Herniated spinal disk

Hi guys

Whilst doing some romanian deadlifts yesterday, I unfortunately lost some form and got a sharp pain in my lower back which was so severe that I thought I was going to pass out. Felt my left leg go entirely numb and decided immediately to head down to the Medicross for a scan. From their initial assessment, MRI planned for sometime next week (medical aid dependent) I have a herniated spinal disk which will take at least 3 months to fully recover based on their intital assessment.

Felt like crying when they told me this, 7 weeks into my cycle and everything was going good. This injury is going to put me way back as I have been informed that deadlifts, squats, leg presses and any standing shoulder press movements will be impossible to do for at least two months as it may further aggravate the injury.

Seriously dont know what to do at this point in time, was wondering if anyone else had a similar injury and found a way to still train on it.

thanks for listening guys.

Im so sorry to hear bud, i wish you a speedy recovery. Im sure you will be back in action soon.

shucks GSP, sorry to hear that, that is terrible, best of luck to you.

damn GSP, hope your recovery is quick. Really cant say as i have not experienced anything like that but i must commend you on seeking medical help immediately instead of hoping it will pass.

Jeeze man sorry to hear, that's bad! I would suggest that you rather stick to the specialist's order instead of totally screwing up your back for life. it's better to recover fully rather than kill your back and never be able to lift again or end up in a wheel chair.

Take it easy and best of luck with the recovery

gambit wrote: damn GSP, hope your recovery is quick. Really cant say as i have not experienced anything like that but i must commend you on seeking medical help immediately instead of hoping it will pass.

thanks gambit. dude, I have had loads of lifting injuries in the past, worst being when I popped both my calf muscles two years ago and required seven straight days f muscle relaxant to be able to walk. The back injury scared the shit outta me, was on my last of five reps and as i lifted the bar from I must of arched my back and all I heard was a click, followed by the most intense shooting pain I have ever experienced. This soon followed by a numbness in my left leg and all I could think was that i may have fractured a spinal bone which could cause further damage to my actual spinal cord (a bit dramatic I know). But I just made my way to the clinic asap, drive there was excruciating but i wanted to limit any further damage. This morning I feel like someone hit me across the lower back with a hammer, had to sleep in one position

Damn dude! How heavy were you lifting? I am asking because if your form slips with a lower % of your max are you "safer" than if you are pushing the limits? Also I've just started deadlifting so I want to try minimise my risks.

Hope you can get it sorted out soon.

Warrenpridgeon wrote: Damn dude! How heavy were you lifting? I am asking because if your form slips with a lower % of your max are you "safer" than if you are pushing the limits? Also I've just started deadlifting so I want to try minimise my risks.

Hope you can get it sorted out soon.

Hey dude, it was 140kg which is around 75% of my 1RM. But I do a form of German Volume training called Optimized volume training and this was the 4th or 5th rep of my fifth set of dead-lifts which were super-setted with wide-grip pull ups.

GSP wrote:

Warrenpridgeon wrote: Damn dude! How heavy were you lifting? I am asking because if your form slips with a lower % of your max are you "safer" than if you are pushing the limits? Also I've just started deadlifting so I want to try minimise my risks.

Hope you can get it sorted out soon.

Hey dude, it was 140kg which is around 75% of my 1RM. But I do a form of German Volume training called Optimized volume training and this was the 4th or 5th rep of my fifth set of dead-lifts which were super-setted with wide-grip pull ups.

So would you say muscle fatigue and slip in form worked together to cause the damage?

sorry to hear about your injury mate. wish you a speedy recovery..

i wouldn't even be able to tell you what my 1 rep max is. (elbow snappers)

Warrenpridgeon wrote:

GSP wrote:

Warrenpridgeon wrote: Damn dude! How heavy were you lifting? I am asking because if your form slips with a lower % of your max are you "safer" than if you are pushing the limits? Also I've just started deadlifting so I want to try minimise my risks.

Hope you can get it sorted out soon.

Hey dude, it was 140kg which is around 75% of my 1RM. But I do a form of German Volume training called Optimized volume training and this was the 4th or 5th rep of my fifth set of dead-lifts which were super-setted with wide-grip pull ups.

So would you say muscle fatigue and slip in form worked together to cause the damage?

would definitely say so mate. However, i think my rest period between my 4th and 5th set was too short. Usually have a 2min break between each superset, but as i was running a bit late, i dropped my rest breaks to 90 sec and probably a minute between set 4 and 5.

Its taught me a valuable lesson though, that when it comes to attaining the physique you desire, patience is a virtue that can never be overstated!!!

GSP wrote:

Warrenpridgeon wrote:

GSP wrote:

Warrenpridgeon wrote: Damn dude! How heavy were you lifting? I am asking because if your form slips with a lower % of your max are you "safer" than if you are pushing the limits? Also I've just started deadlifting so I want to try minimise my risks.

Hope you can get it sorted out soon.

Hey dude, it was 140kg which is around 75% of my 1RM. But I do a form of German Volume training called Optimized volume training and this was the 4th or 5th rep of my fifth set of dead-lifts which were super-setted with wide-grip pull ups.

So would you say muscle fatigue and slip in form worked together to cause the damage?

would definitely say so mate. However, i think my rest period between my 4th and 5th set was too short. Usually have a 2min break between each superset, but as i was running a bit late, i dropped my rest breaks to 90 sec and probably a minute between set 4 and 5.

Its taught me a valuable lesson though, that when it comes to attaining the physique you desire, patience is a virtue that can never be overstated!!!

Good luck with the recovery! Hope you are back in the gym soon!

Hey GSP, sorry to hear about your injury. I ruptured 2 discs, S4 and S5 back in 2008. It has been an uphill battle since then and I am only just back to squatting what I did before the injury. What helped me the most was a good biokineticist, she helped to get all the core muscles back into shape. A back injury totally messes up your core as certain muscles tighten up as a protective measure. When the disc is healed the muscles need to be reset otherwise you will have issues with your back forever. Getting that natural muscle balance back takes a lot of time and effort, which was very frustrating to me! Bodybuilders are used to lifting heavy weights and brute strength, some rehab exercises with zero weights will be even more challenging then your usual one-rep maxs!

Unfortunately vertebral discs never heal completely, the rupture will always be a weak spot likely to fail again. Core strength is key for long term rehabilitation. Good luck and take it slow..

DMZ wrote: Hey GSP, sorry to hear about your injury. I ruptured 2 discs, S4 and S5 back in 2008. It has been an uphill battle since then and I am only just back to squatting what I did before the injury. What helped me the most was a good biokineticist, she helped to get all the core muscles back into shape. A back injury totally messes up your core as certain muscles tighten up as a protective measure. When the disc is healed the muscles need to be reset otherwise you will have issues with your back forever. Getting that natural muscle balance back takes a lot of time and effort, which was very frustrating to me! Bodybuilders are used to lifting heavy weights and brute strength, some rehab exercises with zero weights will be even more challenging then your usual one-rep maxs!

Unfortunately vertebral discs never heal completely, the rupture will always be a weak spot likely to fail again. Core strength is key for long term rehabilitation. Good luck and take it slow..

Thank you so much dude. Pretty much the same prognosis that the doctor gave me. Will wait to have the MRI done and definitely look at start rehab as soon as possible. For now, ill give my body the weekend off and reassess on monday if I can at least just do some seated exercises and very moderate to low intensity. I cant for the life of me imagine not being able to train after the progress I have made over the past 12 weeks.

Really sorry to hear this bud, all the best with the recovery!

Maybe use the next few months focussing on any muscle groups that could do with some work, hitting them with slow contactions and keeping form perfect. But for the next week or two I would rest completely if I were you.

You obviously won't be able to go as heavy as you could, but the way I see it, you can make a habit of training with perfect form so that after 3 months when you can start training as heavy as you can go, no more injuries ever occur/re-occur.

All the best mate.

MK wrote: Really sorry to hear this bud, all the best with the recovery!

Maybe use the next few months focussing on any muscle groups that could do with some work, hitting them with slow contactions and keeping form perfect. But for the next week or two I would rest completely if I were you.

You obviously won't be able to go as heavy as you could, but the way I see it, you can make a habit of training with perfect form so that after 3 months when you can start training as heavy as you can go, no more injuries ever occur/re-occur.

All the best mate.

cheers mate, also very sound advice. will focus on isolation exercises when I am able to do so and will also look, as DMZ mentioned, to keep my focus on my core. Question is now do I stop my cycle at 7 weeks in or do i still continue and hope for the best

sorry bro

GSP wrote: Question is now do I stop my cycle at 7 weeks in or do i still continue and hope for the best

I would say, stick with the cycle as you will be training mostly your core/strengthening muscles now and it can only help with that, but thats just me thumbsucking here. rather wait for the more senior guys here to respond to your question.

This is just my opinion, but I would stop now for a few reasons.

1) Why run a cycle, especially one with a substance as harsh as Tren, half-heartedly?

2) Stopping now will mean you won't have to wait as long after the 3 months is up to go on another cycle and do things 100%. Stop now, bridge, PCT then wait enough time and jump back on.

3) Surely not training your entire lower body whilst on cycle will only push you further out of proportion? Rather focus on the smaller muscle groups and isolate them to make a habit of strict form.

4) From what I've heard and read about Tren, it can seriously screw with your mind. Personally, I wouldn't want to be on a substance that would further mess my head up after something like this, especially when frustration starts after not being able to train a large part of your body for a considerable amount of time.

Stopping is most probably the last thing you want to hear after this has happened, but at the end of the day it'll probably end up being the best option for you. Good luck

Will test not help speed up recovery ?

MK wrote: This is just my opinion, but I would stop now for a few reasons.

1) Why run a cycle, especially one with a substance as harsh as Tren, half-heartedly?

2) Stopping now will mean you won't have to wait as long after the 3 months is up to go on another cycle and do things 100%. Stop now, bridge, PCT then wait enough time and jump back on.

3) Surely not training your entire lower body whilst on cycle will only push you further out of proportion? Rather focus on the smaller muscle groups and isolate them to make a habit of strict form.

4) From what I've heard and read about Tren, it can seriously screw with your mind. Personally, I wouldn't want to be on a substance that would further mess my head up after something like this, especially when frustration starts after not being able to train a large part of your body for a considerable amount of time.

Stopping is most probably the last thing you want to hear after this has happened, but at the end of the day it'll probably end up being the best option for you. Good luck

hey MK

sorry dude, dropped the tren ace. Just on test e @ 600mg/week and var@ 80mg/day at the moment.

I have done my shots for this week, so I will not run anymore injections next week and probably lower my dosage of var to 40mg for now. If I can get the MRI done nice and early and hopefully be told that I can limit my leg training to extensions and curls (possibly lunges), then ill take that with open arms. Been doing some research and it seems that ill have to do supported exercises such as seated military press, seated shrugs and horizontal leg press. at this point ill take what i can get. if the prognosis is more bleak, then ill definitely take ur advice mate!!!

Oh sorry man, I must have missed that!

Glad that you're not as limited as you initially thought.

However, I still would stop the cycle now and run it at 100% when possible. Then again, I'm a firm believer in doing things 100% (a bit of a perfectionist) so don't make up your mind based on what I would do.

Take it easy bro.

quick update guys

been out the gym for three days since i picked up the injury on thursday. Woke up this morning and felt really really strong, also, back pain has eased considerably following the use of ibuprofen and alternating between ice packs and heat pads for four hours every evening. So I decided to do a shoulder session today, incorporating only exercises which would be done in a seated position.

Managed to dumbell press 40kg per arm for five unassisted reps, no pain in back whatsoever but ensured that i kept form throught. Var seems to be coming into its own now at week three, I remember struggling to knock back 34's two weeks ago but i had the super human feeling this morning that one tends to get when on the juice. Still going for the MRI later this week but am so positive that i can continue training and cycling if i limit my exercises/movements to ones which are not strenuos on the lower back.

good to hear bro just dont get too carried away before you get it checked properly !

Faaaark, only just saw this. What a shit thing to happen bud!!!
I'd most definitely seek some form of rehab from a pro 1st. Then ask that person what he/she recommends you do going forward.
I'd also take up swimming, which can be a great overall workout, but safe. This way you can still keep the same food intake and therefore not lose much size.
Look after yourself GSP!