Possible Disc Herniation/Bulge

[Sami]

Hi Ripp.

I think I may have a bulging disc at L5. I had a bulging disc at L5 between 2005-2007 at the age of 22-23, with mild sciatic pain down my left side. This was before I started training, and it went away on it's own. I started training in 2009 and am still doing he novice SS. Last week I started getting an odd twinge in my back. I never felt it at the time, but would feel it the next and it usually would feel fine after it warmed up a little in the morning. Now it's there all day and I've got sciatic pain on the right side, with a little tingling in my right foot. I've still been training as usual and nothing that I do in the gym causes it to hurt (even deadlifting 130kg, squatting 100kg and OHPing 42.5kg). In fact, it usually feels better after a session, but hurts again that night and in the morning. This has all happened just before I took delivery of my new lifting belt.

I've searched the forum and seen you've recommended slightly different approaches for different people. I've got an appointment to the doctor's in the next week or so, and I'm going to push for an MRI and perhaps some physio.

What I wanted to ask was, with just this information, what would you advise with regards to training for the next week(s) until I get a diagnosis? I have the belt now and would use it obviously.

Also, what about NSAIDs for more than a few weeks? I've heard negative things about taking them for longer than that.

Let me know if you need any other information.



PS - I am now the proud owner of PPST and the "Join the Fight Against Muscular Atrophy" t-shirt. I wear the t-shirt during my musculo-skeletal lectures in med school; quite appropriate I think. ;)

[Mark Rippetoe]

I've been out of town and just got this. Assuming you haven't had the MRI yet, just wait until it's diagnosed. It won't kill you to hold off another couple of days, and then you can make an informed training/rehab decision.

[Sami]

Thanks for the reply Rip.

Just a little update. I decided (before reading your reply) to go ahead and try to train. I took 600mg of ibuprofen and it made a difference. Squats felt strong and didn't aggravate it at all. I was supposed to deadlift and I did my warm up, but bailed on the first work set. I was too scared. I squatted, pressed and power cleaned on weds and it felt great. Especially the cleans.

Before going to the doc on weds nights, I was beginning to suspect it wasn't the same injury as before. For one, I didn't have true sciatica, in that it wasn't actually shooting down to my foot. And another thing, ibuprofen did nothing for the pain when I had the herniation/bulge last time as there was no inflammation. This time it really feels better. So I suspected it may have been muscular (piriformis perhaps?). Also, if I consciously try to relax my right leg/glute/hip, the pain almost immediately subsides. The doc gave me some Diclofenac/Voltaren and it really helps a lot. He said come back in two weeks.

I'm going to keep training as it seems to help, and it doesn't appear to be spinal. If it gets worse, I'll back off. Hopefully the new belt will be able to contain any projectile spinal discs that my explode from my back and injure any innocent bystanders. I wouldn't want that.



Also, when can I look forward to the new book you referred to in the Iron Radio interview?

[dilligaf]

I have had a MRI just so I knew the pain was'nt just in my head. It showed two minor bulging disc's, neither of them ruptured. Have put up with it for years and narrow it down to being RSS.

Its a lot of other things outside of the gym that flair my back pain up. The only thing I have trouble with in the gym is DL, I love doing them, but cannot go to heavy. Like to think I have good form....and get told I do.....but you never know.

Anyway, long story short, I choose to work around the pain in the gym such as doing heavy shrugs now instead of DL, its still uncomfortable but its workable. Squats are fine as long as excellent form. And watching Rip's vid's on squating helps heaps, learn something every time.

The other thing that really really helps is "decompressing" the spine. I invested in an inversion table call "Teeter Hung Ups" which really helps keep the pain at bay.

My $2

[Mark Rippetoe]

Glad to hear it turned out to be disc-unrelated, probably. The MD is really the wrong guy to see about this shit as the default program. Find a chiropractor that knows about training.