Looks like my bodybuilding days might be numbered. This is fucked up.

[iron asylum]

Some of you might know I have always had an issue with back problems and have had to work around them. The past month or so I have been getting pins and needles along with numbness at times along my right glute and leg down into my heel. I thought it could just be that I needed an adjustment and went to see my chiro. After seeing him a few times the numbness had persisted. He sent me for Xrays which revealed what I had always know..I have degenerated L5/S1 disc. He looked at these and then decided to send me out for an MRI. The MRI shows the degeneration of the 2 discs along with a 7mm bulge and nerve inpingement. This is totally fucked up. I am seeing a neuro surgeon this next wednesday to discuss my options about doing my coming show in December or if I need surgery now....and if I get the surgery what does it mean for me and my lifting. The last thing I want is to end up paralyzing myself by deadening the nerve but lifting and competing has become a BIG part of my life and I don't know what I would do if I had to stop completely. I was 300 pounds before I got healthy and depression is what put me at that weight in the first place. I'm in total fear of what's gonna happen with this.

 

[SouthernLord]

Wow. I'm so sorry bro. I wish you the best and hopefully you can get through this.

 

[Mad_Max21]

That fucking blows bro! Your in my prayers, hope all goes well!

 

[footdoc]

the surgery is quite successful in the hands of a neurosurgeon. You may never squat again but your career is far from over....cheer up I promise you will be fine

 

[Nelson Montana]

That sucks, but hey,the body takes a beating after a while. I have disk degeneration as well. No need to give up. You can lighten up and work around it. Do cardio, isometics, stretching, yoga, anything. You won't maintain 300 pounds of muscle but you can still look better than mortal men.

Fuck, a day doesn't go by when I'm not nursing an injury. I just work whatever hurts the least.

 

[OMEGA]

Darn bro

what lifts do you still do that require the use of that area? where you feel it harms you?

Also do you run or jog at all?

 

[iron asylum]

The Lifts that are harming me and I can feel are any exercise at all that causes me to arch backwards causes the numbness and pinches the nerve. Any exercise at all that causes my spine to compress causes numbness. Any exercise which causes my body to twist at all causes numbness. I can feel it in most exercises other than ones where I am braced but still have to concentrate on keeping my spine erect otherwise I go numb Pretty much nothing heavy at all. I'm willing to get the surgery and hopefully it will fix me up but I want to see if it can wait until after the show. I'm just wondering what the odds are of me being to lift afterwards other than calistenic type stuff or if lifting this way until the show id gonna fuck me up to much. I guess I will find out wednesday.

 

[brandonp005]

I wish you the best bro! I feel ya on the back troubles.

 

[Cast Iron]

Sorry to hear that bro,
A while back i was getting tingly legs due to the discs in my back crushing nerves also, very intense tingle that took 100% mind power to stop you from doing something stupid. I tried every damn option available to me MRI's, physio,chiropraters, drugs and in the end the only thing that fixed the damaged nerves was accupunture.
Accupunture stimulates dead/crushed nerves to re-connect/repair themselves, i know this doesn't help your under-lying prob, but if the tingle gets to the point you cant handle, try accupunture, awesome feeling and great results. Over 2 years now and still have no tingle sensation. best shit ever and very relaxing

 

[RADAR]

Man That sucks,I had to quit lifting heavy especially my shoulders ,one day right outta the blue i was in a car crash,and was on pain meds for a Year, after i came off this searing pain in my Left shoulder,I had a torn rotator cuff ,all the pain meds was masking it.

I wish you the best my friend!