Dead lift Injury - middle back, inside rib cage; right side

[jimgarstka]

Thank you Mark & Team for creating this program and making it available to everyone. This is my first forum post.

I need some advice for a injury that occurred during the dead lift 1 week ago. I reviewed the forum threads and did not find anything similar.

I am feeling annoying pain in my middle back. The pain is localized to an area right below my rib cage in the back, it actually feels like the pain is inside the rib cage - near the diapragm maybe, because I can feel a dull version of the pain when I inhale deeply, and slightly sharper if i cough.

I can still perform some of the my lifts; it does not impact my squat or bench press, but I can feel it with the press and I cannot dead lift heavy (pulling off of the floor is painful)

Can anyone provide insight into what the injury might be (which muscle) and the best course of action to rehab?

Background
- 48 year old male
- began SS LP program 10 weeks ago
- prior to beginning the program I hadn't trained for about 23 years
- Dead lift 300 1x5 - still progressing 5lbs per week
- Squat 260 3x5 - still progressing 5lbs per workout
- Bench 195 3x5 - still progressing 5lbs per workout
- Press 110 3x5 (stuck, gonna buy micro-plates)

Thanks

[jimgarstka]

Crickets...

Ok, well, a quick update - I lifted heavy today to see if I could - and I was able to progress to 305 1x5 on the dead lift and 265 on the Squat - the pain is still there, but i am working through it hoping it will go away over time.

The annoying thing is that I feel strong, yet this injury makes me feel weak/fragile because it hurts to cough, sneeze, walk, jump. At this point I plan to keep lifting unless someone on this forum thinks i should back off and rest.

[Charlie Davies]

Some injuries require you rest them, others heal best if you work them. I just try it and see, carefully. I.e. exactly what you are doing.

Normally a doc will spend $5K on imaging, tell you what's wrong with you (i.e. "your middle back hurts" but in Latin) and then send you to physical therapy, which is mostly stretching, voodoo and ineffective strength training.

The $5K buys you the reassurance that it isn't cancer. If you get $5K worried, see a doctor.
Things that make me worried enough to spend the bucks are neuro symptoms (numbness, tingling), life-limiting pain when not working out, any reduction in the ability to breathe, stay conscious, eat, eliminate, etc.

But obviously I'm not a doctor. If you take my advice and then die from it, sorry. You paid $0 and that's what my medical advice is worth!

[jimgarstka]

Thanks - I will continue working through it.

If anyone can shed light on what "body part" I Injured i would love to know.

[Charlie Davies]

Thanks - I will continue working through it.

If anyone can shed light on what "body part" I Injured i would love to know.

I once hurt something ribcage-related when I tried to (idiotically) do dips on rings/straps. Maybe an intercostal muscle/tendon/ligament/something? Hurt to breathe, laugh, etc for a long time. It went away eventually and never came back.

[John Weaver]

I've been dealing with what I think/thought is a QL muscle issue in the mid back that has now wrapped around to more of the side. So now it's more possibly something in the Serratus Posterior area. I believe I injured mine getting forward on squats and not being tight enough. This one seems to be re-injured/re-aggravated easily and feels better with rest...unfortuately. I can squat and DL but not at the worksets I had achieved pre-injury. Very frustrating.