Help!! Busted Back!!

[Jarhed]

Help!!

I injured my lower back two weeks ago doing very heavy Bent Rows with improper, sloppy form (letting the weight down too fast). Thats what I get!!!

My back is not fully healed yet and I think I may have re-aggravated it yesterday. What do you folks do when you get a slight pull or strain in your lower back? What supplementation, diet, etc do you use to increase the speed of your healing?

[dumbells101]

If it's a muscle strain then an anti-inflamatory and heat. Use good posture when sitting, LET IT HEAL! Massage may help with pain and will increase blood flow (necessary for healing). Soak in a hot bath. HEAT

[Jarhed]

Cool!

Thanks Dumbells101!! I'm going to try that starting today after my Dr appointment. I gotta get this better. My workouts are suffering badly.

[Pete235]

This suggestion is gonna suck JH...but you should also consider taking a week or so off. Before my vacation this summer my lower back was messed up and I kept agrivating it everytime I went to the gym (no matter what I was training). So I didn't do any wieghts at all during my vacation and it made a world of difference...I know it's hard but it's better to rest and suffer now than close to contest time. Just my .02

Pete

[dumbells101]

Form Bro...makes you realize how important it is huh. Never sacrifice form for weight. Take care and get well soon.

[Jarhed]

I hear ya Pete.

I took a week off when I screwed myself up that Monday, but went back and did Chest, Triceps, and Shoulders the following week (last week).

Yesterday, I tried back again. Bent rows (on the bench), pulldowns, and seated rows. I re-aggravated it on the seated rows. Hits the same area that I hurt doing bent over rows.

I'm thinking another week might help, but obviously, that scares the dogshit out of me. I go to the Dr in a couple hours so I'll weigh what she says with all of the "Real World" advice I get here.

Thanks fellas!

[Pete235]

Keep us up to speed brother

[dane26]

if you have to, slowly work back into the free weights. use machines right now and use PERFECT form and weights you can handle. if you feel like a puss using machines, imagine how you would feel if you were layed up for 8 weeks after back surgery. when you're better, go back to the free weights

[baby mac]

I have a fractured vertabrae in my lower back and have to make sure about my form. Make sure you let it rest and heal. And definetly use proper form instead of doin too much weight like the others said.

[$uperman]

Hey man... ive been through the back surgery thing and all so i pull my back kinda easy. The biggest thing is gonna be time. You have to give you back muscles the time to heal completely. Even though they may feel good they may not be 100 % healed. Just stick with the heat , posture , form , and rest and youll be back just fine bro.... lata

[fastman]

I struggled with a low back problem a year ago. A month of light weights and stretching was not improving it at all. Finally started seeing a Physical Therapist and after only 2 sessions I was doing a lot better. They worked on me less then 10 times and that did the trick. I learned don’t waste time get to see a PT as soon as you can. Sure it will get better with rest, but why go through the pain and miss the training.

My problem was my hamstring get tight. If I miss stretching them real good for a few days my back flares up again. Tight hamstrings can cause lots of problems. It also sucks getting older for things like that.

[Abbaddon]

now are you sure you just pulled it. Neck and back injuries are nothing to play with. You should take at least a week off and that means completely as the back muscles are major supporting muscles for almost everything you do. Now if you feel no better in a week of icing your back and taking ibuprofin, stretching and resting your back you should really consult a doctor. If you have done something else besides pulled or strained a muscle it needs to be identified as soon as possible trust me on this one. I had a clean break in my C5 many years ago that if wouldnt of been taken care of couldve lead to very severe problems including a narrowing of the spinal column.

[Jarhed]

Yea,

I went to a Dr. They got my symptoms, felt the area a little and told me to layoff for a little bit then come back very slowly. Gave me some 600mg Ibuprofin too! Woohoo!!

Anyway, after taking a week off, I went to the gym. Re-aggravated it as I mentioned before. Went back to the gym two weeks later (this week) and I feel much better although I've lost a LOT of strength!!! DAMN I'm weak now!

I'm taking it very easy still. I do legs tomorrow, no squats, and back on Friday. Only pulldowns, pullups to chin, and maybe some rows on a row machine where I dont have to put any strain on my back. I'm determined to make this healing work!

Thanks guys for all your help and support.

[dumbells101]

Original post 10/23 so it's been over 2 weeks. Are you much better? Taking hot baths at night? Stretching? Let's here an update other than what you posted about your training. How do you really feel?

[Jarhed]

Feels much better. Havent really taken hot baths but had my wife massage it a little with some icy hot. Put a few warm cloths on it on occasion. Pretty much took the Ibuprofen every night when returning home and anytime it felt tight.

I did legs today for the first time. Not bad, but I stayed light. Only squated on the Smyth machine and only up to 315 lbs. Normally around 405-455. Felt a little in the area and tightness in the area that was injured but came home stretched it out and took some IB. I'm going to have the wife massage a little too. I did not do leg press because the machine at my gym doesnt really give much lower back support.

Tomorrow is back. I'll not do any bent rows with barbell, rather I'll use the machine. No seated rows. I'll do pullups to chin and lat pulldowns to front as these excercises concentrate on the lats.

Overall I feel good and must admit that I've been hitting a little Reforvit to cushion my joints with water and provide me with a little more strength. I'm going to be careful but I think I'll be back to full strength inside of two months.

I'll keep ya posted

[firedup]

take some time off. and try to stretch it every day. and ofcourse Motrin
Motrin
Motrin...it's the best for this type of pain.

[Jarhed]

Well,

I've taken enough time off now. I'm already back in the gym. Not really in any pain, just being very careful not to reinjure it before it's completely healed. Dont have Motrin, but even if I was in pain, the 600mg Ibuprofen does the trick. Not to mention that it has good anti-inflammitory qualities.

[Titanium2]

Rest is essential. ICE IT! Don't use heat. Heat will make the cramped muscles feel better, but will not aid in reducing inflamation. If you must use heat to help you reduce cramping before you stretch, then use moist heat. Other wise, Ice should be used. Ice will penetrate deeper than heat, reduce inflamation, and when removed, the body will flood the area with blood to warm it up, resulting in more nutrients and faster removal of damaged tissue and toxins.

Take 4 to 8 ibuprofen every 4 to 6 hours to reduce inflamation and aid discomfort. This is the equivalent of 1 to 2 motrin. A Motrin is 800mgs ibuprofen.

Walk! Sounds silly, but walking is great therapy for the low back. Each step taken causes the opposite side of the low back to contranct MILDLY. This is great for reducing cramps and keeping the muscle from atrophy.

I cannot emphasize enough the need for propper diagnosis! Get an MRI to rule out any disc problem. If you only get X rays, you cannot rule out a disc problem. X rays show hard tissue, not discs. They will only give an idea of disc height... If you have a bulge, and don't know it, and don't treat it properly, it could lead to permanent much more serious problems. It is better to take a month off now, then 6 months or permanetly stop lifting down the road, because you didn't properly address the problem! if your doctor won't send you for an MRI, find one that will! Better safe than sorry!

[Jarhed]

Ok,

Let me sum this case up so everone understands.

I'm healing quite well. Been to the doc, checked out in detail, no disc problems. Just a muscle strain at the insertion point of my erectors. there is no swelling and there has never been any swelling.

I was given a script for a Generic Ibuprofen with 600mgs. I take those after the gym now if I feel any tightness, Otherwise, I dont take them. Nothing needed for pain because there is none.

I've had a total of three weeks away from the gym and have already returned using very light weights and careful movements whenever my lower back comes into play. My goal is to be 100% in my back by Christmas. I'm well on my way there barring any unforseen stupid movements by me to re-aggravate the area.

This was the first time in my 36 years of life and my almost 20 years of weight training that I have injured my back. I've pulled other things, but never my back. (rotator cuff injuries suck!!!!). I'm going to be very careful, but I'm not going to take any more time off. Trust me on this one, I would not screw myself up again because I'm too ambitious. I've learned some patience in my old age.

[Pete235]

So 2 years from now I should be very careful in the gym lest I injure MY back

Glad it's not serious JH.

[Titanium2]

Glad to hear that you are doing well! Hope the did an MRI. THAT IS THE ONLY WAY THE DOC CAN TELL YOU WITH 100% CERTAINTY THAT YOU DO NOT HAVE ANYTHING WRONG WITH A DISC.

I had 7 different doctors mis diagnose me with "muscle strain" when I had blew out a disc, and eventually completely destroyed it. And continued being told it was muscle strain... Till I finally found some docs with their head not up their ass... Then I learned the problem, and it wasn't good!

[Abbaddon]

glad to hear you went to the doc and glad to hear your doing better.

[Jarhed]

Thanks guys!

You all really ROCK, ya know? This place really feels like a pretty close family. Talking freely about our "vitamins" and injuries, supporting each other with issues, questions, problems, etc..

Feels like home!

(getting all warm and fuzzy)

[dumbells101]

If you didn't understand before bro you do now! Everything changes when you get a little older. You don't heal as fast, you have to warm up better, and you definately have to train smarter! But that does not mean we can't compete with the young guns.

[Jarhed]

I hear ya DB!!!

Mature muscle will ALWAYS win over the young puffy stuff!!!

[6pak2go]

Wont recommend this to all.. Have had l-4 l-5 laminectomy 5 years ago..Never did good mornings until rehabbing along with strength-abdominal training and havent had a backinjury since... still do good mornings to this day.. feel it stabilizes my trunk.. I will alternate heavy row wrkout with moderate weight good mornings and rehab in 2nd workout..been injry free since..probably not for all but works for me.. my 2 cents..(and some)
p.s try high dose aspirin (if you have no bleeding disorders or gastric problems and always take with food)2-4 tabs 6- 8 x a day
days 1-3 after injury and taper back to 4-6 times a day. Due to financial /marketing of pharmaceutical companies we have abandoned the ole "assburn" for fancier treatments
another "cheap-old" treatment is a drug called indomethacin which your m.d shouldnt have any problem prescribing
Hope you fully recover ...As though of us who have one ....aback injury will change your life.. To those of you who dont.."DONT BE STUPID LIKE US AND GET ONE"".....
God
Speed