Lower Back injury, which exercises to use for rehab?

[BigJosh]

Well, it isn't a bad thing at all to have a pessimistic approach to doctors. I am 28 years old and I had a doctor 4 months ago tell me I had leukemia or bone marrow cancer, without any blood work to back it up. So believe me, I understand your distrust of doctors.
And I agree with you, doctors aren't qualified to tell you whether or not you can remain active in weightlifting and sports. In my eyes they are simply another tool in the rehabilitation process, but not the end all be all.
I also agree if we stopped working out at the first sign of soreness or pain no one would ever get anywhere. However, one of the things weightlifting teaches us is that there are normal or good pains and there are bad or abnormal pains. This was a bad pain. And without a doubt needed medical attention.
Believe me, if my doctor told me to not workout anymore, I would tell him to first go fuck himself and second go read starting strength. Doctors know as much about weightlifting and sports as I know about nuclear physics (which is absolutley nothing).

Congratulations by the way on fighting through your injury and staying active.

[cervicornis]

I am 28 years old and I had a doctor 4 months ago tell me I had leukemia or bone marrow cancer, without any blood work to back it up.

Yikes. What happened with that, hopefully a faulty diagnosis?

[BigJosh]

Yeah, faulty diagnosis. It took them a whole week to figure that out. It was a long week.

[grizzlybuck]

BigJosh, unfortunately I speak with experience when it comes to back problems. My back never hurt too much, I had hip pain that would radiate down my leg to the shin. Both family doc and emergency room docs thought it was bursitis in my hip maybe pinching a nerve. X-rays, CT scans didn't show the problems. MRI and Ortho found it to be herniated discs L3-4 and L4-5

My point is to let the pain guide you, don't do anything that makes it worse, and I agree with other posters that walking helps, laying around usually makes it worse. Don't forget to ice it as well, ice helps whether it is muscle or disc related.

Good luck, I hope it feels better soon.

[slughammer]

... Don't forget to ice it as well, ice helps whether it is muscle or disc related.

Good luck, I hope it feels better soon.

I would agree, but with the add on that if you ice it and it feels worse, then its spasming and you're making it tighter. Help there is icy hot and perhaps a little bit of heat. Massage and electro-stim from the chiro help a bunch in that scenario also. That's how my back reacted when I strained it doing dead lifts.

[Tfin]

Big Josh you have had some great advice from the other guys. Just thought I'd throw my two cents in and let you decide what you think is best. I too have had some back problems and was told like most people to stop lifting and on top of that to quit my job immediately for a less physically demanding job like sitting behind a computer. WTF? Anyway, I saw somewhere that Louie Simmons recommends reverse hypers for some lower back rehab. I don't know why exactly, something like it doesn't put the back in extension or flexion, one or the other, I don't care. But it works. I don't have access to a reverse hyper machine, but I do get on the GHD backwards so my hips are on the pads, hands holding the foot rests and legs are hanging below. I find that when I use this to warm-up it helps and also at the end of the workout it makes my back feel like a million bucks.
On a more expensive note, my wife and I just bought a Tempur pedic memory foam mattress (however you spell it), and that son of a bitch is worth every freaking penny. I also try to do yoga on my off days, its gay but i fee better when I'm through. Anyway, hope some of that helps. Best of luck

[BigJosh]

I thank everyone for there advice thus far. However, I am more specifically looking for suggestions on, given the nature of my injury, which exercise(s) should I use in the implementation of starr's injury protocol. Specifically, should I use good mornings (like is suggest in the strongest shall survive for lumbar injuries), squats, or even possibly deads?
Anyone with any more specific insight regarding this question?

[IlPrincipeBrutto]

Specifically, should I use good mornings (like is suggest in the strongest shall survive for lumbar injuries), squats, or even possibly deads? Anyone with any more specific insight regarding this question?

As I've said, my vote goes to squats. I had good results with them.

Additional note: I'm pretty confident you will recover completely from this. Maybe the choice of exercise will influence the dynamic of the recovery, but the result, in my opinion, is not in doubt.

IPB.

[semiok45]

Wow Josh, I could have posted the exact scenario. How are you now?

I "tweaked" my back on my deadlift set on Feb 12th. It's June 10th and I've seen a vast improvement but I still have a little pain and stiffness. It's right at the hip level on my left side. Stretching sometimes makes it tighter and worse.

The frustrating thing about it is not knowing how to recover. Do I be smart and rest or stop being a pussy and train? If I knew the best thing to do I would just do it. And even though both a doctor and a chiro told me there was no sign of a disc issue (which is great) I don't always trust them... I had a doctor tell me I was HIV positive and a week later a second test proved it all false. Not to one-up you, but yeah, shitty week.

So I do have a question for you or anyone... before a workout, is it better to heat it or ice it? And I already know to take the vitamin I. As for rehab exercises I'm just doing the ones that hurt a little, but not much (e.g. light squats and deads). -Nate

[JB1981]

Chiro dude. Mine worked wonders for me. Herniated disc after deadlifting like a retard. I still have daily back "issues" but it has not interfered w/ training. Now its my knees, which I'm terribly depressed about.