Injury and the 5x5

[Iron Chin]

I recently acquired a mild case of whiplash following an accident last Monday. Due to the accident, my neck and back have been stiff from about the shoulder blade region up to the very top of my neck and my jaw. However, the pain and stiffness have subsided significantly and now there is just a mild soreness in my upper back and when I turn my head.

Do you guys think it would be alright if I got back into the gym on Monday? I'll have given myself a week's rest from the gym. I was just hitting finishing up week 5 on the 5x5 and felt like I was really hitting my stride. The weights were going up no problem, especially my bench and I really don't want to lose any ground. If I go back into the gym, should I start week 6 normally or drop down again? Also, any suggestions for rehab?

Thanks for your help.

Also, just wanted to add that I think that the muscle that I've put on with the compound movements probably saved me from a serious neck injury so, big props to madcow, rippetoe, etc. as always.

 

[BiggT]

Whether or not to return to the gym depends on how you feel....as long as your Dr. gave the green light, then you're the only one who knows when you're good and ready.....from my own personal experiences, I would say it wouldn't be the best idea to jump into the 5th week of a program when you were injured and missed some time, you'll probably miss lifts and get discouraged, but also there is no need to start from scratch, maybe backoff to week 3 numbers and go from there.