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| Exercises for Preventing and Recovering from Back Injury |
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Question:
About a year ago after lifting weights and actively cycling for a
year, I felt a twinge in my low back during a heavy squat lift. I
put the weight back on the rack thinking I had pulled a muscle. I
was able to drive home and go to work that morning. After a few
hours sitting at my desk job, I stood up and felt pain in my low back
that would be a signal of what was to come for the next year of my
life. Pretty soon I had to push myself up to a standing position on
the desk. Finally at the end of the day I was stuck forward and
went to the doctor.
The diagnosis - lumbar strain. Then came the standard prescription
cocktail of Skelaxin (muscle relaxer) and Celebrex (anti-inflamitory)
I was on and off for the next half a year. I recovered in a few days
and was back at the gym lifting and on the bike. Miraculously, I was
able to complete six major bike tours (a couple centuries, the MS-150
houston to austin, and a few metric centuries) through the spring and
summer. I racked up well over 3000 miles on my odometer in training
and rides. I felt back pain about 50 miles into every ride and Aleve
was in my Camel back pocket. I was the hit at the rest stop when I
took the Aleve where other cyclists would ask me for some. My
back would go out every few months..then more frequently at the
end of the summer. I had to sag on the last tour in August when the
pain got too severe.
Finally, late last October my L5-S1 disk gave out and herniated. On
my 30th birthday I was being roled around weeping and screaming from
the pain on an X-ray table. I was clutching the nurses arm and
shaking. I have broken bones, dislocated shoulders, and nothing, I
mean nothing, compared to this pain. Sciatica began to set in with
pain in my butt and thighs. The diagnosis again...recurent lumbar
strain. I said bullshit to my primary care physician and he
gave me Vicodin (major pain killer) and Vioxx (major
anti-inflamitory). The pain reduced but remained. I got second and
third opinions. Saw a orthopedic and nuerologist. Went to a quack
chiropractor who helped the pain significantly but it returned.
Finally, a MRI confirmed that my disk was slightly herniated - not
enough for surgery thank god.
I started to educate myself. I bought two 300+ page books on the
subject of back pain. I learned that the chemical and passive
(chiropractors) method of treatment would do nothing for me. I
started physical therapy and learned from both my physical therapist
and books what was likely the cause.
First and foremost, I neglected my abdominals, hamstrings, and
supporting musles of the pelvis such as hip abductors. Hey..I'm
married, don't go to the beach, they are covered by a shirt, and it
doesn't help my bike riding right? Who needs em! Its a waste of
time in the gym when I could be concentrating on squats, dead lifts,
and leg extensions. I have upper body and arms to do! Leg curls
were my last set for legs and I often was exhausted by then. My
physical therapist put one finger on my chest and was easily able to
push me back - abs barely came into resist. For those of you who
think a weight belt will help with your low rep squats and
deadlifts..you're wrong. They are helpful but not enough.
What happens is your quads and back will overpower your weak
abs and hamstrings then rotate your pelvis forward putting strain
on your back.
Second, as most people, I didn't drink enough water throughout the day
and would consume diet cokes instead. Hey they have water in them
right? All the ECA stacks and caffine are diuretics..drying your
system out. When you have a family history of back pain like mine you
likely have heriditay degenerative disk disease and your disks begin
to dry out if you do not remain hydrated.
Thrid, low rep (10 to exhaustion or below) squats and deadlifts are
advanced if not an unecessary exercise and the greatest cause of
injury in the gym beit back or knees. Oh boy I feel the flames coming
from the squat freaks. If your form is not perfect and you do not
have rock hard abs and balanced muscles throughout your core and
legs, you will eventually hurt yourself regardless of a weight belt or
not.
Forth, cycling is hard on the low back since you are in a state of
flexion and your back is absorbing the shock from the road. It is so
key that you have strong abs and back with balanced muscles in
your legs. Take your hands away from the handle bars and see if
you can support yourself with you muscles in a forward position with
you back remaining absolutely flat for long durations of time. If you
back arches back..work your abs, arches forward, work your back.
Finally, atleast 10 minutes, if not more, of stretching your legs and
back before and after any exercise involving them is key. Get a book
regarding stretching.
Today when I wake and before I go to sleep Istrech my legs and back.
I focus on abs one day then back the next. I do a variety of low
flexion ab and back exercises (pelvic tilts, bridging, and so forth) .
Stronger Abs and Back by Dean and Greg Brittenham cover many of these.
I use therabands tied into my door jam to do leg kicks (an exercise I
used to think was for girls) to strengthen my hip abductors. I also
use a theraball as well. I do these exercises and streches as a
religion every to aviod the pain that crippled me for months. Pills
or someone cracking my back wont prevent it from returning only
exercises will. I am able to ride for about 2 hours now with the
duration I can tolerate increasing slowly. I purchased an indoor
trainer for my bike to allow me to train without road shock. I ride
on the road about 2 times a week now.
The recovery is slow and maddening and I hope no one else has to deal
with it as I have. Do youself a favor, make a strong core of abs and
back your focus before anything else.
Answer:
Although I do have strong abs and hip flexors, I
have strained my back recently. It was a fast recovery, but not something I
want to do again. Your suggestion about keeping hydrated is definately
reminding me that I haven't been drinking nearly enough water lately.
I have never squated before. Or use dead lifts in my routine. Ive seen too many
people get injured, thinking that the squat is a miracle exercise. I laugh at
them, because youre right, squats are pointless.
I saw this 6'4 300 pound white dude squating, and his back was so arched, i
thought it would SNAP in half. How can that be healthy? Well, long story
short, he fell over, and the bar layed on his back/head. Ive never heard a
grown man cry like this. It took me and another dude to lift this crazy weight
off him. I kept thinking to myself, why the heck was this guy squating.
well, i havent seen him in the gym since, i would not be suprised if he died or
is paralyzed.
My workouts include leg press, (this provides 100% back support and only my
legs burn) and back raises, only using my natural body wieght. And i stretch
10 minutes, like you recommend.
I injured my back about 10 years ago, and the sad truth is, you never
heal completely, you just work around a lifelong weakness. I've been
doing Roman chair exercises for the past couple of years, and it still
didn't prevent my back going out a couple of weeks ago, though I'm just
now starting to be able to ride again.
Sorry if this sounds unsympathetic, but the part about staying hydrated
is really kooky, and the whole "8-cups-of-water-a-day" theory is one of
the sillier myths to have come down the pike.
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