Halp! Lifting with bulging discs L5/S1 and torn between coach and PT

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Relax_Its_Just_Burpees
Relax_Its_Just_Burpees Posts: 39 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
What exercise to avoid wile it's being fixed with physical therapy? It's between vertebrae L5 and S1 and has been since childhood. Only now diagnosed and treated.
Didn't feel pain after I started Crossfit and learned correct form. Was hell before with a private trainer, couldn't squat or DL without numbness spreading down to the knees.
Then Crossfit happened and I stopped feeling pain when performing correctly.

Now the pain is back and is probably due to the physical therapy. PT talks about doing squats and DL with 50% of my TM and so does my coach.

PT says it's ok to row, do pull ups, kip, T2B, all BW exercise but not jumping.
Coach loses it when I kip, row, handstand or do burpees. Has me doing everything scaled down to beginners and if I step out of line and try to do something he believes is bad I'm benched throughout the workout. He's awesome. He's one of the best coaches out there, games veteran who now trains a few games lvl athletes but I feel like he's coddling me. I know he knows what he's doing. I trust him but why does he and the PT not agree on what I can do?

Replies

  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    I've got 3 badly degenerated lumbar discs from multiple herniations and have lost a lot of disc height as a result.

    I have to really limit exercises where I get vertical compression - pain and/or nerve impingement results.
    Deadlifts so limited they are of little value (100kg), squats never. On a bad day I even have to do shoulder press one handed to halve the weight.

    Extension exercises are fine for me (even beneficial), horizontal forces like bench or rows are fine, rotation exercises are fine - all this is very personal though and will depend on where exactly your bulges are and which nerves the bulges are adjacent to.

    For overall back health keeping my core strong is massively important. Losing weight helped too.
    I try to avoid uncontrolled movement and sudden jolts (running on uneven ground, contact sports..).

    Maybe you need to get both your PT and coach together while you workout to agree a way forward?
  • Relax_Its_Just_Burpees
    Relax_Its_Just_Burpees Posts: 39 Member
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    sijomial wrote: »
    I've got 3 badly degenerated lumbar discs from multiple herniations and have lost a lot of disc height as a result.

    I have to really limit exercises where I get vertical compression - pain and/or nerve impingement results.
    Deadlifts so limited they are of little value (100kg), squats never. On a bad day I even have to do shoulder press one handed to halve the weight.

    Extension exercises are fine for me (even beneficial), horizontal forces like bench or rows are fine, rotation exercises are fine - all this is very personal though and will depend on where exactly your bulges are and which nerves the bulges are adjacent to.

    For overall back health keeping my core strong is massively important. Losing weight helped too.
    I try to avoid uncontrolled movement and sudden jolts     (running on uneven ground, contact sports..).

    Maybe you need to get both your PT and coach together while you workout to agree a way forward?

    That is a great idea. Always hated running and jumping. Think it aggravates the numbness. There's no pain unless I do something wrong or meet the PT.

    Strengthening the core would take a lot of extra work but might be worth it thank you.
  • ew_david
    ew_david Posts: 3,473 Member
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    I recently had a microdiscectomy on that exact disc space and I feel like no two people agree on how to exercise going forward. My PT recommends low impact cardio, so my running days are over. She also recommends keeping my lifting weight light and not max out, which sucks because I loved lifting heavy. My therapy was heavily centered on developing core strength with a little bit of glute work too. The stronger your core is, the more your spine is supported. Good luck and be safe; you only get one spine!
  • MelissaPhippsFeagins
    MelissaPhippsFeagins Posts: 8,063 Member
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    I have the exact problem you do (plus a bad knee from a car accident). I listen to my Physical Therapist and my ortho, both of whom happen to train at my gym. They are medically trained professionals whose knowledge of the human body is more than most strength coaches have and they have seen my x-rays, which no coach has.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    Ultimately it's up to the individual to evaluate the advice you are receiving, which can be tricky since the avg person isn't an expert. A PT will have a much greater knowledge of musculoskeletal systems and more experience treating injuries. However, often PTs have more experience doing basic rehab on average folks and not as much experience with athletes or those following vigorous workout routines.

    A coach may have a lot of experience with training routines and even working with injuries, but the experience may still be fundamentally anecdotal.

    I think the best thing an individual can do is ask questions, and keep asking until you get answers that make sense to you. If you are wondering why the coach is doing something different, just ask him.
  • Grnhouse
    Grnhouse Posts: 254 Member
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    @sijomial thanks for sharing.
    My PT and chiropractor have done similar with me.
    I have to really limit exercises where I get vertical compression - pain and/or nerve impingement results.
    Deadlifts so limited they are of little value (100kg), squats never. On a bad day I even have to do shoulder press one handed to halve the weight.

    Extension exercises are fine for me (even beneficial), horizontal forces like bench or rows are fine, rotation exercises are fine - all this is very personal though and will depend on where exactly your bulges are and which nerves the bulges are adjacent to.

    For overall back health keeping my core strong is massively important. Losing weight helped too.
    I try to avoid uncontrolled movement and sudden jolts     (running on uneven ground, contact sports..).

    Maybe you need to get both your PT and coach together while you workout to agree a way forward?[/quote]

    That is a great idea. Always hated running and jumping. Think it aggravates the numbness. There's no pain unless I do something wrong or meet the PT.

    Strengthening the core would take a lot of extra work but might be worth it thank you. [/quote]

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