"Chest Up" and T-6 spine injury

[snain]

I was doing a warmup set on the deadlift yesterday and as I did the "chest up" cue to set my back in position, I felt a sudden pop in the T6 spine. There was no lead-up to the injury. The spine was not under a load at this time. I didn't think anything of it and I completed my deadlift sets without a problem and there was no pain for the remainder of the day. However today I woke up with my T6 feeling feeling sore and it's much sorer when I'm sitting. I continue to have a full range of motion.

I've had this same injury from heavy lifting 3 years ago in the exact same area. It caused me a lot of pain while sitting and deadlifting was impossible to perform. I got an MRI and a bone scan done and test results showed no indication of spinal damage.

I rolled out the area of my back along my T6 spine back with a lacrosse ball and that helped me feel a bit better, but I'm not sure how to go about this injury. I obviously want to avoid this from happening again and I don't want it to get worse.

Any thoughts/advice would be useful.

[Mark Rippetoe]

I'm not sure from reading this post that you actually have what you keep referring to as an "injury."

[Will Morris]

1) Pops that don't cause immediate fracture quality pain and / or hard neuro signs mean nothing.

2) perhaps there are a few medical professionals who have ever actually seen a T6 level weightlifting injury. That vertebral level (T6) is rarely the site of a nontraumatic, low energy injury.

3) you almost certainly have a facet joint dysfunction. Use a chair to fulcrum that level and extend your t-spine into extension for bouts of 30 seconds at a time.

[snain]

If it isn't an injury, why was there was a "pop" followed by soreness? Why would it hurt when I'm sitting? It's been 3 days since the pop and I still feel a little bit sore. Also, my T6 spine hurts when I touch it, but I'm not sure if this is because I rolled the area out with the lacrosse ball.

I will continue to deadlift heavy if it's safe to do so -- I just don't want to relive the pain I went through 3 years ago, which put me out lifting heavy on the deadlift for several months. What do you suggest?

[Mark Rippetoe]

I suggest you stop training. That way, there will be no possibility that you get hurt while training.

[Subsistence]

Not that I think it actually is an injury, but maybe take a video of your deadlift and make sure you aren't massively hyperextending your thoracic when doing this?

[ColoWayno]

If you are worried about it get it looked at.
Sometimes you can only tell if you need to worry by training. Don't try to max out your Deadlift now. I would maybe skip one DL session then come back with a light weight and do as many reps as you can comfortably do. Then do what the rest of us are doing, add weight and adjust reps judiciously each week based on last weeks results. You will most likely either get worse or better and you will know what you need to do.

[snain]

I've played sports all my life, from soccer to wrestling. I've been hurt many times and I get over it. But I find that special attention should be given to any pain coming from the spinal area. Like I said, this exact thing put me out of commission on the deadlift for several months, and made my life a little uncomfortable at times.

Would hanging from straps for 30 seconds at a time achieve the same result?

[Mark Rippetoe]

A guy as experienced as you with spinal injuries should have already given this a try. How did it work?

[snain]

I'd like to say that hanging from straps for 30 seconds x 3 has left me without any pain or discomfort today. Thank you everyone for your help.