Lifting with Bulged Disc in Cervical Spine. Yolo?

[Jungnaut]

I have been diagnosed via C_T scan a bulged disc between the C6/C7 (cervical spine, neck). I am 100% certain years of poor sitting posture created this, so I am trying to correct it just as I did with my anterior posterior tilt by consciously thinking about keeping my ears inline with my shoulders (ie not crane my neck forward anymore), and doing McKenzie Stretches as outlined here:
http://neckpainexercises.com/2010/08/mckenzie-neck-exercises/

I am also thinking about getting a neck traction system such as this to alleviate pressure off the nerves while the disc heals: http://www.amazon.com/OTC-Over-Cerv...LT0I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323138666&sr=8-1

The main question is, has anyone experienced something similar (ie cervical spine issue) and still be able to lift? With lighter loads of course.
So far:
Squats: OK but neck has to be neutral or else immediate referral pain down mah shoulder.
Overhead Press: Neck has to be in neutral position or pain accrues rapidly. Weight is compromised because I have to move it around my head instead of chuck norissing the bastard up.
Bench: No problemo
DB Press: Painful when going heavy
Dips: Pain as I approach fatigue
Deadlift: I SHALL FIND OUT IN 1 HOUR LOLZ

I don't know man, the problem is in the neck so technically I should be able to load up below that (eg from shoulder downwards) without aggravating the bitch. My osteo said (serious face) 'train to pain son, but not through it'. That indeed is the rule of thumb I shall be using going forward.
I am on anti-inflam and they work awesome m8 so that I have you know.

Now.. does this strategy sound sensible or mad loco crazy to youse? Feedback required for mad propz.

 

[vegas]

I suffered a bulging disc at C5/6 in 2003, and it caused intermittent pain in the beginning, then later on caused significant issues with pain radiating down both arms and then permanent neck pain. As a result I've just had surgery to have the disc replaced, with the surgeon expecting me to be back in the gym within 6 months.

The initial surgeon I consulted wasn't able to give an accurate prediction of how it would effect me and I was basically told to put up with it.

I've tried the traction device, and it only gave relief when I was actually using it. I also had CT guided cortisone injections directly into the disc, which only provided intermittent relief.

Hopefully yours doesn't degrade as quickly or as seriously as mine did. Best of luck

 

[Goosey]

I have been diagnosed via C_T scan a bulged disc between the C6/C7 (cervical spine, neck). I am 100% certain years of poor sitting posture created this, so I am trying to correct it just as I did with my anterior posterior tilt by consciously thinking about keeping my ears inline with my shoulders (ie not crane my neck forward anymore), and doing McKenzie Stretches as outlined here:
http://neckpainexercises.com/2010/08/mckenzie-neck-exercises/

I am also thinking about getting a neck traction system such as this to alleviate pressure off the nerves while the disc heals: http://www.amazon.com/OTC-Over-Cerv...LT0I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323138666&sr=8-1

The main question is, has anyone experienced something similar (ie cervical spine issue) and still be able to lift? With lighter loads of course.
So far:
Squats: OK but neck has to be neutral or else immediate referral pain down mah shoulder.
Overhead Press: Neck has to be in neutral position or pain accrues rapidly. Weight is compromised because I have to move it around my head instead of chuck norissing the bastard up.
Bench: No problemo
DB Press: Painful when going heavy
Dips: Pain as I approach fatigue
Deadlift: I SHALL FIND OUT IN 1 HOUR LOLZ

I don't know man, the problem is in the neck so technically I should be able to load up below that (eg from shoulder downwards) without aggravating the bitch. My osteo said (serious face) 'train to pain son, but not through it'. That indeed is the rule of thumb I shall be using going forward.
I am on anti-inflam and they work awesome m8 so that I have you know.

Now.. does this strategy sound sensible or mad loco crazy to youse? Feedback required for mad propz.

cant help sorry, I'm interested,did you play a sport at all?

 

[canned tuna]

That sucks dude
Definitely not training related? Starting to get a bit paranoid lol!

 

[Jungnaut]

@vegas; what the heck, didn't any therapist try to help you find the cause of the problem? A disc does not bulge by itself, it has to be caused by either a traumatic event (eg whiplash) or years of accumulated poor posture. Sleep position can hurt it bad, too.

Like right now I just caught myself craning my head forward. Naughty naughty! So I just immediately retracted back, did a mckenzie stretch and remind myself to keep NECK NEUTRAL, BUD.

@Silverback; I play squash, bike ride, some tennis, and chicken dance at stereo brah.

@canned tuna; I'm frigging paranoid too! You can sense my nervousness with each deadlift. Even in my form check vid when I was trying to be bold. Osteo said that throwing the head back (eg during squats, deadlifts, and overhead presses) is a contributing cause. However I don't throw my head back much these days.

 

[vegas]

Cause is of little concern once the damage is done (in my case it was a tackle). A disc can't be unherniated, so once the damage was done it was a matter of managing it. Gradually the nerve exit canals narrowed and I also had bone spurs grow and begin to compress the thecal sack (the sack of fluid that surrounds your spinal cord).

In hindsight my case was poorly managed from the beginning, but I was lucky to find an excellent surgeon and now I'm on the road to recovery.

 

[Jungnaut]

That's great to hear [MENTION=4975]vegas[/MENTION];, yeah hope is what keeps us alive that's for sure!

 

[vegas]

Cheers mate, hope yours pans out better for you

 

[Jungnaut]

So the pains gone now thank fuk.. all I'm left with is a right hand side tricep that fatigues faster than the left (by about 3-4 reps short) and I'm sure its not as strong either due to not being able to lock it out (eg overhead press) fast.

So let's say I can do 12 tricep pushdowns on my left, and 8 on my right with the same weight. What to do? Wait and then make up the 4 reps on my left? Or settle for the lowest denominator and just do 8 reps both sides?

I want to keep both sides balanced as I recuperate lol.

Is volume, weight amount, frequency or all is needed when attempting to recuperate a muscle that's been hampered by a pissed off nerve?

 

[Shrek]

Do the weaker side first. Over time tome it should catch up to the stronger side.

 

[Jungnaut]

Same volume, same weight as the left? or meet halfway?

 

[Shrek]

Same volume, same weight as the left? or meet halfway?

Same everything.

 

[Sandin Face]

Hi guys!

I got my grim diagnosis on Tuesday, and, to put it mildly, it's left me pretty put out.

I had an intermittently sore right upper arm (specifically medial branch of triceps), back of hand, and sometimes shoulder blade for about a month, which I initially self-diagnosed as strained muscles, and then, after a bit more research, as a pinched radial nerve, which I thought might have been caused by some minor shoulder injury. The funny thing was that I hadn't been doing any exercise (except daily push-ups) for about six weeks. I then put the blame onto the awkward position that I had been putting myself into at my TAFE evening classes, where I am learning welding (overhead TIG welding, in this particular case).

Then I went to see my doc last week - he's a pretty good diagnostician, and had it figured out right away. Sent me off for neck X-rays, and I went back to see him & them on Tuesday.

"... moderately severe degenerative narrowing of the C5/6 disc, with milder narrowing of the C6/7 disc and with slight narrowing of the 4/5 disc ... osteophytes moderately narrow the right 5/6 intervertabral foramen and produce lesser narrowing of the left 5/6 and 6/7 intervertebral foramina ..."

Doc said yes the welding thing might have set it off (holding an awkward position for an extended period, concentrating on doing something tricky and dangerous), but that the spinal damage was from "wear and tear", and had been there for a long time (he didn't say exactly what "a long time" meant).

Doc said you'll have this from here on in, it will get worse not better. Put me on Celebrex (an analgesic & anti-inflamatory), and emphasised "Don't lift heavy things".

Well, I'll have to re-adjust my self image, from being someone fairly fit and strong and capable, to someone who has to live like an invalid, and expect to become a cripple. Certainly no more weight training (another funny thing - I have relatively recently added upright rows to my regime, and had noticed my neck getting stronger and thicker).

I was going to log onto this forum one last time and say well so long everyone, and maybe that I had a whole lot of weight plates for sale, and then I found this thread.
@Jungnaut - you seem to be soldiering on - did your doctor say that it would be dangerous to keep lifting weights? Are you worried that it is dangerous?
@vegas - I'm very glad you seem to be on the up now - you seem to have had a pretty bad time for the past ten years. What sort of replacement disc did you get? and where did you get it done?

Cheers,
SiF

 

[Repacked]

Geez SiF, that's no good. Are you definitely going to give up lifting or can you modify your training to accommodate as much as is practical?

 

[Sandin Face]

Geez SiF, that's no good. Are you definitely going to give up lifting or can you modify your training to accommodate as much as is practical?

Well, until yesterday I thought I would definately have to give up weight training, as well as lots of kinds of physical work (paid or at home), and completely re-adjust my life. My GP - despite being, as I said, an excellent diagnostician - is not at all pro-weightlifting. The more muscle I was putting on, the more he told me I needed to lose weight - I'm sure everyone here is aware of that BMI-blinkered mind-set.

A couple of days ago I found on another (American) body-building forum (that I got to with a google search on "cervical spondylosis") a post by a bloke with what looked like a similar problem. The replies he got weren't encouraging. The post was from 2012 - he had been on that forum for 4 years before that, and seemed to have stopped posting after that, so I thought "he's finished, so I guess I'm finished too".

Anyway, when I found this thread here, I thought maybe there is hope after all.

I think I need another medical opinion - not on the problem itself - my doctor's diagnosis perfectly fits the symptoms, and I've got the radiologist's report in black and white, and the X-rays in fifty shades of grey, right here, so there's no getting around that - but another medical opinion about what I can and can't do, or shouldn't to, lest I make the nerve damage worse, from a more sports-minded doctor.

 

[Grunta]

Shit Bro, I feel terrible, was wondering why you stopped your log, figured was for the same reason as me, CBF.
Get more opinions, my doctor hates BBing, gave me dozens of reasons why its no good, from joints to blood pressure to diet to weight, stop drinking and lose weight is all he fuken tells me, I was there for a motorbike accident FFS.
Don't hang up the bar just yet, a bloke at work has the same condition where his spine degenerates prematurely and after many opinions he was told to strengthen his back, not do 200kg squats or anything but to train weights moderately. This bloke never trained before.
Keep us posted Bro, hope to see you in the OBP press real soon.

 

[Repacked]

I think I need another medical opinion - not on the problem itself - my doctor's diagnosis perfectly fits the symptoms, and I've got the radiologist's report in black and white, and the X-rays in fifty shades of grey, right here, so there's no getting around that - but another medical opinion about what I can and can't do, or shouldn't to, lest I make the nerve damage worse, from a more sports-minded doctor.

I think that'd be prudent. Someone who has seen it all before and dealt with it in the context of sports people or lifting specifically may be able to give you a much better idea of what the reality of it is, and maybe (hopefully) a less grim diagnosis and/or possible treatments. No need to walk into oncoming traffic as yet...

 

[kaz]

My husband went through this atbthe end of last year. He got injections in his neck which relieved the pain. His did the Maxs challenge in feb for 3 months and did minimal overhead upper body but he held up.
If his pain didn't cease from the injections he was headed for surgery.

Every case of spinal injury is different.

 

[RedDog]

Every case of spinal injury is different.

Agree 100%
In my instance I shattered my L4/L5 disc playing footy. Neurosurgeon had to go in an extract the disc fragments picked up by an MRI.
I had the sciatica pain down my right leg.

To be honest since weight training my back pain is now near on non existent in everyday activities

 

[Jungnaut]

[MENTION=16396]Sandin Face[/MENTION]; sorry to hear that bro, reading diagnosis like that about yourself is hella depressing! I wouldn't be so quick to hang the towel yet though. Def go for a second opinion. A specialist (like an osteopath) can give far better advice than a 'general' practitioner. He may refer you for a CT scan to get a better look at what's happening to the discs. In my case if pain was to persist then a cortisone injection would be the next step.

I got the same warning from my GP, no lifting it'll make it worse blah blah blah. Fuk that, instead I did mackenzie stretches a coupla times a week, corrected my posture big time and then started lifting again (light) within a week, and worked back up from there. It's 4 months now since the niggles began and I've got tricep strength back.

Pain is highly subjective though, heaps of people apparently walk around with slipped discs and don't even know it.