comicfire

Wow! Three years later i'm back with an update. I'm feeling great! I have learned to adapt to what I can do in the gym and what I can't do...and as a result I actually did achieve my fitness goals. My back isn't 100% but its at around 95-96%. Usually I don't have any issues unless I'm lifting something super heavy or sitting in a bad way (guilty of this - especially during this pandemic). I'm a lot older now and looking back at all the support and guidance I got from this community I truly am thankful for. I even to this date still remember some of your specific advice and whatnot. I hope all you are safe and sound during this pandemic, I truly wish the best for all you. Comic

Hi all It's been nearly 6 months since I last posted...wow time flies! But I've been doing well! Health is in check, I've adapted and learned to look after myself in hardships similar to I faced. I'd like to thank all of you for being there for me and supporting me while I was going through it all. I felt like a lost puppy, and without a lot of this community's guidance I would have been far worse so I really do appreciate everyone who put their input/support in this thread <3 Yours truly, Comic

Hi guys It's been a while since I've posted...wow! I just wanted to thank you all for your undue support and help - I really do appreciate it. So what's going on with me? I've got x-rays done and what we've discovered is that I have loss of lordosis causing my spine to become completely flat (rather than the slight natural curve you should have in your lumbar spine). Apparently this flat back is due to muscle spams in my lower back which have become locked and i've been fixated in this position for a couple of months. Earlier I had said that I had pelvic misalignment, this was a symptom of the underlying cause. I've done some research on the web and there isn't much information compared to other back conditions out there, but i am thankful that my condition is due to muscle imbalances and not a structural problem (we ruled out DDD and ankylosing spondylolysis). Well, I've been prescribed physical therapy now and hopefully will be starting in next week and actually begin my road to recovery. I've gained a few pounds and literally loss all my muscle since my injury - and i won't lie...it's been tough mentally. The day I walk into the gym again will be the greatest feeling! Been times where I just don't want to leave the house or go out and have fun with friends like I used too. I felt like a different person. Crippled at a young age is no joke. I have the outmost respect for people who deal with such conditions or even more severe and still remain to be cheerful and happy. As i've promised, I will keep you all in the loop with my recovery and such. Grateful at least the light has been shown and a path has finally been paved! Comic

Hi The White Coat Trainer, Wow - you have given me some pretty solid advice! Thank you so much. Your story sounds exactly like me...I guess we've all been there. Ego, the adrenaline, lifting heavy and BOOM there goes your back . If you don't mind me asking, what kind of posture alignments did you work on? I'm quite interested in your rehab program that you used since you healed up well! Please do tell me At this point I don't even want to think about deadlifting again. I am way too worried and I can't bear to go through this cycle again. I'm not even out of it yet. I might give up deadlifting for good, but I'm not sure yet. I am planning to get an X-ray/MRI soon enough just to clear out any potential bulging discs (none herniated judging that it's been 6 months and I don't match the symptoms of it). What does your prehab routine consist of? Perhaps I can incorporate it into my routine! I have spent countless hours learning about my back, the muscles groups involved, the various complications that can occur and whatnot. I'm also in the medical field so literally reading your post feels like i'm looking at myself in the mirror! I was in a pretty dark spot emotional a while back, and i'm not out of this rut yet but it's better than before. Indeed it gets depressing as hell...I really do miss lifting weights the most right now especially with summer here now. My Core and glutes have always been my weak point, so yes I am planning to make them my priority now. If you can explain to me your routines/rehab/prehab workouts I'd be very appreciative! I left my ego at the door on the day of the injury, that bitch has caused me hell lol. Thanks again for your input - it really has helped and I've learned a few things from your post! Comic

Haha yes I get you! I've always had balance problems from the beginning lol That's fantastic! Are you doing anything to work on your core? Yes indeed, it makes everything else in the body go whack. Exactly, I can't wait to get home to start proper rehab and not just this temporary stuff. Yes! I am in London currently

Hmmm I don't think its the SI joint locked in the wrong place but more so the pelvis has just rotated on my right side causing a torque. Because of the torsion this causes excess stress on the lower back which i definitely feel! Also my hip flexors are very tight and I need to release them often. HOw's your body feeling these days? Any improvement? Are you able to workout without any pain/discomfort? I'm in the UK studying but I'm from Canada originally

Hi again Guzzi Yes I have been going to a physiotherapist who diagnosed me. The thing is that she's been great at helping me relieve the pain during the sessions but hasn't completely given me a treatment plan apart from a few stretches and told me to hit the gym slowly. Haven't seen much of an improvement from the stretches she's given me. They do loosen me up but my hip is still in the same spot. I have started the gym again, but very light weights (8-12kg at most). Majority of my workout routine atm consists of cardio, stretching and a few weight training exercises. I am by no means doing any sort of intensity I was doing pre-injury. Everything is slow paced and watching how my body reacts - any pain and I stop immediately. Majority of the day I am pain free and I can sit for long periods of time without any issues. Only time I start getting discomfort is when I am doing some sort of physical activity ie. running/gym etc. It's not pain but discomfort...like feelings of misalignment and a lot of lower back/SI joint area tightness. I haven't been able to solve that yet which makes me think that yes the PT has helped alleviate the pain but not the underlying issue. I'm considering going to an osteopath now...well actually when I'm back in my home country (its really expensive here in the UK atm). I remember you telling me that an osteopath helped you out greatly and I feel that now that is my next step. Won't be for another couple of weeks but will do in this summer time. Comic

Yeah bro you are completely right lol... I was unprepared when it happened and kind of panicked. That's great man that you're getting closer to your pre-injury lifts! But you're right I never thought of fitness as a long journey before until I got injured. No point trying to be fit for a limited amount of time and then just not be able to do it in the future. Hardest part for me was accepting that I messed up and moving on...I constantly used to think "Oh if i didn't mess up, i would be so much farther than I am now." It's been a pretty long setback for me, I could have accomplished a whole lot in the past 5 month being injured but like you said shit hits the ceiling sometimes and you just have to accept it and move on. Simple advice but a golden one. Thanks for your feedback mate, appreciate it a lot! Comic

Hey everyone, Hope all is good with everyone on the forum So it's been a month or so since I last posted and its time for an update! I am feeling decent these days, I have returned to the gym with very minimal weights and slowly progressing! But here's the catch...finally found the issue of what went wrong. A pulled muscle wouldn't take nearly 5 months to heal so it had to be more than that. Turns out that my pelvis has been lifted up and rotated forward (anterior) slightly on the right side. This rotation has been cause lower back tightness (pain if I overdue things) but nothing too serious. So currently, my goals are to just restore the pelvis position to how it was pre-injury. Has anyone had issues with this before? Regards, Comic

Hi all, Just wanted to post a quick update from the first time I posted this thread. I'm actually feeling a lot better these days, and improvement has been occurring. I am able to do more things than I could before ie. bend down with less tightness, pick up heavier objects, sleep more comfortably and so on. I actually got a journal to write down my daily improvements. Obviously some days I had nothing to write, but looking back at it I can see that slowly things are getting better. By no means am I 100% yet...I really hope I will be soon enough. I am just trying to be as patient with my body as I can be. All the members who have posted in this thread have helped me out tremendously both physically and emotional...I can't thank all of you enough. Currently I am going to physio on a weekly basis and doing daily stretching at home. I've also been doing trigger point therapy with a tennis ball at home every 2nd day or so which seems to be helping. My physio noticed that there is a lot of tightness in my TFL region and hip flexor region which is causing unnecessary stress on my back. The actually pulled muscle has healed but left my body imbalanced. Some muscles are working overtime and receiving stress that wasn't there initially. Also, this is quite funny but I can finally sit for longer periods now LOL...before I could not sit anything longer than 20 mins. I have sat down for an hour or so without much trouble. I will keep updating you all on how things are going. Thanks!!!!

Thank you for sharing your wisdom Kuros, you are right in many ways. You're not the only one who needs to be reminded, I do too...and well i suffered the consequences. But I am doing my best to stay positive and just focus on my studies. I have put a halt on my gym membership and will re-evaluate when I am 100% ready (perhaps in July?). From now on I am going to be very careful in the gym, I do not want to go through this again! So yes like you have said, form will be my top priority. How is your back now? I hope that it doesn't trouble you much anymore. I laughed at the part when you said invincible; I used to think that we were at point....not the brightest idea haha! I am still going to physiotherapy on a weekly basis, followed by daily stretching at home. Diet has been decent but slacking a bit due to university I appreciate your thoughts and motivation. Thank you for taking the time to remind me a few important things!!

Yes, I've actually heard about that! I was just searching around and found a few articles about muscle memory - pretty amazing! That is a bit of a relief now lol...I really can't wait to enter the gym though. It's great physically but mentally its better than any drug you could take (well in my point of view haha!). Interesting quote, it could be so true that something worse could've happened than what actually did. I like it, thanks for sharing that Endor!

Ahhh okay that is good to know. I'm glad it worked out with osteopathy for you I may call them up if things stop getting better. Wow, your accident sounds absolutely crazy...why am I even complaining right now! You are a true warrior for battling through what has entered your life. And I can see that you've managed really well! Learning to walk/jump again...wow, I can't imagine what the scene of the crash must've been. I'm sorry you had to go through this though. You are correct, and your example (and mine sort of) has made me realize that you just have to keep moving. The world will continue to rotate. Kind have to deal with what is on with us right now and push through it. Yes! That is so true, I may potentially find something else...like cooking LOL. I've started cooking more that I have spare time and i'm actually enjoying myself trying out new dishes haha. That's a lovely quote! Thanks for sharing Guzzi you are a true warrior, I really admire your strength and courage that you have. Hehe yes I hope too that I will be back in the gym fairly soon - and yes with PROPER form this time, haha! Thank you again for your time sharing this with me, I really appreciate it!!!!!

Wow Pony Boy that was a really powerful post...really hit me in the feels! I felt exactly like you did (sometimes I feel like that now...have ups/downs). I've cancelled plans with friends because I was in pain, or just the pain would make me really irritable and not fun to be around. Thinking about it now, i wouldn't want to hang out with someone who i was acting like either. Your courage and strength is really admirable to keep moving on, and I'm glad you did! I appreciate you sharing you story with me, it really has helped me realize that things could be far worse than it really is. I just need to keep my attitude and chin held up high. Time will heal and I will accomplish my goals soon enough. Just have to keep grinding past this hiccup. Thank you again Pony boy, and happy Easter

Thank you for sharing your personal experience Endor! You know exactly how i feel...all the effort of clean eating/work out gains just vanishing within a few weeks of just not keeping up in the gym. But you're right, many others have also been down this path including yourself and have come out strong. I've been focusing on other things in the mean time such as school and all. Yes I will do all my physio exercises haha!! I really hope you have recovered from your accident last year Endor. Take care mate and Happy Easter