How long do lower backs take to heal?

[njdevilsfan87]

About 1-2 months ago, I injured my back lower back deadlifting. For a while after that, putting any strain on my lower back caused tightness and pain. But I was still able to resume my gym routine, 4-5 days a week, working out all areas, except lower back.

Today, I decided to go at it again. I no longer felt any pain - just some very slight tightness. I did some stretches and core warmups on the mats. I went through the motion of deadlifting, making sure my form was perfect - my ass popping out and my lower back straight as a board. When I put some weights on the bar, I even went very light, so that I could make sure I kept proper form as I went. My first set, a very easy 95lbs x 10, followed by another easy 135lbs x 10, then 185lbs x 10, where I started to feel some resistance, but still not too bad considering that's my body weight. All seemed well, until about 1-2 minutes after the third set (was planning on doing one more at 210lbs) when I bent over... and felt the pain and tightness. I ended up leaving the gym after that, not even 30 minutes into the workout.

What the fuck? I think this is my first "I'm getting older moment". I'm sitting here with an icy-hot patch on my lower back, hoping I didn't re-injure it too badly...

Kind of sad I can bench way more than I can deadlift now...

 

[Koing]

Don't deadlift for more than 3-6sets imo. Do more sets. Doing 10reps as a beginner on a reasonable weight of say 185lbs imo is not recommended early on. Sure 10reps with say the bar but once you get to say 135lbs do more sets of 3-6 to warm up if you feel that you need it. No harm in doing 135lbs for 3-6sets and 2-3sets if you need it to warm up. I often do 60kg for a 2sets when warming up my squats.

This is more so as you are coming off an injury. Take it easy on the reps. Can you do a good morning with just the bar? It's a good warm up imo to do 6-8reps and 2sets just with the bar to warm up after your dynamic stretches.

When you bent over, how did you do it? Did you bend at the knees keeping your back straight or did you just crane your back over?

Koing

 

[njdevilsfan87]

I bend at the knees as I come down, and as I come up I'll straighten them again. It felt "right" because I was feeling it in my hamstrings, as well as front of the core. So the load was not fully concentrated on my lower back.

I definitely cannot do a good morning now, as I can't even hold my own upper body weight in that position. I'll have a better idea tomorrow, but it looks like I've injured again.

I guess I'll have to start looking into exercises that can help it heal it quicker. I neglected that the first time around, just waiting for it to heal on its own. And just go baby light on the dead-lifts and stay there for a little while, once I can again. For now I just hope I can still squat and leg press.

 

[Koing]

I bend at the knees as I come down, and as I come up I'll straighten them again. It felt "right" because I was feeling it in my hamstrings, as well as front of the core. So the load was not fully concentrated on my lower back.

I definitely cannot do a good morning now, as I can't even hold my own upper body weight in that position. I'll have a better idea tomorrow, but it looks like I've injured again.

I guess I'll have to start looking into exercises that can help it heal it quicker. I neglected that the first time around, just waiting for it to heal on its own. And just go baby light on the dead-lifts and stay there for a little while, once I can again. For now I just hope I can still squat and leg press.

I meant reps, no more than 3-6reps, more so when you are coming off an injury.

I meant when you bent over to grab something, or did you mean when you bent over in lowering the weight?

Good mornings, okay, don't do any. Let it rest. But I do recommend doing some good mornings even with no bar to warm up pre training.

Do you have access to a hyper extension machine? If so I'd use that every other day at the end of your sessions. It's a great piece of kit! Once you get better you can use it weighted.

Koing

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

I herniated a disk doing deadlifts and it took a year and a half to start feeling somewhat normal again, as in no pain down my leg. Right now after 2 years I feel about 85% back to normal. There is still an asymetrical sensation down that leg if I pause and notice it, but it doesn't bother me anymore.

Be careful of your back!

 

[Phantom9309]

Without x-rays, you won't know the extent of the injury. A good rule of thumb is to go easy on it till you have full range of motion again. Then go easy for another couple months.

Otherwise, just go see a doctor.

 

[Doppel]

It is impossible to say.

As I've gotten older I just stop doing what hurts. As a kid I did a lot of deadlifts, no issues at all. Now I spend all my life sitting in a chair. My lower back is mostly fine, but certain activities make it very pissed off, including deads. I just don't do them. This means I'm like 99% of the population, it's no big deal. I have no powerlifting meets to attend and ignore people who say it's a mandatory part of strength training because it sure isn't (nothing is specifically mandatory, in fact).

I've had a lot of various joint pains over the years and lower back is unequivocally the worst. Don't mess with it.

 

[lk2500]

WARNING WARNING WARNING!!!!!

Have you had your back looked at? I ignored the warning signs of a "sore" back and ended up with a torn disc last March. It hit my sicatic nerve and I was in tremendous pain for weeks where I could barely walk. Went through 15 weeks of PT and I'm back up to running 4 miles twice a week along with some elliptical work and doing all the PT exercises I learned. It's been a good 22 weeks now since the initial injury and I still have pain from the nerve damage, the nerve takes a lot longer to heal than the disc.

You probably have a herniated disc and need to have a doctor look at it.

I recommend you and everybody reading this post at least buy this book and read it thoroughly. You can either do these exercises now to prevent back injury, or you can do them every waking hour for weeks as prescribed by a PT after you tear your disc the rest of the way. Best $9 you will ever spend.

http://www.amazon.com/Treat-Your-Own.../dp/0987650408

 

[njdevilsfan87]

I went on vacation the past 8 days, so there was no gym time for me. I can bend over and lift things now without any pain. I'll try a very easy back workout the middle of this week, and go from there. If anything comes back, I'll definitely consider getting it looked at. Hopefully last week was nothing more than extreme post workout pain. And thanks for the link lk2500.

 

[ManBearPig]

deleted

 

[slightlyhuman]

koing always has the best advice.

:beer;

i've pulled two lower back muscles and JUDAS PRIEST i didn't realize how dependent we are on our back muscles. i couldn't do SHIT for at least a week +each time(i'm talking not even get out of a chair without using my arms to pull me up).



GL

 

[OptimumSlinky]

OP, I've injured myself similarly twice.

It took about two full months (8 weeks) until the pain subsided and mobility allowed me to begin lifting again. Even then, I stayed between 95#-135# for weeks, focusing on technique with full deads, rack pulls, and Romanians.

The second time it happened, I attended yoga classes at least 2x a week for a full month and did no further lifting. This worked wonders, and I am convinced it helped speed the healing process and improved my overall mobility. Also got me laid, as I hooked up with a girl in the yoga classes, but that was just a bonus.

Back on topic, deadlifts are NOT a lift suited to high volume. Most respected strength coaches and trainers don't recommended deadlifting more than once a week, and usually in low volume (3x3, 5x3, 1x5). I've done some higher volume, pyramid stuff with deadlifts since, but NEVER above my bodyweight (for me, 185#).

Finally, I'm not a doctor, but both of my injuries I've determined were caused by loss of extension in the lumbar spine. You probably though your back was straight, and your upper back might even have been. But if the injury is that painful and restricting, you've done either muscular damage to the spinal erectors or damage to a disc (again likely in the lumbar). My best advice is to get rehab it carefully, and get help from a good weightlifting coach. Have them spot you and ensure you're maintaining proper lumbar extension throughout the lift. I thought my form was perfect until I was videotaped at a weightlifting seminar and was able to actually see that my lumbar back was all fucked up (the result of tight hamstrings and a generally weak posterior chain).

Best of luck in your recovery.

 

[njdevilsfan87]

Pulled/injured it AGAIN. This time doing squats. Right on my tailbone somehow. Everything was going very well for the past month until today. It seems like I'll never get back to what I was once able to do. The moment I put just a little bit too much stress on lower back, something blows out.

Sigh... guess I'm just one of "those" people now.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Pulled/injured it AGAIN. This time doing squats. Right on my tailbone somehow. Everything was going very well for the past month until today. It seems like I'll never get back to what I was once able to do. The moment I put just a little bit too much stress on lower back, something blows out.

Sigh... guess I'm just one of "those" people now.

What? You were actually able to get back to lifting. You're hardly one of those people. There is obviously something happening. Either your form is off, you're lifting too much, or you're not taking care of your body via eating well, sleeping well, stretching, etc. Start back with just the bar and work your way up slow as slow can be.