herniated disk

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imported_foozballking

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Last week, I started having extreme pain in my left leg and foot after a workout. At first, I thought it was just an ankle sprain, so I continued with my cycle.

Today, my doctor said it was herniated disk in my back and may require surgery. She also said that I should not do any exercises unless approved by a personal trainer.

I know its too early to think about returning back to the gym, but I'm trying to find out which exercises may be unsafe after a herniated disk. In my last cycle, I only did 3 exercises, chins, dips and unilateral shoulder presses. I'm guessing that the presses may have been what caused my injury and should definitely be avoided. Anyone have advice for me on this?
 
I had a herniated disk for 4 years and went through all the non-invasive techniques available including acupuncture when I was in Beijing on business. Nothing worked. I finally had the surgery when my foot was getting so numb that the doctor said I could end up witha "drop" foot and have to wear a brace just to walk without tripping. I was up walking pain free the day of the surgery and back riding horses and in the gym in 3 weeks. Now I do a core trunk strength workout twice a week, in addition to HST, to hit my upper and lower abs, obliques and lower back. Nary a problem since the surgery. I believe that they even do it arthroscopically now.

I would be afraid to recommend specific exercises for you if you do indeed have an active herniation. It could make it worse. What you don't want to do is risk further injury and have to have a disk removed as opposed to a partial diskectomy. I would suggest listening only to a professional who can help you without hurting you.

Best of luck to you.
 
O&G, glad to hear you recovered nicely from your surgery, for me this will be the last resort. The way I see it, exercises that risk aggravating the disks are those that compress the spine, such as military press, squats, deadlifts, incline bench. There have got to be some exercises that are safe for me to do. I just dont see how a movement such as a bicep curl or tricep pulldown will put any kind of pressure on the spine. But you're right, I have to find a professional who knows this best. For now I'll just have to get used to a long deconditioning state.
 
I was diagnosed with a herniated disc about 10 years ago. I was told that as it was quite a big rupture, surgery was the only option if I wanted to stop the pain in my left leg. I was reluctant to go down that route, seeing as a relative of mine had been left with a worse problem after the surgery, due to scar tissue building up where the disc had been cut. I spent the next year and a half on strong prescription pain killers, taking the maximum dose every day, then gradually the pain subsided and I got back the range of motion in my left leg. I have been completely pain free for 8 years now, and I do plenty of exercises that place a large load on the spine.

Anyway, a few of the exercises that I found helpful when trying to avoid compressing the spine are:

Hand stand press - you can use this in place of the military press.

One leg squats

Incline dumbell curls - the flatter the incline, the less pressure you put on the spine


You should not have any problem with chins or dips - in fact many people suffering from sciatica find that these exercises can help relieve the pain, as they take the pressure off the spine.

I hope some of this helps,

Rob
 
Sorry to hear that fooz- HDs are a real drag. Just to underscore what O&G said- you really should be evaluated by a sports medicine doc. I'm assuming your doc who made the diagnosis isn't, but correct me if I'm wrong. Also,I'm assuming that your doc made the diagnosis on the basis of films and/or (preferably) MRI- if this hasn't been done, the extent of the herniation needs to be assessed this way. And, you are absolutely right- surgery is a last resort- yes, it often works, and, unfortunately sometimes doesn't. Do everything you possibly can non-surgically first. My own experience (small herniation of L3-4) reflects this- a slight injury, to be sure (but dang painful and incapacitating) that was successfully treated by lots of walking and gradual re-immersion into lifting.

Best of luck!
 
Finally got the results of my MRI, I have 2 bulged disks and central disk herniations at L5/S1 and L4/L5. The sports doctor told me that I should just do a lot of stretching for the hamstrings, this should ease the pain.

I asked him about the handstands and elevated push-ups, he said to avoid both cause the back is involved
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Although dips, chins and incline bench are OK.

As soon as I got back home 2 hrs ago, I had gone ahead and done the approved exercises :) thus ending my 11 day deconditioning. I still have pain radiating in my left leg, but nothing I cant tolerate.
 
I just got my MRI results back today...ech...

Herniations (albeit slight) in: L3-L4, L4-L5, and L5-S1

Oh boy. I'm screwed, huh? Nothing pinching the sciatic nerve or anything, no leg tingling or pain, but I want to be very careful.

Should I avoid deadlifts, squats, and parallel-to-the-floor rows?

What should I do? :confused: God dang, this sucks. I'm in a real bad mood now. Bryan needs an angry face, 'cause none of these emoticons are cutting it. >=O
 
oh crud...reading this post scares me!!!

I've been complaining about back problems for a while now, and was hoping...HOPING, that it wasn't a herniated disk or something...

I have no numbness in the legs, but my lower back hates me, and it's hard to pick things up/bend down...

Is this likely a hernia?

And yea, what would be a good programmed set of exercises to get this fixed? (after I see a doctor about it of course) And can these be done in conjunction with an HST program?
 
I agree with Chthonian- you need a full evaluation, including an MRI, to ascertain whether or not you've got a disk problem. And a "hernia" usually refers to a rupture of the ligaments of the inguinum (where the thigh meets the crotch), but anything can "herniate," meaning that something has ruptured. That's why "herniated disk"="ruptured disk."
All that said, yes, HST can be used as part of a rehab program, which is pretty much focused on progressive resistance anyway. But see your doc first!
 
Chthonian,

I think it would be a good idea to avoid those kinds of lifts. My father had a serious problem with herniated disks (he had surgery). He does not use powerlifts anymore, he is also getting older, but uses many different exercises for legs but doesnt squat anymore. He has taken most of his "power" exercises out of his routine and is still a very huge guy.

I dont know how serious your condition is in comparison to his, but he could barely move before surgery, I dont think you want that.

Joe G
 
My problem isn't that severe. I mean, three herniated discs, but I think they may just be bulging - not ruptured yet, or anything. Some say there's no such thing, but I have no shooting pains down my legs or glutes so I think my condition is very minor.

I plan to focus on some upper body stuff, along with plenty of weightless core work and stretches for the lower half every day.

I should be up and running in a few months - we'll see how it goes.
 
Old and Grey, or anyone else who can offer choices, what would constitute the "core trunk" strengthening exercises you spoke of? And how do you work them into your HST routine? U said u did them everyday, so are they a part of your HST or do you just do a few specific sets and reps without changing it in regards to your program?

Thanks 2 anyone who replies!
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]Planned to do my own PT to get myself back to normal.

Chthonian- I did this myself about four years back, with just minimal guidance from my doc (she was a lifter herself). It worked just fine for me, and I'm sure it will for you as well- I'd still check with your doc to make sure you're on the right track if you haven't already. One suggestion my doc made was to walk, walk, walk. Nothing aerobic, just good steady paced walks of increasing length, up to 4-5 miles or so, 5-6 times/week. The key is to pay strict attention to form (where have we heard that before?)- no slouching, just good posture and stride the whole time. She was absolutely right- you can really feel it in your erectors, and it did add a lot of strength and flexibility. I was doing light (about 20% 1RM) DLs in about 6 weeks post-injury and back up to speed in about three months.
HTH!
 
Good to hear, thanks Jake. I actually was told by a fellow lifter who had an extruded disc (worst case of all) to walk backwards on a treadmill. He said it helped him greatly. I'll probably just do a whole lot of walking.

In the mean time, I wanted to start an HST cycle. I figured I can still do squats during the 15's, since my problem is minor, my form is fine, and the weights will be light, then sub in leg extensions and curls for the 10's and 5's. I haven't done those in over a year and a half, so it'll be fun to see what they do to me.
 
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