Deadlift Injured Lower Back - Slipped Disc?

About 2 weeks ago, I injured my lower back doing Deadlifts, I was doing 225 lbs. for 8 reps and I got those 8 reps done, but I think I lost form during the last 2 reps which seriously hurt my lower back. It was hurting throughout my entire workout. It got better when I got home, even better when I took one week off working out for vacation, but then I had to move a refrigerator which worsened it a little bit.

well when i got home, the pain was still there. minimal but then it increased and now it really hurts. i can't even bend forward all the way properly anymore. i continued working out because it helps relax my lower back (for my last back workout, I performed deadlifts with minimal weight to not stress it anymore).

my dad thinks this could be slipped disc, and I do have a doctors appointment on thursday to get it checked out, but what do you guys think, is it even possible for a 16 year old to get a slipped disc?

I know that pain well, but it doesn't sound serious if you could still lift after only a week off. going to the doc is best and better safe than sorry but my bet is you will want to take off 3 or 4 weeks of back work to heal properly. no deads, squats, rows or stuff like that. I was able to do bench, chins, curls and such but no back work and it should heal fine. ice helps but mostly time dude.

Well, this time when I was lifting and doing deadlifts, I was really focused on my form... like REALLY focused on my form and didn't make a single mistake so it actually made my lower back feel much better, I still got a good lower back workout and now my back feels better.

So I should stay off the back workout? Can I still do my other workouts with plenty of rest? My lower back is now sore, but it doesn't feel that bad. I am still going to the doctor to make sure it's nothing serious.

and I can lift just fine, but I cut down the weight on the deadlift. I went from 135 lbs. to 155 lbs. and then to 175 lbs. rather then doing 225 lbs. and it wasn't that hard, especially because I was focused on form, looking in the front and side mirrors to make sure my back was straight and such.

Thanks for your prompt response, I am a little worried about what happens because if it turns out to be some serious injury (which I doubt it will), my gym membership will be taken away :(

so is it still possible for a person my age to have a slipped disc?

2 month ago on 315 straight leg deads i had a similar experience on my last two reps. the pain was very dull at first, like i had tweaked somthing, but eventually over time it because chronic and i got it checked out and found out i had a herniated (slipped) disk in my lower back. It's good your getting it checkd out right away, i have to deal with a month and a half minimum physical therapy and i've slowly been losing weight in some of the lifts im still able to do. alot of compound weights i can't do, and alot of over the ehad lifts ive either cut out or lowered considerably.
main thing- work on ur lower back alot, along with abs if in fact you dont have a herniated disk. i can't stress this enough, the dispointment when you eventually get injured is pretty disheartening. no ones ever had too big of a lower back.

[QUOTE=DiRect;71361413]Well, this time when I was lifting and doing deadlifts, I was really focused on my form... like REALLY focused on my form and didn't make a single mistake so it actually made my lower back feel much better, I still got a good lower back workout and now my back feels better.

So I should stay off the back workout? Can I still do my other workouts with plenty of rest? My lower back is now sore, but it doesn't feel that bad. I am still going to the doctor to make sure it's nothing serious.

and I can lift just fine, but I cut down the weight on the deadlift. I went from 135 lbs. to 155 lbs. and then to 175 lbs. rather then doing 225 lbs. and it wasn't that hard, especially because I was focused on form, looking in the front and side mirrors to make sure my back was straight and such.

Thanks for your prompt response, I am a little worried about what happens because if it turns out to be some serious injury (which I doubt it will), my gym membership will be taken away :(

so is it still possible for a person my age to have a slipped disc?[/QUOTE]


it doesn't sound serious but messing with your back is not a wise move until you get it checked out. if you leave it rest now you will probably have no trouble with the doc and will maintain your gym time without a problem. this is a minute time in your training career, don't hurry things up thinking you are missing out, when hurrying things will make you miss out in the long run.

I have an L5/S1 herniation. It is possible for someone as young as you to have a disc problem, but it sounds much more like a muscle problem to me, especially since working out the muscles, stretching them, makes it feel better.

By all means, I agree with the others here. Get your doc to check you out and make sure it isn't serious. If he does limit you for a while (couple of months is average), here's a great article about how to modify your workouts to give yourself a chance to heal. It includes a sample 4d split that isn't half bad, considering all the compound movements that are left out.

[url]http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/luis7.htm[/url]

I've had a slipped disc for some time now, just found out today officially though. My doc called me with my MRI results and I am seeing a neurosurgeon next week. The pain you describe sounds very similar to what I experience, and even at that 95% of the time I feel perfectly normal, even throughout my workouts, as if my back is 100% healthy. However, if I tweak it the wrong way it can cause unbearable pain for up to a couple days even with rest. Def get it checked out and request and MRI if possible ,the first two times I saw my doc about it he said it was just a muscle strain until he finally referred me to get an MRI.

[QUOTE=b.spencer;71427263]I have an L5/S1 herniation. It is possible for someone as young as you to have a disc problem, but it sounds much more like a muscle problem to me, especially since working out the muscles, stretching them, makes it feel better.

By all means, I agree with the others here. Get your doc to check you out and make sure it isn't serious. If he does limit you for a while (couple of months is average), here's a great article about how to modify your workouts to give yourself a chance to heal. It includes a sample 4d split that isn't half bad, considering all the compound movements that are left out.

[url]http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/luis7.htm[/url][/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=GluteusMaximus;71461093]I've had a slipped disc for some time now, just found out today officially though. My doc called me with my MRI results and I am seeing a neurosurgeon next week. The pain you describe sounds very similar to what I experience, and even at that 95% of the time I feel perfectly normal, even throughout my workouts, as if my back is 100% healthy. However, if I tweak it the wrong way it can cause unbearable pain for up to a couple days even with rest. Def get it checked out and request and MRI if possible ,the first two times I saw my doc about it he said it was just a muscle strain until he finally referred me to get an MRI.[/QUOTE]

Are there lifts that you guys have to avoid because of the disc problem? I also have a herniated L5/S1. The thought of going more than a week without my precious cleans, front squats, etc. is killing me more than the back and leg pain.

[QUOTE=HoosierBoy;71468713]Are there lifts that you guys have to avoid because of the disc problem? I also have a herniated L5/S1. The thought of going more than a week without my precious cleans, front squats, etc. is killing me more than the back and leg pain.[/QUOTE]

I can't cleans, squats without a machine assist, and all but light Romanian deadlifts. I can do most bent-over rows variants safely now, and I just started back to bb curls, not having done them since April.

I can do all of them, if you want to know the truth and I have done a few sets of real deadlifts with light weights for me (225 lbs), but the risk of re-injury at this point is too great for me, at least for now. The MRI of my disc looked like I'd literally squeezed the disc out like toothpaste. My body has reabsorbed quite a bit of the material, but it still causes me those flashes of pain that GluteusMaximus talks about.

Trust me, I feel like can only work out with 1/2 intensity because of it. I MISS squats a lot. But it was my own stupidity for not being careful that caused it. I has all the warning signs that something was not quite right, but I ignored them. So, now I'm paying the price. Just take care of yourself, and take your doc at his word.

alright i went to my doc and she said that it's just muscle problems but the pain is still not gone away even though she said it should go away in 2-3 days, but the pain is still there and 2day im feeling it even more then i usually do... im going to go back 2 the doctor and ask for an MRI just in case... sounds like the best thing to do. thanks for your advice

[QUOTE=GluteusMaximus;71461093]I've had a slipped disc for some time now, just found out today officially though. My doc called me with my MRI results and I am seeing a neurosurgeon next week. The pain you describe sounds very similar to what I experience, and even at that 95% of the time I feel perfectly normal, even throughout my workouts, as if my back is 100% healthy. However, if I tweak it the wrong way it can cause unbearable pain for up to a couple days even with rest. Def get it checked out and request and MRI if possible ,the first two times I saw my doc about it he said it was just a muscle strain until he finally referred me to get an MRI.[/QUOTE]

Think about what you just said..."I've had a slipped disc...neurosugeon next week...95% of the time I feel perfectly normal, even throughout my workouts, as if my back is 100%...tweak it...unbearable pain"

Does this make sense that you are going to a neurosurgeon when you are 95% well and only hurt if you move a certain way. You know what neurosurgeon's do right? Cut into your back and "fix what's wrong." But you just told us that you're well 95% of the time. So if there was something "wrong" in your back that needs to be surgically repaired you would hurt 100% of the time - because it's always there. But you only hurt 5% of the time - which means it is not what is in there that is the problem, but what position you put it in. That means you have a postural problem. Yes a POSTURE problem. Surgery will only try to fix the symtom, not the underlying problem. If you want to avoid surgery or get to the root cause of the herniation correct your posture. It is easy and you can do it yourself. Just buy the book "Pain Free" by Pete Egoscue and do the exercises for Back Pain (herniation). It will show you how to fix the underlying posture problem yourself.

If that makes sense to you great, if not, do what feels right. The body is remarkable in it's ability to heal if you give it a chance.

-Matt

yup, the body is pretty amazing but that doesn't apply to me, the pain is not there in only one position, it's constantly there, and my posture is pretty good. sometimes it goes away when i lay down but when i sit up straight it hurts and when i bend down or do something that involves my back, it starts hurting. 2day its hurting a little more then usual so i have to get another doctors appointment and i just want to make sure its not a slipped disc through an MRI scan... because I did give it a week to heal but it got no better, instead it got worse during that week of rest (vacation)... so for safety purposes, just want to make sure so that I don't mess up my back for the rest of my life and be never able to deadlift again which would be terrible because i've grown a liking to the exercise.

spasming muscles maybe? go see a physio, i had lower back pain that would go away and after a couple of sessions with a physio and a lot of heat packs later its been fine.

Well if it was herniated you wouldn't be walking around so easily only complaining about pain. Here's a couple of things. First off, when deadlifting, the more reps you do, the more off your form goes, as your body naturally goes from proper form to whatever muscle is strongest, and can change midway through your rep range due to muscle fatigue. So doing singles on deadlifts with much more weight is actually safer than doing higher reps with lower weight. However, as to hypertrophy of doing single vice higher reps, well, its the largest compound movement you can do aside from a clean and press, so it releases alot of testosterone period, therefore, you will grow either way. ;) Now, if you deadlift often, you occasionally need to take a FULL extra week off of doing it. No like load and deload, but completely don't do the thing. It causes alot of strain on the nervous system as well as your muscles, so your nervous system can actually breakdown causing a whole lot of muscle problems, as little as twitching and minor convulsions to constant and chronic pain. As well, lower back pain from deadlift ALOT of the time can also be contributed to lack of flexibility in the hamstrings, not for all people, but alot of people don't PROPERLY stretch. A great post workout stretch for both squat and deadlift is to go down and touch your toes or as close as possible, then put your hands behind your calves and pull your nose into your knees as close as possible, this will get the hams, glutes, hips, and really helps aleveate alot of pressure and stress that is built up in the lumbar region of your lower back.

A few deadlift questions.

Now, I've watched the form videos and have pretty good form. I emphisize keeping my spine straight, dropping my ass not bending my back obviously, getting a good explosive push of my heels through the floor as they say.

I'm still learning and because it's a higher risk lift. I'm still not adding anywhere the weight I could lift. I'm still just trying to get the form perfect.

The poster above made an interesting point about rep range for DeadLifts and form going away.

What's an ideal rep range... once form is down in memory, what's the ideal rep range for growth but form?

Also, I noticed my back was "popping". It was pain free , just like say my knuckles popping(most of my body pops , however it's painless) From what I've read, it's just gas escaping joints... true or is painless popping something to worry about?

[QUOTE=DiRect;74128303]yup, the body is pretty amazing but that doesn't apply to me, the pain is not there in only one position, it's constantly there, and my posture is pretty good. sometimes it goes away when i lay down but when i sit up straight it hurts and when i bend down or do something that involves my back, it starts hurting. 2day its hurting a little more then usual so i have to get another doctors appointment and i just want to make sure its not a slipped disc through an MRI scan... because I did give it a week to heal but it got no better, instead it got worse during that week of rest (vacation)... so for safety purposes, just want to make sure so that I don't mess up my back for the rest of my life and be never able to deadlift again which would be terrible because i've grown a liking to the exercise.[/QUOTE]

You are selling your body short. You said it yourself "I did give it a week to heal but it got no better, instead it got worse..." rest is not what you need. Lack of motion is what is hurting your back, you need more motion...just make it the right kind. When I talk about Posture, it's not what you think. It is that you have a hip dysparity and scapular dysparity and your your spine has lost it's mobility and stability. If you want to fix this yourself longterm (meaning not have this happen again) and without surgeries (which only address the symptom) check out that book. The only way to know if it works is to do it.

thanks for your advice guys, but surgery would be my last option ;) hopefully this can heal by itself. now the pain is constantly there and i have a little pain in the side of my leg as well which i believe is a symptom of a slipped disc. i have a doctors appointment on tuesday, earliest i could get... so JUST for verification purposes im going to get an MRI done to know what state I'm in, no harm in that it's free for me (in Canada). and about the deadlift, i've also dropped my weight completely and am now focusing on proper form now... i'm trying to do stiff-legged deadlift not just normal deadlifts, so i only bend my knees a little bit and my back all the way down from the hips so to keep my spine straight and aligned so I don't hurt it. maybe i'll upload a video later on and ask you guys about form if it's good or not, but so far it looks good to me. i had to drop 100+ lbs to get the form perfect for each single rep for my 6-10 rep range 6-8-10 actually pyramid. thanks for all your advice guys, but if this is not a slipped disc then my doctor can prescribe me to free physiotherapy (health insurance) ;)

I slipped a disk when I was pretty young doing Leg Presses. I would do really well for a while, but about every 2 years I would re-injure my back and would have unbearable pain for up to two months at a time.

The final time this happened, I felt like maybe it was time for surgery. I spent those 3 months researching back surgery and different opinions and ran across Stuart McGill's book "Low Back Disorders".

I read his book and followed his advice and now I've been pain-free for years.

I highly recommend his book, but for those who can't afford it...I wrote a free three part article with videos which summarize some of his points.

[url]http://fitnessblackbook.com/injuries/conquering-low-back-pain-while-getting-fit/[/url]

I wish I would have had this info right after I injured my back...it would have saved me years of misery.

Rusty