Third Epidural in a year

[warmachine7954]

I've got a slight L5-S1 protrusion and have been lifting through it. However after deadlifting last Friday it has really been acting up. I did 400 x 5 and it felt good. But after, for the last few days it's been bad enough to keep me awake and cause pain in my right buttock, hamstring and the side of my knee and calf.

No real issue when I squat. I'm up to 300 for 3 sets of 5 and making good progress.

My MRI shows, on the right side around my L5-S1, my muscles are pressing against my spine and that seems to be what is causing the nerve compression. So the doc thinks I need an epidural and if this doesn't work then he recommends surgery.

Last year before I started having this problem my DL was 440 x5. As my deadlift went up so did my back pain then eventually down my leg. So to me it sounds like dealifting is the culprit. Could I leave out heavy deadlifts and do lighter high rep DL?

[Mark Rippetoe]

Where does the doc think your muscles should normally be, if not pressing up against your spine?

[warmachine7954]

This is just what I see when looking at the MRI. There is more black(the color of the stuff in the MRI) on the right than the left. He's a Korean doc with limited English. After doing some research myself it seems like my piriformis is what is causing the problem. I haven't always been sure it was a disc, but after reading about the piriformis on may different sites and searching startingstrength.com I've some to the conclusion that I'm gonna cancel the epidural and talk to the Dr. again tomorrow.


In 1998 I was knocked on the right side of my butt right where it hurts now in a basketball game and have had some trouble since. It has it's good time and bad times.

After reading it seems like I need to get a massage or foam roll this area to get a release, do some stretches, and wait it out to see if it gets better.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Sounds like both of you are guessing. What did the radiology report say?

[warmachine7954]

Just slight degeneration in the L discs and slight protrusion, very slight, in the L5-S1 disc. Ive had 2 epidurals and neither have done anything. NSAID's always help but when their done the pain comes back.

[vineyardkite]

I too have a bulging disk at L5S1 that was confirmed by MRI last summer. I had been battling back and leg pain for almost a year before I got the MRI. What they couldn't test for was stress though... I can't tell you how connected stress and low back tightness is for me. I am self employed and when work is slow my back "acts" up... When my wife won't give it up it "acts" up... and so on.

My initial relief came from a course of Prednisone. The Prednisone took most of the swelling away and allowed what came next which was a LOT of stretching several times a day. Focusing on the hams, Piriformis, and hips... Lots of Ibuprofen when I needed it. Where my story differs is that this is when I found SS so I got strong after i got my back in order.. Maybe a short lay off is in order to analyze your stress level and get your stretch on and get some positive vibes going? Not trying to sound all Hippy-skippy but there is a HUGE relationship between the psyche and the somatic....

My two cents,
Shawn

[Mark Rippetoe]

If you take prednisone for anything except brain swelling, you are fucking up the long-term situation. You are still strong, and you'll have to figure out a way to train through this and sleep with the pain until it goes away, which it will.

[Steve Hill]

You do realize it's going to take more than a few weeks for the back pain to go away - if it ever does - don't you? Search the forum. This has been discussed numerous times, with many people (myself included) contributing personal experience.

[Jonathon Sullivan]

If you take prednisone for anything except brain swelling, you are fucking up the long-term situation. You are still strong, and you'll have to figure out a way to train through this and sleep with the pain until it goes away, which it will.

Actually, Rip, it doesn't work for brain swelling, either.

[hopsluvr]

I had 6 epidurals from 1996-2003. I believe my L4-L5 & S1 pain was due to a combination of fucked up lifting technique, too much golf, driving too much for work, and sleeping on my back or sides with my legs in any position I wanted. Look at everything you are doing on a regular basis, and pay particular attention to your sleep habits. The best thing I've done for my back since my last epidural is, learn how to lift correctly. I also started sleeping on my stomach, became an occasional golfer, and started using an Empi TENS Unit when the pain was most intense. I still get strange shooting pains down the leg once in a while after heavy lifting, but it almost always goes away within a day or two. If not, I start the ibuprofen and hook-up the TENS unit. I'll even wear that thing while sleeping for a night or two. Usually that does the trick. Whatever you do don't puss-out and stop lifting like I did for a year. I was in more pain and felt 10 yrs older by not lifting. Even when I didn't know what I was doing technique-wise, I was better off staying physically engaged than letting my body turn into a pathetically weak, unmotivated piece of shit.