Exercise with Chronic Lumbar Issues

That Jekka Gal

That Jekka Gal

That Jekka Gal

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Joined
2 Oct 2019
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277
Location
Castle Cary
I've had crippling back pain for almost a year - turns out I have severe spinal stenosis and a herniated disc.

I've also been going to the gym regularly- 4 times a week - for the past 3 years and exercise quite intensely.

I've been told to avoid a lot of the exercises I'm doing and even the ones that are ok - i.e.won't overload or twist my back - I have to do at a reduced intensity - which kind of defeats my whole raison d'etre for going to the gym .

I'm sure there are plenty of others on here with chronic back issues - just wondering how you manage with routines that are still a good workout but go easy on your back.

As I said, I thought I could just cut out any of the things I'm doing unsupported e.g. easy bar curls and do more stuff prone on the bench but even this exerts pressure on the lower back and is to be avoided, apparently.
 
You probably need a physio opinion rather than strangers on the internet.

I would imagine that the muscles around your back need strengthening to help support the injury which means those muscles need stimulus to grow. The tricky part is finding the correct intensity and mechanism to stimulate growth without injuring the spine
 
My OH and her family have all had back issues over varying degrees, her dad's had several operations.

The only thing that seems to help keep hers in check is regular pilates and sports massages.

Pilates is probably a good bet though, you can stretch as much or as little as you need/can.
 
moppy89 said:
You probably need a physio opinion rather than strangers on the internet.

I would imagine that the muscles around your back need strengthening to help support the injury which means those muscles need stimulus to grow. The tricky part is finding the correct intensity and mechanism to stimulate growth without injuring the spine
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Yes, that'll be happening soon.

I guess it's just good to hear positive stories from people whobhave been in a similar position.

The thought of not being able to do weights in the gym or go on long walks seriously deprsses me - they are both things I use to manage my sanity!
 
That Jekka Gal said:
The thought of not being able to do weights in the gym or go on long walks seriously deprsses me - they are both things I use to manage my sanity!
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I felt the same when I had an injury that knocked me out the gym/any strenuous exercise for about 5 weeks! Only 5 weeks, but not being able to exercise during that was very difficult after being consistent for a few years.

Hopefully the physiotherapist can help you out.
 
Be very careful with weights in the gym with lower back issues. You can’t be half arsed about rehabilitation and strengthening and then expect to do heavy deadlifts… or anything really. The risk is that you not only lose the ability to lift weights, but also fail to be able to walk and function outside the gym without pain.

I’ve had to essentially give up on heavy compound lifts in the gym as it got to the point where even a warm up DL would be enough to put my back into spasm. I have been able to rehabilitate my back before and did manage to get my lifts to my PBs and beyond, but life is too busy, I can’t afford to roger my back and spend weeks with miserable symptoms. It’s way more important for me to have good cardiovascular fitness now than chasing heavier weights, but I appreciate that it’s quite personal.
 
I have some eroded discs in my lower back caused from a lifetime of poor core strength and bad posture.

Took about 6 weeks of physio to make it go completely, but it was hard, solid work which I have to continue, 15 years later.

Interestingly, the long term fix was to get stronger: squatting, deadlifting, etc. were prescribed and they have worked wonders.
 
tom_nieto said:
Be very careful with weights in the gym with lower back issues. You can’t be half arsed about rehabilitation and strengthening and then expect to do heavy deadlifts… or anything really. The risk is that you not only lose the ability to lift weights, but also fail to be able to walk and function outside the gym without pain.

I’ve had to essentially give up on heavy compound lifts in the gym as it got to the point where even a warm up DL would be enough to put my back into spasm. I have been able to rehabilitate my back before and did manage to get my lifts to my PBs and beyond, but life is too busy, I can’t afford to roger my back and spend weeks with miserable symptoms. It’s way more important for me to have good cardiovascular fitness now than chasing heavier weights, but I appreciate that it’s quite personal.
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Yes, it's not so much the routine per se but more carrying the weights to and from the rack - any rotational force on the spine and I'm in real pain for a few hours.

Does feel as though I need to be more machine focused.

Anyhow, have an appointment with the physiatry next week.
 
I've had a bad lower back since August. I was doing some stretching on the foam roller and it just went.

Been nursing it with stretching but it's not getting any better. I have built a complete fear of any sort of flexion which is creating a vicious loop of lack of use leading to lack of strength.

MRI has confirmed no disc herniation and I've recently found the lowerbackability YouTube channel. I'm about to order a back hyper extension bench and follow his program. May be worth checking out
 
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