Minor case of pinched nerve?

[bigbonustoday]

Hi guys -

Yesterday I squatted 1x5RM and did 2x5 SLDL at 20% off my deadlift 1x5RM. It was my first time doing SLDL and my lower back was very sore. I filmed myself and made sure my back was flat (other than 1 last rep of set 2). I usually do 2x5 light DL on light pulling days at 10% off but I wanted to try SLDL to target back strength.

A couple hours later, with no warning at all, I had this shooting pain down my left outer thigh. It went away in less than 5 seconds but it was painful. It came back just once again that evening. Same thing came and went in less than 5 seconds.

So I took it easy and paused lifting for 2 days (1 day was supposed to be a rest day anyway). And it never came back again.

I'm 34 years old, 6 foot tall, 180lbs. 5RM: SQ 255lbs, DL 255, BP 150.

A couple questions:
1) Most online articles consider pinched nerve a long-term condition due to old age and obesity. My case is likely different. Should I expect it to be long-lasting? Can pinched nerve be a minor temporary issue?
2) Was this caused by bad form? Weight too heavy? Anything I can do to prevent it?

Thank you all.

[Mark Rippetoe]

I wanted to try SLDL to target back strength.

Because the squat and the deadlift neglect back strength. Got it.

A couple hours later, with no warning at all, I had this shooting pain down my left outer thigh. It went away in less than 5 seconds but it was painful. It came back just once again that evening. Same thing came and went in less than 5 seconds.

So I took it easy and paused lifting for 2 days (1 day was supposed to be a rest day anyway). And it never came back again.

This is sciatica, probably arising at the piriformis. It is not always possible to determine what causes a temporary back pain. But in your case:

I'm 34 years old, 6 foot tall, 180lbs. 5RM: SQ 255lbs, DL 255, BP 150.

You are severely underweight, and underweight predisposes to tweaks like this. Why have you chosen to disregard our advice about gaining weight? Do you have a calendar shoot coming up?

[SouthernLifter]

I am plenty agree with Rip. At 180 lbs for 6 foot, the your paraspinal muscles must be just weak shit (sorry for my latin).

[Satch12879]

I am plenty agree with Rip. At 180 lbs for 6 foot, the your paraspinal muscles must be just weak shit (sorry for my latin).

Fortis fortuna adiuvat, frater.

[bigbonustoday]

Because the squat and the deadlift neglect back strength. Got it.



This is sciatica, probably arising at the piriformis. It is not always possible to determine what causes a temporary back pain. But in your case:



You are severely underweight, and underweight predisposes to tweaks like this. Why have you chosen to disregard our advice about gaining weight? Do you have a calendar shoot coming up?

Appreciate the feedbacks. Yes I'm working on gaining weight.

In the meantime, any suggestion on what I should do for sciatic nerve tingling? The initial pain has reduced to just tingling when i bend down with a flat back (kinda like the deadlift's starting position). It was gone completely for a couple days so I resumed lifting at 10% off. But the tingling came back a day later.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Get a piriformis release.

[Griffin727]

Hi guys -

Yesterday I squatted 1x5RM and did 2x5 SLDL at 20% off my deadlift 1x5RM. It was my first time doing SLDL and my lower back was very sore. I filmed myself and made sure my back was flat (other than 1 last rep of set 2). I usually do 2x5 light DL on light pulling days at 10% off but I wanted to try SLDL to target back strength.

A couple hours later, with no warning at all, I had this shooting pain down my left outer thigh. It went away in less than 5 seconds but it was painful. It came back just once again that evening. Same thing came and went in less than 5 seconds.

So I took it easy and paused lifting for 2 days (1 day was supposed to be a rest day anyway). And it never came back again.

I'm 34 years old, 6 foot tall, 180lbs. 5RM: SQ 255lbs, DL 255, BP 150.

A couple questions:
1) Most online articles consider pinched nerve a long-term condition due to old age and obesity. My case is likely different. Should I expect it to be long-lasting? Can pinched nerve be a minor temporary issue?
2) Was this caused by bad form? Weight too heavy? Anything I can do to prevent it?

Thank you all.

You dont need to do SLDL right now, just do the novice program then advanced novice set up till you cant recover from it. SlDL is a intermediate and up lift for guy who need like a medium pull day.

[bigbonustoday]

Thanks everyone! Agreed that I should gain some weight. Working on it but not easy since I have a busy and stressful job and not a ton of time/appetite to eat.

Update on pinched nerve - I rested for a few days and the tingling went away entirely. Resumed lifting and was good for 3 days (2 NLP sessions, 15% deload) but it came back again! Just tingling no pain. Even the tingling I think has gotten a little better. Like before the tingling is only set off by very specific motions (bottom squat positions or deadlift starting position with back flat). No other symptoms.

It's by no means terrible but more just annoying at this point. I also don't want to keep irritating the nerve to risk it becoming something permanent.

I've had pulled muscles in leg/thigh/lower back in the past but it typically heals completely within 1-2 days. The pinched nerve on the other hand has lingered for almost 2 weeks at this point as I'm stuck in this cycle of resting - no tingling - resume lifting - tingling comes back cycle.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Again:

You are severely underweight, and underweight predisposes to tweaks like this. Why have you chosen to disregard our advice about gaining weight? Do you have a calendar shoot coming up?