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Thread: Sciatica? pain and deadlifts

  1. #1
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    Default Sciatica? pain and deadlifts

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    Got a strange injury, and was just wondering on the diagonosis and what I should do

    A few weeks ago, I decided to give linear progression one last deload, took all my lifts down to a 2 plate squat/2 plate deadlift/one plate bench and 40kgs on the press and powerclean.

    Everything was going fine, forced myslef to take smaller jumps and got my squat up to 130kg, deadlift to 145kg, bench to 70kg and press to 57.5kg, with no sign of stopping.

    I was doing my workset on my deadlifts and somewhere around the last rep I felt a very slight numbness/jelly feeling shoot down my right leg to the top of my right calf (it did not hurt). Thought nothing of it and went home.

    After I got home about an hour later, standing up was met with a large sharp pain, especially when straightening my back. On top of this there is a slight nagging numb pain down my leg and what I would guess is my piriformis (or at least the area) all on my right side down to my right calf muscle which feels semi numb.

    I went the doctor, and he told me to lay of heavy lifting and take ibuprofen.

    Strangely I get no pain and seem to be fine when squatting (other than the painkillers making my right leg feel kinda numb), but im certainly not going to deadlift or powerclean until it heals up.

    It doesnt really feel like a disc/back injury, more like numb muscle in my right leg, with a shooting downward pain.
    Last edited by Alyion; 09-02-2010 at 11:42 PM.

  2. #2
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    Without an MRI you may never know for sure if it is spine related or not.

    Two things which come to my mind are either a bulging disc (been there, I hope you never will) or piriformis muscle pushing on sciatic nerve.

    For now try to do lots of piriformis stretches and rolling the glute on a tennisball. Look for the sore spot.
    Be aware it will hurt like hell initially but it should help to reduce the pain quite fast.

    If the pain does not reduce after a good week or so, go see your doc again and ask for an MRI.

    I would follow his advice about staying clear from lifting heavy for some weeks. If it is spine related you might aggravate things and be out for some months (again, been there, done that).
    Keep it light and focus on form.

  3. #3
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    I had serious sciatic nerve issues brought on by leg presses a few years ago. I struggled with deadlifts, and kept reinjuring it, until about 6 mths ago.

    I have now fixed it (as good as fixed anyway, still have to crack my back every day!!) by doing the following:
    - Deadlift more often with 60-70% weights
    - Get a baseball and sit on it to release your piriformis. Do this daily. Theres a Joe de franco video on how to do this out there somewhere.
    - Get your hips, especially hip flexors mobile and flexible.
    - Develop thoracic spine strength. Front squats are good for this. A lot of guys think they are in extension when the low back is extended...you need to learn to extend the thoracic spine...this is what really fixed me up and allowed for a much stronger position.
    - USe Romanian Deadlifts as a substitute when your sciatic feels a little off. I also found snatch grip deadlifts to be less agrivating

    Thats what fixed me up anyway. Hope this is helpfull

  4. #4
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    This happened to me a couple of years ago after a particularly tough squat session. That night I met my wife's physiotherapist at a company ball. I described my symptoms to her.

    She prescribed "liquid muscle relaxant" and "vigorous low intensity rhythmic movement".

    AKA "beer and dancing". I downed a couple of pints and painfully made my way onto the dancefloor where I hopped about for a few hours.

    I was fine the next day. Gotta love PTs that know their stuff.

  5. #5
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    i get this from deadlifting too. do you stretch after? i find that after a heavy pulling session, my muscles will be particularly tight afterwards. foam rolling and piriformis stretches pretty much take care of it for me.

  6. #6
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    Alyion,

    I'm not a full fledged doctor yet (medical student atm), but I am very familiar with several patterns of injuries in the lower back and hip area through patients and some of my own experiences. The two parts of your description below are the narrowest elements in your description but still fit several potential diagnoses, if you would answer a couple more I might be able to narrow it a bit for you.

    Does the pain you experience when standing diminish and/or resolve after taking several steps?
    Do you experience any atypical discomfort in the area(s) when sitting for long stretches of time?

    Quote Originally Posted by Alyion View Post

    After I got home about an hour later, standing up was met with a large sharp pain, especially when straightening my back.
    Strangely I get no pain and seem to be fine when squatting (other than the painkillers making my right leg feel kinda numb

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by bcsmith3 View Post
    Alyion,

    I'm not a full fledged doctor yet (medical student atm), but I am very familiar with several patterns of injuries in the lower back and hip area through patients and some of my own experiences. The two parts of your description below are the narrowest elements in your description but still fit several potential diagnoses, if you would answer a couple more I might be able to narrow it a bit for you.

    Does the pain you experience when standing diminish and/or resolve after taking several steps?
    Do you experience any atypical discomfort in the area(s) when sitting for long stretches of time?
    I too am a medical student. And I too have spinal injury. And the answer is 'yes' to both your questions (for me).

  8. #8
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    thanks for the knowledge guys, I really appreciate it.

    Almost two weeks on (thrus the 2nd being when I did it) The pain has pretty much totally gone now, but the slight numbness within the calf still remains, albeit largely diminished. During the early days of the pain I couldn't even walk longer than 2/3 mins without extremely large dull pain within the calf and lower right leg, forcing me to stop and wait. The first two nights sleep as also a bitch unless I slept with my right injured leg on top of my left leg (like a spoon position ) but got better. Bending the leg eased the pain and felt zero pain from sitting down/ squatting down - It seemed to hurt when the leg muscles were at full extension but fine with slack. Air squatting helped and seemed to aid the pain.

    I took a full week off and started going back the gym on sunday with upperbody lifts only. I actually barbell squatted perfectly fine today (despite struggling with 110kg thanks to crappy sleep and food probably) and will probably massively deload my deadlift and work it back up from something like 135.

    Are sumo deadlifts any 'safer' (bad word I know) than conventional deads? Stupid question probably but I have never tried them.

  9. #9
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    I'm not sure what to make of this, then. Sorry I couldn't be of more help.

    The sumo deadlift variation shifts some of the work from the back to the hips and legs.

    Quote Originally Posted by Alyion View Post
    thanks for the knowledge guys, I really appreciate it.

    Almost two weeks on (thrus the 2nd being when I did it) The pain has pretty much totally gone now, but the slight numbness within the calf still remains, albeit largely diminished. During the early days of the pain I couldn't even walk longer than 2/3 mins without extremely large dull pain within the calf and lower right leg, forcing me to stop and wait. The first two nights sleep as also a bitch unless I slept with my right injured leg on top of my left leg (like a spoon position ) but got better. Bending the leg eased the pain and felt zero pain from sitting down/ squatting down - It seemed to hurt when the leg muscles were at full extension but fine with slack. Air squatting helped and seemed to aid the pain.

    I took a full week off and started going back the gym on sunday with upperbody lifts only. I actually barbell squatted perfectly fine today (despite struggling with 110kg thanks to crappy sleep and food probably) and will probably massively deload my deadlift and work it back up from something like 135.

    Are sumo deadlifts any 'safer' (bad word I know) than conventional deads? Stupid question probably but I have never tried them.

  10. #10
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    starting strength coach development program
    Quote Originally Posted by Sami View Post
    I too am a medical student. And I too have spinal injury. And the answer is 'yes' to both your questions (for me).
    Bilateral, or more pronounced on one side? That sequela of symptoms is classic sacroilitis

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