Depressed after a back injury...life has gone downhill.

[comicfire]

Hi all, 

 

I'm a young kid (22) and literally my life has turned for the worst and I need help mentally. 

About 2 months ago in feb I injured my lower back deadlifting with poor form. Went to the doctors and I don't have any herniations or slipped disc thankfully. It's just a muscle strain but a stubborn one at that.  In the beginning I was okay knowing that It would heal but now as time has gone and with slow progress I'm literally in the ruts feeling like it will never heal. Its been 2 and bit months now and it's still hasn't fully healed. I haven't returned to the gym because every time I go i end up getting some sort of back pain. For a period of like 5-6 weeks i was just stress eating feeling sorry for myself. I've realized that and am focusing on my diet again. I'm trying to do cardio and stretch but haven't touched weights again. 

I used to be a kid going to the gym 3-4x a week, and now I feel like i'm crippled and can't partake in activities I used to love. 

Will I ever recover from this? Does anyone have personal experience they can help me with? 
I'm really trying hard to keep my head up, but seeing my friends accomplishing their goals and having me just go backwards has been so frustrating.

 

This is my very first serious injury, and I think my coping abilities haven't been great.  I've been going to physiotherapy for the past 6 weeks and it has helped a little bit. 

 

I would appreciate it a ton if anyone could help/share their experiences with me or have any advice! 

 

Comic 

 

UPDATES ON THE LATEST PAGE!

[Estrix]

Going to start by saying I'm not a doctor lol.

 

Years ago I mangled my back with two serious injuries including a crack in my axis bone and a seperate incident that basically replaced all my lower back tissue with scar tissue. 

 

My advice: Do the physio, all of it. No matter how painful or annoying just do it lol. Sometimes it feels silly, or hurts like hell. But do it.

 

Don't rush the healing. It will happen. I was 19 when I did my back in, I was 27 before I was pain free. Back injuries are awful but they do get better.

 

I know it's not the greatest advice but you just have to know that it will get better. You just have to stick with it and grind it out. Think of it like any other training. The doing part might not be fun but the end result is. 

[comicfire]

4 hours ago, Estrix said:

Going to start by saying I'm not a doctor lol.

 

Years ago I mangled my back with two serious injuries including a crack in my axis bone and a seperate incident that basically replaced all my lower back tissue with scar tissue. 

 

My advice: Do the physio, all of it. No matter how painful or annoying just do it lol. Sometimes it feels silly, or hurts like hell. But do it.

 

Don't rush the healing. It will happen. I was 19 when I did my back in, I was 27 before I was pain free. Back injuries are awful but they do get better.

 

I know it's not the greatest advice but you just have to know that it will get better. You just have to stick with it and grind it out. Think of it like any other training. The doing part might not be fun but the end result is. 

Thank you soooooo much for your thoughts. 

Your experience definitely gives me hope!!!! 

I'm a bit of an anxious person at times especially with health so maybe thats why i feel like it's taken over my life lol. 

But wow, it took you 8 years to fully recover?! That's ageesssss! 

I really hope you're doing well now

Thank you for your advice! 

[Magicman]

I'm also not a doctor, but I've got some experience with recovering from various injuries.

 

Estrix gave some great advice; have patience.

 

What has helped me was stretching around the injury. If it's lower back, stretch your hamstrings, glutes, and mid-upper back as well to relieve some of the pulling on the affected area. I never did this until I had to go to physical therapy, so I would guess you're doing this in your own therapy. These were the stretches that helped me the most, even though at the time I didn't "feel" them doing anything.

 

Good luck, hang in there, and trust the process. It will get better!

[RisenPhoenix]

On 4/12/2017 at 3:21 PM, Estrix said:

My advice: Do the physio, all of it. No matter how painful or annoying just do it lol. Sometimes it feels silly, or hurts like hell. But do it.

 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

THIS
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I haven't had many super debilitating injuries, but recently I was essentially out for three to four months from my dojo because someone else screwed up my shoulder.  I did NOT do the Physio, which made it take four months, when I probably could have finished in a month had I just done the damn work.  And to make matters more entertaining, I missed the chance to test because of the injury.

 

But another thing to remember.  You're young.  Fitness and movement is a marathon, not a sprint.  This is a minor set back, even though it doesn't feel like it.  You want to recover properly so you can keep doing the stuff you love for another 40+ years.

 

 

[comicfire]

On 4/14/2017 at 1:19 PM, Magicman said:

I'm also not a doctor, but I've got some experience with recovering from various injuries.

 

Estrix gave some great advice; have patience.

 

What has helped me was stretching around the injury. If it's lower back, stretch your hamstrings, glutes, and mid-upper back as well to relieve some of the pulling on the affected area. I never did this until I had to go to physical therapy, so I would guess you're doing this in your own therapy. These were the stretches that helped me the most, even though at the time I didn't "feel" them doing anything.

 

Good luck, hang in there, and trust the process. It will get better!

Thank you for your kind advice! 
I have been following my stretching religiously daily haha 
Yes, atm it feels like it isn't doing anything but like you said it is for the long run

 

Have more trust in the process now, thank you!!!! 

Happy Easter

[comicfire]

On 4/14/2017 at 2:00 PM, RisenPhoenix said:

 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

THIS
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I haven't had many super debilitating injuries, but recently I was essentially out for three to four months from my dojo because someone else screwed up my shoulder.  I did NOT do the Physio, which made it take four months, when I probably could have finished in a month had I just done the damn work.  And to make matters more entertaining, I missed the chance to test because of the injury.

 

But another thing to remember.  You're young.  Fitness and movement is a marathon, not a sprint.  This is a minor set back, even though it doesn't feel like it.  You want to recover properly so you can keep doing the stuff you love for another 40+ years.

 

 

Thank you for sharing your own experience and battle!  

Really hope your shoulder is better now, but judging but you said you seem to be okay

 

Yes, I am focusing on rehab right now, and giving it my full attention! 

But you're right, it's just a minor setback right now...even though it's only a few months (feels like ages!!!).  
I can just feed on the motivation later to work harder and better when i'm recovered. 

Appreciate your advice! 

Happy Easter

[Guzzi]

I feel your pain.  

 

There's been plenty of good advice already, and it seems like you're taking it on board.  I'll reiterate a point that been made before, some of the exercises they give you might seem totally pointless but honestly, they are ALL really important.  Do them religiously and don't try to do anything that you shouldn't.  You know all that already though.  

 

I don't know what your physiotherapist is like but you might consider seeing an osteopath as well.  They can possibly offer hands-on treatments that your PT can't.  I found a HUGE benefit from seeing an osteopath after my accident.  He was able to free off muscle spasms and release tension in other muscles.  I can't say how much that helped me.  Then again, my physiotherapist was utterly SHITE!

 

It's awful when you're out of action the way you are now, I should know, but I can't offer much advice on how to survive it.  The only thing I can think of is to work on something else instead.  Whether that's focusing on your diet or nutrition, or working on improving yourself in non-fitness ways.  You will probably feel a lot better if you just have something to work on, I know I did. 

 

Gotta go, sleep calls. 

[comicfire]

On 4/15/2017 at 10:00 PM, Guzzi said:

I feel your pain.  

 

There's been plenty of good advice already, and it seems like you're taking it on board.  I'll reiterate a point that been made before, some of the exercises they give you might seem totally pointless but honestly, they are ALL really important.  Do them religiously and don't try to do anything that you shouldn't.  You know all that already though.  

 

I don't know what your physiotherapist is like but you might consider seeing an osteopath as well.  They can possibly offer hands-on treatments that your PT can't.  I found a HUGE benefit from seeing an osteopath after my accident.  He was able to free off muscle spasms and release tension in other muscles.  I can't say how much that helped me.  Then again, my physiotherapist was utterly SHITE!

 

It's awful when you're out of action the way you are now, I should know, but I can't offer much advice on how to survive it.  The only thing I can think of is to work on something else instead.  Whether that's focusing on your diet or nutrition, or working on improving yourself in non-fitness ways.  You will probably feel a lot better if you just have something to work on, I know I did. 

 

Gotta go, sleep calls. 

Thank you Guzzi for sharing your thoughts!
Yes I am trying to stretch 3x daily with trigger point therapy every 2nd day so you could say I have a bit of a routine now lol

 

Ahhh interesting, I did enquire about an osteopath long ago but I got scared off because I wasn't sure it'd be safe or if they could potentially make it worse lol (same with chiropractors) so i haven't been to either...just physio. 

 

It's okay, I just needed some reassurance really...that's the best advice I could need that things will get better even though they seem so gloomy and bad right now. I am in university so I am fairly busy with studies. It's just with a lower back injury it is hard to sit for long periods of time LOL  

 

Hope you recovered from your accident and are doing well now! 
Happy Easter

[Endor]

I'm in my 40's and I've had heaps of injuries, including a serious car accident last year.

 

I've been in your position, feeling really low because of my injuries and wanting to workout but not able to, feeling i was losing my gains and falling behind.

 

So 3 things i can say from my experience:

1. You're not alone, even if there is no one else you can discuss this with the community here will support you.

2. Eventually you'll improve

3. Try to find something else you can dominate while your back is recovering.

 

Even if all you can do is squeeze a pair of grip strengtheners, come out of this with a massively improved grip ready to dominate farmers carries or whatever when you are well again.

 

Bonus point:

4. Do the physio exercises. All of them. You will thank yourself later.

 

Good luck, you're on the right path

 

 

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

 

 

[pony boy]

I know what you're going through comicfire.

I went from a guy who worked 40 hours a week. lifted weights 4 times a week and trained in Muay Thai 6 nights a week. Then a texting driver put me in the hospital with a broken back , wrists and ankle. I thought my life was over. I was feeling sorry for myself. A total woe is me attitude set in. I was such a downer to be around that friends stopped visiting. I thought the lame little physical therapy exercises were a waste of time. I would just lay in bed watching tv and pigging out. 

One day I was at physical therapy going through the motions when I saw a patient who lost both legs and suffered head injuries. This guy was so dedicated to his recovery. He was in so much pain and there he was putting 110 percent into his exercises. 

I felt so guilty for my behavior. This poor guy was so injured but still had such a wonderful attitude and inner strength. How could I have been so stupid, SHAME ON ME. A change took place within me , a light came on. I dumped my crap attitude , cleaned up my diet and put effort into my physical therapy. My life has changed for the better thanks to that man's example of courage and strength. When I begin to have doubts I think of him. 

Comicfire please don't fall into the same trap I did. Keep a positive attitude. Safely experiment with different styles of exercise and keep at it. If I can do it anyone can. 

Things could be worse. 

 

[comicfire]

6 hours ago, Endor said:

I'm in my 40's and I've had heaps of injuries, including a serious car accident last year.

 

I've been in your position, feeling really low because of my injuries and wanting to workout but not able to, feeling i was losing my gains and falling behind.

 

So 3 things i can say from my experience:

1. You're not alone, even if there is no one else you can discuss this with the community here will support you.

2. Eventually you'll improve

3. Try to find something else you can dominate while your back is recovering.

 

Even if all you can do is squeeze a pair of grip strengtheners, come out of this with a massively improved grip ready to dominate farmers carries or whatever when you are well again.

 

Bonus point:

4. Do the physio exercises. All of them. You will thank yourself later.

 

Good luck, you're on the right path

 

 

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

 

 

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  

[comicfire]

4 hours ago, pony boy said:

I know what you're going through comicfire.

I went from a guy who worked 40 hours a week. lifted weights 4 times a week and trained in Muay Thai 6 nights a week. Then a texting driver put me in the hospital with a broken back , wrists and ankle. I thought my life was over. I was feeling sorry for myself. A total woe is me attitude set in. I was such a downer to be around that friends stopped visiting. I thought the lame little physical therapy exercises were a waste of time. I would just lay in bed watching tv and pigging out. 

One day I was at physical therapy going through the motions when I saw a patient who lost both legs and suffered head injuries. This guy was so dedicated to his recovery. He was in so much pain and there he was putting 110 percent into his exercises. 

I felt so guilty for my behavior. This poor guy was so injured but still had such a wonderful attitude and inner strength. How could I have been so stupid, SHAME ON ME. A change took place within me , a light came on. I dumped my crap attitude , cleaned up my diet and put effort into my physical therapy. My life has changed for the better thanks to that man's example of courage and strength. When I begin to have doubts I think of him. 

Comicfire please don't fall into the same trap I did. Keep a positive attitude. Safely experiment with different styles of exercise and keep at it. If I can do it anyone can. 

Things could be worse. 

 

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
 

[Guzzi]

8 hours ago, comicfire said:

Thank you Guzzi for sharing your thoughts!
Yes I am trying to stretch 3x daily with trigger point therapy every 2nd day so you could say I have a bit of a routine now lol

 

This is all good stuff and will prevent you from stiffening up while you're not so mobile. It's amazing how muchof a difference little things like this can make. 

 

Quote

Ahhh interesting, I did enquire about an osteopath long ago but I got scared off because I wasn't sure it'd be safe or if they could potentially make it worse lol (same with chiropractors) so i haven't been to either...just physio. 

 

Osteopathy is quite a holistic therapy and the osteopath would spend a long time listening to you describe your injury, your symptoms, your lifestyle, looking at your posture, how you move etc before even making a diagnosis.  They wouldn't do anything at all until they had talked you through their findings and what they could do to help.  

 

Osteopathy specialises in the diagnosis, management, treatment and prevention of musculoskeletal and other related disorders.  Your osteopath will give you a clear explanation of what they find (their diagnosis) and discuss a treatment plan that is suitable for you. They will explain the benefits and any risks of the treatment they are recommending. It is important to understand and agree what the treatment can achieve, and the likely number of sessions needed for a noticeable improvement in how you feel.

 

Obviously it's a personal choice but I found a huge benefit from it. 

 

Quote

It's okay, I just needed some reassurance really...that's the best advice I could need that things will get better even though they seem so gloomy and bad right now. I am in university so I am fairly busy with studies. It's just with a lower back injury it is hard to sit for long periods of time LOL  

 

Yeah, it's hard when you're facing time laid up, but sometimes just knowing that other people have been through the same, and come out the other end, helps.  Just remember, every cloud has its silver lining...  You could end up finding a love of Pilates through this   It's very good for core and back strength, lol!  

 

Quote

Hope you recovered from your accident and are doing well now! 
Happy Easter

 

Why thank you!  The same to you.  

 

Unfortunately I'm still recovering from my accident, hence why I had to cut my first reply to you short.  I suddenly couldn't stay awake any longer and had to sleep.  This happens to me a lot, lol!  

 

My accident was back in 2011 and it was a doozy!  My legs and pelvis were smashed, the muscles being so damaged that I was unable to even wiggle my toes and I had no muscle memory so when I was able to move, I had to learn how to walk (and skip and jump) all over again. Trying to figure out how to jump was the funniest, I think.  I just could not figure out how to make my feet lave the floor.  No matter what I did they just stayed rooted to the ground!     

 

I did it though and I was almost back to normal in 2014 when things started going backwards all of a sudden.  It turned out that something hadn't healed properly and my pelvis was becoming unstable.  The two halves were literally moving independently of each other.  By last year I was completely bed ridden and needed surgery to fuse it all together again. 

 

I'm back on the mend now though, and the thing I've learnt through all of this is that your life really is a journey and you can never walk the same step twice, you are always moving forward.  Even though it can feel like you're going backwards at times.  You will never be the same person again that you are at this exact moment, so make the best of every moment. 

 

A quote that really resonates with me is this:

 

Accept — then act. Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it. Always work with it, not against it.  This will miraculously transform your whole life.” ~Eckhart Tolle

 

 

Anyways, I hope your injury heals up quickly and you can get back to the gym as soon as possible, though hopefully with better form this time?   And happy Easter to you too. 

[Guzzi]

@Endor - Sorry to hear about your accident, I hope you're recovering well. 

[Endor]

1 hour ago, Guzzi said:

@Endor - Sorry to hear about your accident, I hope you're recovering well. 

Thanks, I'm pretty much healed, well about 98% (probably never be 100% again but 98 is pretty damn good!) but nothing like as serious as your injuries @Guzzi you're one gutsy lady and I love your outlook on your situation.

 

3 hours ago, comicfire said:

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. 

 One point my coach made to me which really helped me maintain my positivity is that it's much easier for your body to return to a state that it's been in before than it is to originally achieve it.

 

You have muscle memory and your body knows how to get itself back to a point it's been to before, in other words you will re-attain your gains much much faster and with less effort than it originally took you to get them.

 

Also this quote just popped up when I opened Firefox today which I liked and felt somehow appropriate!

“You never know what worse luck your bad luck has saved you from.” — Cormac McCarthy, Nonconformist Hall of Famer

[comicfire]

On 4/17/2017 at 8:53 PM, Guzzi said:

 

This is all good stuff and will prevent you from stiffening up while you're not so mobile. It's amazing how muchof a difference little things like this can make. 

 

 

Osteopathy is quite a holistic therapy and the osteopath would spend a long time listening to you describe your injury, your symptoms, your lifestyle, looking at your posture, how you move etc before even making a diagnosis.  They wouldn't do anything at all until they had talked you through their findings and what they could do to help.  

 

 

 

Obviously it's a personal choice but I found a huge benefit from it. 

 

eah, it's hard when you're facing time laid up, but sometimes just knowing that other people have been through the same, and come out the other end, helps.  Just remember, every cloud has its silver lining...  You could end up finding a love of Pilates through this   It's very good for core and back strength, lol!  

 

 

Why thank you!  The same to you.  

 

Unfortunately I'm still recovering from my accident, hence why I had to cut my first reply to you short.  I suddenly couldn't stay awake any longer and had to sleep.  This happens to me a lot, lol!  

 

My accident was back in 2011 and it was a doozy!  My legs and pelvis were smashed, the muscles being so damaged that I was unable to even wiggle my toes and I had no muscle memory so when I was able to move, I had to learn how to walk (and skip and jump) all over again. Trying to figure out how to jump was the funniest, I think.  I just could not figure out how to make my feet lave the floor.  No matter what I did they just stayed rooted to the ground!     

 

I did it though and I was almost back to normal in 2014 when things started going backwards all of a sudden.  It turned out that something hadn't healed properly and my pelvis was becoming unstable.  The two halves were literally moving independently of each other.  By last year I was completely bed ridden and needed surgery to fuse it all together again. 

 

I'm back on the mend now though, and the thing I've learnt through all of this is that your life really is a journey and you can never walk the same step twice, you are always moving forward.  Even though it can feel like you're going backwards at times.  You will never be the same person again that you are at this exact moment, so make the best of every moment. 

 

A quote that really resonates with me is this:

 

Accept — then act. Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it. Always work with it, not against it.  This will miraculously transform your whole life.” ~Eckhart Tolle

 

 

Anyways, I hope your injury heals up quickly and you can get back to the gym as soon as possible, though hopefully with better form this time?   And happy Easter to you too. 

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!!!!!

[comicfire]

On 4/17/2017 at 10:48 PM, Endor said:

Thanks, I'm pretty much healed, well about 98% (probably never be 100% again but 98 is pretty damn good!) but nothing like as serious as your injuries @Guzzi you're one gutsy lady and I love your outlook on your situation.

 

 One point my coach made to me which really helped me maintain my positivity is that it's much easier for your body to return to a state that it's been in before than it is to originally achieve it.

 

You have muscle memory and your body knows how to get itself back to a point it's been to before, in other words you will re-attain your gains much much faster and with less effort than it originally took you to get them.

 

Also this quote just popped up when I opened Firefox today which I liked and felt somehow appropriate!

“You never know what worse luck your bad luck has saved you from.” — Cormac McCarthy, Nonconformist Hall of Famer

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!

 

 

[Kuros]

@comicfire

 

One of the biggest things besides partaking in any type of physical therapy, is staying positive and making the best of the situation. I'm sure someone's already posted this advice, but it can't hurt coming from someone else as well. You may not be able to do all the things you want to do right now, but be patient, and your body will heal. As long as you are careful and take appropriate steps to rehabilitate yourself, in time, you will be back at it again. Look at this moment as an opportunity for you to focus some of your time on other aspects of your life, exploring new opportunities. Now, I apologize in advance, because I'm about to get a little bit preachy, but I just want you to know I've been where you're at. I definitely understand where you're coming from. I'm only 27 years old, but I've already injured my back multiple times in different spots throughout my life trying to lift super heavy weights and keep up with the bigger guys. My first injury was in high school, so I wasn't even 19 yet. Every time it happened, the most painful thing (more so than any of the actual physical pain) was just realizing how fragile we actually are and how much time I was not going to be able to lift weights or perform certain exercises. It took me years to develop the presence of mind to truly listen to my body and back off when warning signs popped up. Even then, occasionally your body still fails you. Contrary to popular belief, as held by many youngsters (including myself), we are not invincible. In your routine, regardless of what you're doing, being careful, methodical, controlled and precise is important. Absolute adherence to perfect technique and form is a must if you plan on working out for years to come. I couldn't have cared less about form when I first started working out. I just tried to do everything explosively and as quickly as possible. I was an idiot. Equally important is not advancing and moving up in weight or to more advanced exercises until you are truly ready, which usually doesn't happen until you've been doing your current routine for a decent length of time. I know you already know all this, so I am sorry for that, but sometimes we need to be reminded. I know I do. Anyways, I hope you make a good recovery comicfire. Remember, stay positive and optimistic. I believe you can do it, and so should you. Your back will follow suit.

[comicfire]

On 4/27/2017 at 7:19 AM, Kuros said:

@comicfire

 

One of the biggest things besides partaking in any type of physical therapy, is staying positive and making the best of the situation. I'm sure someone's already posted this advice, but it can't hurt coming from someone else as well. You may not be able to do all the things you want to do right now, but be patient, and your body will heal. As long as you are careful and take appropriate steps to rehabilitate yourself, in time, you will be back at it again. Look at this moment as an opportunity for you to focus some of your time on other aspects of your life, exploring new opportunities. Now, I apologize in advance, because I'm about to get a little bit preachy, but I just want you to know I've been where you're at. I definitely understand where you're coming from. I'm only 27 years old, but I've already injured my back multiple times in different spots throughout my life trying to lift super heavy weights and keep up with the bigger guys. My first injury was in high school, so I wasn't even 19 yet. Every time it happened, the most painful thing (more so than any of the actual physical pain) was just realizing how fragile we actually are and how much time I was not going to be able to lift weights or perform certain exercises. It took me years to develop the presence of mind to truly listen to my body and back off when warning signs popped up. Even then, occasionally your body still fails you. Contrary to popular belief, as held by many youngsters (including myself), we are not invincible. In your routine, regardless of what you're doing, being careful, methodical, controlled and precise is important. Absolute adherence to perfect technique and form is a must if you plan on working out for years to come. I couldn't have cared less about form when I first started working out. I just tried to do everything explosively and as quickly as possible. I was an idiot. Equally important is not advancing and moving up in weight or to more advanced exercises until you are truly ready, which usually doesn't happen until you've been doing your current routine for a decent length of time. I know you already know all this, so I am sorry for that, but sometimes we need to be reminded. I know I do. Anyways, I hope you make a good recovery comicfire. Remember, stay positive and optimistic. I believe you can do it, and so should you. Your back will follow suit.

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!!

 

[comicfire]

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!!!!

 

[Guzzi]

Glad to hear it!  It's a long slow journey to get back 100% but you will find things pick up pace a little now.  Just keep going and don't stop with the physio  

[comicfire]

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,

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[godjira1]

hey comic.

 

i hurt my piriformis muscles (little butt muscles) probably doing too many deadlifts/squats in a short period back in FEB17.

 

I hit my PRs and then... i couldn't do anything. It hurt to even sit on the couch, how ridiculous is that?

 

I rested for a week, just walking and stretching and stuff, and rebuilt the whole complex starting with like little kettlebell deadlifts. It has taken a while but I am close to testing my PR on deadlifts again, and maybe 15kg away for squats. So 4 months for about 95% healing?

 

Fitness is a long journey - you should just accept that crap happens sometimes and try to roll with it. Avoiding crap is a useful tactic but unfortunately you still got to be prepared when it hits the fan. 

[comicfire]

2 hours ago, godjira1 said:

hey comic.

 

i hurt my piriformis muscles (little butt muscles) probably doing too many deadlifts/squats in a short period back in FEB17.

 

I hit my PRs and then... i couldn't do anything. It hurt to even sit on the couch, how ridiculous is that?

 

I rested for a week, just walking and stretching and stuff, and rebuilt the whole complex starting with like little kettlebell deadlifts. It has taken a while but I am close to testing my PR on deadlifts again, and maybe 15kg away for squats. So 4 months for about 95% healing?

 

Fitness is a long journey - you should just accept that crap happens sometimes and try to roll with it. Avoiding crap is a useful tactic but unfortunately you still got to be prepared when it hits the fan. 

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! 

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