The Second Coming: Will D's rehab log

[Eugene]

As you may know, I herniated L5-S1 in Dec 2011 and the nerve supply to my right calf and gluteus maximus was cut off. That side of my ass was almost completely paralyzed, and my calf was so weak that I could barely drive. For a month I could only climb stairs with my other leg, one step at a time. I was horribly misdiagnosed which is another story, but I have had to spend the vast majority of 2012 laying flat (because the disk material doesn't compress my spinal nerves as much in this position) The nerves to my calf were lucky to heal well, so far as I can tell, but my right gluteus maximus is still quite weak. It atrophied to almost nothing and has taken a very long time to regain any strength.

This has been extremely humbling. I was training very hard and impressing people at basketball when I got injured. I have never been able to lift a lot but getting stronger, particularly squatting really upped my athleticism.

I started squatting (with the bar) in August, so I had a good 9 months to atrophy, and accumulate weird little injuries from limping around too much.

Here is what I did today:

HBS 200x4x5 slow eccentric, 1-2 second pause squats
GHR 12 reps
Pistols doing a single rep and switching legs x 10
GHR 10 reps
Pistols again, but felt some discomfort in knee
GHR 10 reps

Notes:

Squatting is feeling more symmetrical but I can't "feel" the hip drive on the right side very well yet. I must concentrate to contract it and it limits the lift a lot. Some areas get very sore, others not so much. When I take a step forward with my right leg and extend my hip it feels sort of like scar tissue is crunching in the muscle belly. This is my second time ever doing pistols. I can go all the way down with my good leg and sit there a long time before springing back up. I can hardly get to parallel on the right side, and my abductors start taking over for my gluteus maxiumus. At that point, I wobbled a little and I felt a little discomfort in my knee. I need more gluteal strength or I will hurt my knee. Next time I will not attack getting as much depth.

[OCG]

Maybe you should take up bench pressing.

[Eugene]

What for?

[Eugene]

Today:

HBS singles with a long pause. I take maybe 3-4 second on the eccentric. I do not count or time the pause but when I run out of air I take a breath or two in the hole being careful to keep my spine in extension in this vulnerable spot.

135x2
155x1
175x1
195x2x1 Two breaths in the hole on these

Deadlifts from the floor

195x2x10

Notes: Setting up to deadlift feels like fucking shit. It's a miracle that the weight even moves off the floor. My spinal erectors are not contracting symmetrically either, but this isn't as big a problem (or one at all really) compared to my gluteal weakness. Squats felt good.

I thought it would be fun to keep tack of the people I see squatting correctly/incorrectly (egregious mistakes, abysmal depth). Unfortunately I only noticed the guy next to me squatting, and they were miserable. I know that other people were squatting around me but I was focused on myself.

Tally: 0/1.

[Eugene]

Second workout today:

HBS a little faster eccentric and shorter pause
135x1
155x1
175x2
195x2x2

Notes: As I was warming up with 95lbs someone at the rack next to me actually bumped my bar with their shoulder. This made me furious. I immediately pressed it over my head and slammed it into the J-cups so I could address him. He was benching without collars and his plates were sliding everywhere. SMH.

Session Tally: 0/3
Cumulative Tally: 0/4

[Red Finn]

I'm rooting for you, mate.

[OCG]

What for?

Because it will increase your chances of dropping a barbell on your face and dying considerably.

[yorick]

Glad to see you post a log. Good luck with your training and injury recovery.

Edit: How did you herniate your L5-S1? I think that's the same place I have a herniated disk. I just got my paperwork back, and I have at least one bulge and another herniated disk. I'm trying to figure out my best course of action besides more stretching and ab work.

[Eugene]

Thanks for all the support, especially from dearest OCG.

I didn't do any one thing to herniate it but I think basketball is more of a culprit than weightlifting. I took a hard fall from the rim and fell right on my ass (made the dunk tho) and I think that may have messed things up too. I was doing GMs at a fast tempo but these did not seem to bother me. The posterior longitudinal ligament must have ruptured in early Dec 2011 and at the time I thought I just tweaked it and took a week off, then started dunking, balling, and squatting again. I have had a history lower back problems pretty much since I started lifting a barbell.

Lower back pain is shitty, but the nerve compression and pain down my leg was enough to bring me to tears (not that I'm a really tough guy or anything but I don't think I've ever cried from physical pain before)

I don't know if stretching is a good idea. Returning to squatting has been the best thing for me but I was not able to do this for a long time.

Do you have nerve compression symptoms? I think like half of people over 40 have various degrees of disk herniation and most are asymptomatic (at least as far as nerve compression) Back pain is enigmatic and there's really not much medicine can do

[Eugene]

First session today:

HBS pause 135x10x1. Some eccentric portions took approx. 10s with very long pauses.

Notes: warm up and 10 singles took 40 minutes. That amazes me.

Session Tally: 0/0 -- I was the only person squatting the entire time that I was at the gym and all of the 8 racks were in use. Pathetic.
Cumulative Tally: 0/4