Persistent back sprain - any suggestions?

[RyanWilson]

Okay, last summer nearly a full year ago I sprained my lower back during a log press at my first contest - got there just as the comp started, no warmup time, dove right in to the first event in a bad state of mind. Tried to hold on to the log way too long, leaned back with it, felt my back crack from top to bottom and finally pitched it forward. Turns out I sprained my entire lower back at that time from the Xrays at the chiro, had to take nearly 2 months off due to the pain of not being able to even bend over for the first few weeks. Slowly but surely I got back to normal and was far stronger than before, but I managed to tweak it again in March and just now this weekend on a farmer's DL. I can't seem to shake it completely - even if it feels good for a few months, it just takes on wrong move and I manage to bring the sprain back. Anyone else have something similar and if so, any ideas on how to reduce the odds of it coming back over and over?

[Eric Johnson]

Ryan, I have a similar problem, hurt my lower back 3 times from January to April. Would just start feeling better and lifting heavy again and bam it would get hurt again. And I have no idea how to fix it. So if you learn anything please post it here.

[Jay O'Neill]

Okay, last summer nearly a full year ago I sprained my lower back during a log press at my first contest - got there just as the comp started, no warmup time, dove right in to the first event in a bad state of mind. Tried to hold on to the log way too long, leaned back with it, felt my back crack from top to bottom and finally pitched it forward. Turns out I sprained my entire lower back at that time from the Xrays at the chiro, had to take nearly 2 months off due to the pain of not being able to even bend over for the first few weeks. Slowly but surely I got back to normal and was far stronger than before, but I managed to tweak it again in March and just now this weekend on a farmer's DL. I can't seem to shake it completely - even if it feels good for a few months, it just takes on wrong move and I manage to bring the sprain back. Anyone else have something similar and if so, any ideas on how to reduce the odds of it coming back over and over?

Hey Ryan.. I get the same thing..real tight spasms. I use Ice and stretch before back or stone workouts... I stretch prior to and after every workout by lying on the ground and pulling eac knee up and then crossing it over...
This seems to have help enormously. I have also added more abd work i.e crunches as it helps take pressure of the lower back.
Backs can tighten up ithout worning which is whyy I have become more proactive and started stretching it out each day and workout.

[Brett Hagmann]

stretch the leg muscles like hell...hams and glutes...

[Joshua Davis]

Repost from another thread... to essentially 2nd what Brett has already said.

Stretch your hamstrings prior to any excercise. There are plenty of good stretches out there, but I am partial to wall-leans (cross arms over face and lean facing a wall, staggered stance, and lunge towards the wall attempting to push it), butterflys, and bodyweight sumo-stanced toe-touches.

Hamstring flexiblity is the key in alleviating lower back problems, when they are tight, you overcompensate by bending and over-using your low back.

[Josh Kamins]

Lower back sprain as in the SI joint, where the hips meet the back towards the side? Either way, glute/piriformis stertching and foam rolling will help. Better posture, fixing any pelvic tilt will help. Alsol chiropracty and ART should help too... I have a similar problem, but ART really helps it.

[craig kruse]

at work I try to educate patients about their back pain so they can understand why they got hurt and how to manage their problems after they are done with physical therapy. I think about 75% of the patients listen to what I am saying and learn what to do or not to do. At the same time, 80% of the population has back pain and 80% of that 80% has recurrent back pain.

I am not a chiropractor and do not have the same education as a chiropractor so it is not fair for me to judge that profession. I have a close friend that is a chiropractor and we treat patients together. But- you can not tell you sprained your back from an x-ray. An x-ray will tell you if you have a fracture, disc degeneration (degeneration, not herniation), arthritis, scoliosis, or a slight subluxation. In order to tell if you have a herniated disc or inflammation (a sprained muscle or ligament would have inflammation) you would need an MRI. I feel the only reason someone would absolutely need an MRI was if they were not getting any better and were considering surgery. Other than that an MRI is just a $1000 test for piece of mind.

I truly believe there are very few "strained" backs. Especially with strongmen. Your pain is most likely a bulging or herniated disc or a sacroiliac (SI) joint problem. Core strengthening exercises and the use of a tight weight lifting belt will help alot. Many lifters do not use a belt until their maximal sets and I think this can be a good practice but if you have a SI joint problem that is iritated easily, I would wear a very tight belt with anything over 75% of your max. The tight belt worn over your iliac crests will greatly help in protecting your SI joint problem.

If you have a SI joint problem. You would have pain over your PSIS and sometimes feel your legs aren't level. Get this corrected by a chiropractor or PT. Learn how to self correct it also. Ice and NSAIDS for pain relieft.

If you have a disc herniation, you would have more pain sitting than standing. More pain bending forward that back extension. Less pain with passive lumber extension when lying on your stomach. Do lots of pressups and standing back extension. Be very religious about your extensions, before and after each set of squats, deadlifts, farmers, and in my opinion any event training.

Craig

[Mike Lang]

I know of a couple good stretches that I like a lot that have helped my back. I pulled something that my doc called the "filet mignon" of the lower back riding my mtn bike.

Lie on your back, pull one leg up and "fold" it to the opposite side trying to keep it straight, 90deg to your centerline. Do the same the other way.

Sit in the lotus position without crossing your legs and bounce the hip joints, this really loosens my entire lower back/hip area. Looks wierd tho.

Get on your knees, get into push up position and extend one leg back then stretch the glutes/hams with pressure on the knee that is under you.

I like Hindu pushup as well for stretching and getting blood flowing.

Watch for pain.

[Joe Holland]

Once upon a time, I hurt my back. It is really depressing b/c there is not a whole helluva lot you can do as a strength athlete with a bum back. In my case I hurt it trying to lap a mock atlas stone made out of a trashcan filled with concrete. Anywho, in my condition I went to many doctors (orthopedic surgeons, gen pract, etc) and got a whole range of answers from - you are seriously screwed and don't lift again to you have chronic pain at the ripe old age of 20. Any way, I did the best thing I probably could.... stop lifting for a month. When it didn't hurt anymore, I was back to lifting.
Common sense thing any mom would recommend- if something hurts then stop doing it. During that time, I did as many previous to me have said and stretched alot and swam alot. One of the best positions that helped my back was to lie on the ground with my feet in a chair. As you get more flexible, pull the chair in closer to you. Eventually, you should be able to have your legs pulled almost all the way to your chest while your feet are in the chair.
Last but not least, I believe that doing dumbell swings really helped ALOT. They loosen up my whole back and make my hips feel great.
Do this and always warm up, and I hope that you feel better. Good luck!!!

[Rus Mandery]

3" or bigger PVC roller. Roll out your back twice or more a day, could very well help and most likely will not make it any worse.

[RyanWilson]

Thanks much to everyone for the replies!

I do admit, I'm fully guilty of not warming up properly. I'm always super-late to lift so I race through things, which is not a good thing and I definitely need to change that. Stretching has been sorely lacking, so I'll put a lot more work into that to get a few minutes in before lifting, between sets and afterward. I'll also have to try some of the rehab techniques mentioned here and see if they help out a bit as well. Haven't gone to the chiro in some months, but a trip back might be in order to see if he's can help out more as well.

I know for a fact I'm one of those guys who never sits straight, which I'm sure has greatly aggravated the problem as well. I definitely don't want to have to face this thing coming back to haunt me over and over again, so I'm definitely going to do a lot of preventative maintenance from here on out.

In reply to Craig Kruse - what you said for pain triggers sounds a lot like exactly what I'm experiencing. Standing is relatively pain-free even when sitting feels like I'm getting a knife in the lower back. It hurts much more when leaning forward than extending back as well. The pain is about 2-3" to the left from the point of exactly where my ass crack stops at the base of the lower back (to be graphic about the location!) I'll definitely take your advice on this one for how to rehab - I don't see the pain I get from re-injuring to be anywhere near surgery-requiring (and I don't have an exceptional pain tolerance, either), but I certainly don't want it to get progressively worse to be something of that nature. Much thanks for the detailed reply!

Ryan

[craig kruse]

glad I could help

Craig

[RyanWilson]

Craig,

One more quick question - if it is by any chance a herniated disc, does it likely mean that I'm stuck that way and have to work around it or have it corrected surgically, or is there a chance that with proper rest, stretching and rehab that it can be self-corrected over time? Just trying to find out where I stand in the event of a worst-case scenario!

[craig kruse]

a buldging or herniated disc will never be the same as it was before it was injured. But with that being said, many people recover from disc problems and do anything they want. They just need to do their back exercises (press ups, standing back extensions, core work) and watch their posture and body mechanics. Posture has a lot to do with back problems. You really need to work on yours. You already have a sport that is going to put a lot of stress on your back. Don't make an essentially easy thing (sitting) put stress on it as well.

I would ice 15min 3 times per day, take 2 Alieve 2 times per day, do at least 10 sets of 10 press ups or standing back extensions each day (spread out throughout the day), and decrease your squats, deadlift, and event training to 75% intensity for a period of about 3 weeks. Still train but just train smart.

It will get better and when settled down not give you a problem anymore. But you will need to spend extra time on your back and stretching from now on.

Craig

[RyanWilson]

Craig,

Again, much appreciated on all the advice. I guess after a decade of lifting I've finally hit that point where I've got to contend with an injury that's not going to just quickly go away on its own, but now I've got the tools to try and keep it from getting worse and hopefully get it to improve over time. Thanks again for all the info!