Pulled a muscle in my back...

[xxbignipperxx]

Fuck! This is the 3rd times in a 1 year period. The first time was my lower back (low rows heavy weight, tightened up my back to much and ended up hyperextending it and giving out) and that healed completely, then the second time was my midback (bent over dumbell pulls?). Ever since then it has always been a little funny. I would wake up in the morning with a little soreness but it would go away during the day. Last night at the gym....I had some crazy back pumps from the DBOL....was doing shrugs on the straight bar and my back just gave out. My back feels like there is a crease in the area where it hurts.

What's the best way to remedy this? I just started this cycle. I think I'm gonna lay off the weights for a couple days then start working out with lighter weights.

 

[Boulder257]

RICE, which is Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation for the first 48 hours. After 48 hours, apply heat. You can actively rest, meaning use the muscle to get the blood going to it, but don't overdo it or put undo stress on it. Be sure your body gets the protein it needs to rebuild. Sorry about the injury and I hope you recover soon.

 

[eviction]

Fuck! This is the 3rd times in a 1 year period. The first time was my lower back (low rows heavy weight, tightened up my back to much and ended up hyperextending it and giving out) and that healed completely, then the second time was my midback (bent over dumbell pulls?). Ever since then it has always been a little funny. I would wake up in the morning with a little soreness but it would go away during the day. Last night at the gym....I had some crazy back pumps from the DBOL....was doing shrugs on the straight bar and my back just gave out. My back feels like there is a crease in the area where it hurts.

What's the best way to remedy this? I just started this cycle. I think I'm gonna lay off the weights for a couple days then start working out with lighter weights.

Get a trainer, maybe you have poor form and are working out improperly... super heavy weights with poor form is never outweighed by great form with sufficient weight. If you have a crease you probably should goto a doctor. Being healthy is more important than getting the best gains from your cycle.

 

[flex2win]

Sounds to me like you are using too heavy of weight accompanied by poor form if this is the third occasion in a year. Better lay off for a while and accept using lighter weights to bring your form up...

 

[xxbignipperxx]

Sounds to me like you are using too heavy of weight accompanied by poor form if this is the third occasion in a year. Better lay off for a while and accept using lighter weights to bring your form up...

It's not the form. It was the exact opposite. I tried to keep perfect form the first time that I tightened up too much and my back spasmed out and gave out.....if that makes sense. In trying to keep my back straight, I just kept all my muscles tight to the point where I applied to much pressure on my lower back. I wasn't swinging doing the low rows, my back was at 90 degrees. I should have gave it a little more play...

 

[GrowthHor]

Might want to try some anti-inflammatory medication. I had a fairly bad upper back 'intra-scapular' injury from training over the summer that drove me nuts in constant pain. I had about 8 cortisone shots (which are actually quite wonderful) and then took medication.

The medication I found that worked best was Celebrex, you know the one you always see the commercial about on TV to treat old people's arthritis or something. Of course with all drugs what it really does versus what they market it for are often quite different and it kicked ass on my back injury. I only two weeks I went from being in constant pain every minute of the day to being in no pain at all, and with the internal inflammation subsided it allowed my back to heal.

Insurance usually doesn't cover it though until you've tried some others like Voltaren and some other crap lower on the NSAID quality list, which I did and they didn't do jack shit, and then I found out interestingly enough that once those don't work the doctor can fill out a special form to the insurance stating that after trying the drugs they do cover the only drug that works is the one they don't cover and then they will pay for it.

The Celebrex gave me the shits every other day but it fixed my back along with physical therapy and the cortisone. Don't drink alcohol while on it though, the entire class of drugs will give you an ulcer if you drink with them, and I speak from experience when five years ago I had a shoulder injury and had Voltaren and thought I would go out and party and ended up with an ulcer (which will go away after a while but why take the chance).

The problem with a back injury is that there's no chance to isolate it other than putting you in a body cast for 12 weeks. You're constantly using you're back all day thereby aggravating the injury, and causing more inflammation which prevents it from healing.

 

[argent]

RIC

Rest

Ice

Compression

don't worry about elevation with the back injury.

 

[xxbignipperxx]

RIC

Rest

Ice

Compression

don't worry about elevation with the back injury.

What is elevation. And how do you compress it? Have someone sit on you or something lol. I can't exactly reach the area that hurts...not flexible enough.

 

[lartinos]

very well could be form

 

[bigmodean]

hurt my back for the first time seriously (pulled muscle)end of summer,after close to 8 years of lifting,those heat pack belts work great,got flexeril and anaxias from Dr. but crap didnt work,so after a week of that i quit the meds all together except for 3 or 4 Advil occasionally,took almost 3 months to heal back to normal,took it easy on weights,had to,kept up cardio(when i could walk),and little by little it got better,hurt so bad couldnt believe it was "only" a pulled muscle,good luck.

 

[flex2win]

I'm still going with form on being the culprit in this one, 3 times in a year????