Weightlifting Injury...Please help!

[jnilrop]

Background Information:

25 years old
Athletic
Played sports all my life
Never had any back problems before

What happened: One of my favorite sports is powerlifting. Yesterday I was squatting, and on my very first set, second rep, my back popped as I was starting to go up from the squat position. It was like cracking four knuckles at once except on my lower back. The sensation happened almost at my tail bone (that low on my back.) It wasn't a terrible pain. As a matter of fact, I was able to lift the weight up, but I didn't finish my set knowing something wasn't right. I immediately felt discomfort as I started walking around. The pain was constant, but it was bearable. I didn't know the extent of the damage until I tried to touch my toes from a standing position. I can usually touch them, but I couldn't even get close without a good amount of pain. I went home and iced my back and kept my legs elevated. I tried to crack my back a few times and it seemed to help (not sure if that was a good idea lol.)

Today I actually felt better than I did yesterday, but the symptoms are a bit different. The pain isn't constant anymore. I only feel it when I try to bend over or get my back to crack. What I do find weird though is that when I lay on my back and raise my right leg, I don't feel much pain at all. When I raise my left leg, I feel an odd ache on my left glute.

Please help!

 

[mznell]

I know nothing about weightlifting or how one does it safely! It always looks to me like it would be very damaging to the back....Perhaps someone else on the board will have some experience with it.

I can tell you that you may have had something happen to a disc...a bulge or herniation, or you may have damaged a ligament in the lower lurabar or sacral area. There are many little muscles and ligaments in that area, so it is hard to say what you may have done without having some imaging studies.

The lifting of the leg when laying on your back is a "test" that any family practioner would do to see if you have damage. I would suggest that you lay off all activity for several days...continue icing your lower back area, take advil or aleve to deal with any inflammation and let things settle down. Avoid all activities that involve BENDING, TWISTING or LIFTING. If you continue trying to "test" your back, you run a very real risk of making things worse.

If you don't feel better in about a week, I would suggest you go to your doctor and ask for his professional evaluation, and perhaps, an MRI.

Good luck and please keep us posted on your progress!