heal injuries than snapping your bones and what not.

Deadlifts are a fantastic exercise for keeping a spine from degenerating. Don't overdo the weight, keep form in check, and build your spinal erectors to support your back with muscle and not just bone and soft disc tissue.

Maybe try some back iso work like the Roman Chair after you've rested for a while to recover from your injury.

When I started StrongLifts 2 years ago, I hurt myself deadlifting after about 16 weeks. I was enthusiastic about PR's and I tried to do too much. It took a month before I could deadlift without pain again (I never stopped going to the gym though; just didn't deadlift heavy).

About a year later I hurt myself again deadlifting while attempting to get a 5th rep on a heavy weight. I basically didn't listen to my body very well; I could tell I was tired, I could feel my back giving way during the 4th rep, and I pushed for the 5th and shouldn't have. That injury kept me from deadlifting for 2 weeks.

Those lifts were valuable lessons, especially the last one. I learned how to really listen to my body on the deadlift, and know when to call it a day. There comes a point when doing reps as I ladder up the weight during the workout, and I can tell what my body is capable of on that day. If I get to a rep now that doesn't feel right, I don't push it another rep and risk injury; I just stop at that weight. There's always next session.

I think a large part of lifting heavy, and working out (and eating right as well) is learning to listen to our bodies. We don't talk enough about this aspect, and we don't think enough about it. But it is crucial to listen to your body. It will send you signals when it's had enough. There is no heroism in pushing to the point of injury.

Wookinpanub wrote: »

It still hurts and I went to a chiropractor yesterday and he told me I have a degenerative disc in my lower back.. I had back issues 10+ years ago too. He said no more deadlifting.

This is chiropractor-speak for "Keep coming back to see me indefinitely"

Go see a real doctor, preferably one with a background in sports medicine.

Does your chiropractor even lift?

Wookinpanub wrote: »

whatatime2befit wrote: »

Without a test, i'm not sure how he would know you have a degenerative disc. My DH has two degenerative discs in his back, but he had to see a specialist to get an MRI and diagnosed for it. Unless the chiro has x-ray vision, he can only speculate on the cause.

He took an xray. But he was spouting off things just by seeing how my hips, legs were aligned and how I was moving.

I would still go see your family doctor, or arrange to see a specialist.

levitateme wrote: »

For any and all people who think their deadlift form is "off" : the bar should be in contact with your legs through the entire lift, basically dragging the bar up your shins. Your feet should be hip width, with the bar right over the middle of your foot. Before you lift, you should press your shoulders back and clench your glutes. You should not start to straighten out your legs until the bar is about to hit your knees.

I would be a bit careful about offering emphatic form advice particularly if you're neither an expert nor have you seen a video of the person to whom you're offering advice. My own technique follows none of what you've outlined above as it works for my levers and build and has been developed from years of fine tuning.

This is more of a caution about out of the box form advice that is expected to be relevant to everyone. It really isn't.