Posted this as a reply to another thread, but probably better served as it's own.
I've been experiencing lower back issues for around a year now, and it's taking me ages to get on top of, with lacklustre results. I'm hoping some experienced people in here can offer some advice.
The pain I have is in the region of the multifidus
I can generally squat and deadlift small amounts of weight, but when the load gets heavier, say around 60kg or more, I get direct pressure right in that spot, which can radiate down into my glutes. This will inflame that muscle and cause soreness and loss of mobility for a few days afterwards.
I've tried a lot of trigger point therapy both myself and an Osteopath with dry point needling. My glutes had trigger points everywhere, and I've mostly gotten rid of all of those by rolling on a hockey ball. My upper and middle back also had a lot of trigger points which I believe I've mostly taken care of.
I've incorporated a lot of core work into my routine, but that hasn't made any difference to the pain.
I do sit down all day, and get very tight hamstrings and hip flexors. I try to stretch a lot before a workout, but nothing has seemed to work.
The pain is predominantly on the left, but sometimes goes to the right side, and on bad days it can be on both.
Thanks in advance.
I get direct pressure right in that spot, which can radiate down into my glutes. This will inflame that muscle and cause soreness and loss of mobility for a few days afterwards.
Mate I'm not a doctor but radiating pain from a back injury is a bad sign, I'd consult a Dr if you haven't already.
Mate I'm not a doctor but radiating pain from a back injury is a bad sign, I'd consult a Dr if you haven't already.
exactly this. radiating pain means nerves are involved. I have had nerve issues in the past that were caused by muscle tightness (overuse from cycling) and were relieved by physio work, but it could also mean disk degeneration (such as a bulge).
I was in a similar position about 12 months and didn't handle it correctly, now i'm booked in for spinal surgery in 2 weeks. my suggestion would be to get to a physio (preferably a musco-skeletal specialist) and tell them where you are. they should know what to check for to see if it's nerve related. if it is, don't baulk at shelling out $3-400 for an MRI so you know where you stand.
out of interest, when you sit in a chair, can you raise the leg on the affected side to the horizontal? can you then point your foot and toes back towards your body? does that cause any pain in the lower back? alternatively, you could try this Straight leg raise - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia as a means to self-diagnose...
laminoscopy which is a key-hole laminectomy:
Laminectomy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
tldr: drill through the vertabrae and scrape away bone from the S1 nerve root tunnel to relieve the pressure.
i have an 8.5mm bulge at L5-S1 and it's nailing the shit out of the s1 nerve root - direct hit so i'm a perfect candidate for a laminectomy. currently putting up with sciatica, pain, chills, a limp and some loss of strength and co-ordination in my left leg.
going under the knife 2 weeks from monday, should be back on my feet the same day and out of hospital by day 2. work has been awesome about it and they basically said "come back after easter and see how you feel" so i have a solid month to do my rehab properly and get it sorted. Haven't made my post-op physio appointments, but i have a particular musco-skeletal physio in mind to help me with an ongoing training plan to avoid/reduce further disc degeneration.
mine was not directly attributable to anything in particular, but at the time i was lifting, cycling, playing soccer, running and spending a lot of time at work sitting down :\ until the middle of last year, my squat form left a lot to be desired (i spent about a year squatting 100kg+ with pretty nasty butt-wink without realising it - fixed this prior to the injury) so if i had to put money on a lead contributor, that would be it, but there was never a specific incident that caused pain...
laminotomy: since they're removing bone-mass from the vertebrae there is some loss of integrity, but it's supposed to be minimal and manageable. ongoing physio and maintenance work is unchanged - i have to do the same shit to prevent disc degeneration as i do to protect the compromised vertebrae, so whatever...
discectomy: yeah, understandable - there's been a lot of development in the last 5-10 years so the longer you wait, the better the technique should be.
a mate of mine had his 2nd discectomy about 2 years ago - this one has been fine, but the first one resulted in a full herniation within about 12 months.
how restricted are you, training and activity wise? at this point, if i'm able to get back to riding my bike and squatting moderately (~100kg) i'll be happy.
exactly this. radiating pain means nerves are involved. I have had nerve issues in the past that were caused by muscle tightness (overuse from cycling) and were relieved by physio work, but it could also mean disk degeneration (such as a bulge).
I was in a similar position about 12 months and didn't handle it correctly, now i'm booked in for spinal surgery in 2 weeks. my suggestion would be to get to a physio (preferably a musco-skeletal specialist) and tell them where you are. they should know what to check for to see if it's nerve related. if it is, don't baulk at shelling out $3-400 for an MRI so you know where you stand.
out of interest, when you sit in a chair, can you raise the leg on the affected side to the horizontal? can you then point your foot and toes back towards your body? does that cause any pain in the lower back? alternatively, you could try this Straight leg raise - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia as a means to self-diagnose...
I've incorporated a lot of core work into my routine, but that hasn't made any difference to the pain.
I do sit down all day, and get very tight hamstrings and hip flexors. I try to stretch a lot before a workout, but nothing has seemed to work.
Sorry for all the Q's in advance.
**Ok, while you're waiting to get your MRI could you explain what you've done specifically for core work?
**Also what are you stretching?
I ask because you generally won't have tight hamstrings AND hip flexors. Usually one will be tight and will be over stretched (depending on pelvic tilt). There are tests that can be done to determine which is which.
Pain radiating from the lower back does not necessarily indicate ruptured disc's. I've had a similar experiences and one was facet joint related. It also helps to know what movement/s cause pain...
**Lumbar Flexion - rounding of the lower back like a hitched deadlift?
**Lumbar Extension/Hyperextension - arching the lower back like the top of a back extension?
**Lateral Flexion - sideways bending of the spine?
**Compression/axial loading - When there is excess weight on your back causing pain?
If you can identify these things we can sort out what to stay away from.
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