Fundamentals with recovering herniated disc.

[Adam Turner]

Title sounds a bit scary but I just want to check before I start slamming my hand in a door over and over.

Im coming at this from an intensive weight training background and therefore have very tight shoulders, lats, hams etc etc.

3 months ago I suffered a herniated disc (L4/5) from a heavy squat. Ive had my rehab overseen by a physio. I was instructed not to put any load on/thourgh when in spinal flexion, so crunches and deadlifts, for example were out of the question.

Ive since been given the okay to start light (30kg/65lb) deadlifts again to build my strength back up in that area. Everything feels okay, but I still get a a slight twinge every now and again from my spine (not when in the gym, just randomly during the day) which lets me know that the injury is not completely healed.
I dont want to create further problems for myself and my physio advises a light increase in activity around the area are the next steps in my recovery. I'm permitted to do light, non leveraged/weighted ab work, but have to pay close attention to my spine for any twinges etc.

That is my a long winded way of asking if the Fundamentals course will be okay for me to begin now, as a means to gently bring mobility and weight back on around the lumbar area, or is it likely to be too intense and cause me more harm than good?

I would show the program to the physio, but only having day one available at the moment isnt really going to help give a clear picture of what is involved for the whole 4 weeks.

Can anybody advise me what the intensity is like, especially regarding load during spinal flexion?

Adam.

Edited May 23, 2016 by Adam Turner

[Adam Turner]

Just a quick update for anybody else who might search and find this thread with a similar problem.

Iv'e just finished day 12 (second block) of fundamentals and I have to say, my back has improved markedly. Where I was still getting twinges and aches, I've barely thought about my back for the last few days and only just remembered I made this post.

I can't be 100% certain that the program has aided the recovery, or that it has just been the passage of time, but I do think the extra mobility of the spine (ive been keeping it as rigid as possible for 3 months) has helped to loosen up and feel normal again. 
 

[Eva Pelegrin]

Adam,

Great to hear that Fundamentals is helping. I think you found your answer. Past the acute phase of injury, stiffness is the enemy. 

You may find interesting that the spine has many joints that are designed to move as a unit. Although each joint can only move a few degrees (especially in the lumbar spine) the spine likes to move as a whole kinda like a goosneck.

Most people don't realize that many herniations happen from stiffness and lack of global range of motion in the spine, coupled with too much stress/motion overtime on a particular joint that is not designed to take the stress by itself. Meaning since there's stifness among other segments, one joint takes the fall. I know, an oversimplification but nonetheless. It would be great to know this before we get a disc injury.

If only people knew how important it is to keep our spine moving in all directions... I mean, not just for performance reasons but for health, we wouldn't see this epidemic of spinal injuries.

At least when you know, you can start working towards restoring the mobility we may have lost over the years. It's only taken me years to figure this out. I'm still working on the process of "undoing" years of extended sitting.

Welcome to the tribe and good training!

[Ian Howard]

Adam, the fact that your injury is quite recent is something you should keep in the back of your mind to ensure that you don't re-injure yourself. (But you already knew this.)  That being said, I have a torn disc between L5/S1. One neurosurgeon claimed I've got degenerative disc disorder, but I plan to get a second opinion actually sometime soon. The difference between you and me is that my disc has been torn for the last 15 years. I've endured a lot of pain at times and others felt there was no hope (surgery is not recommended). I don't take medications (I did years ago but they never helped much) and never wanted to risk epidurals hitting the wrong spot and becoming paralysed. Aside from having a strong back, a strong abdomen or core will alleviate much pain and help protect you from injury. That's just me kind of stating the obvious.

To answer your question about Foundations, I've done everything with no problems whatsoever. The important thing to note is that you remain consistent and focus on doing everything correctly without trying to impress yourself or anyone else with your intensity. Take your time, go slow. More advice from Mr. Obvious: if you start to feel pain then stop. I believe you will know your limits soon enough if you haven't discovered them already. I can tell you that by leaving ego at the door, I've become stronger and more flexible than ever before and have recovered from other injuries PT never even came close to fixing. (Had a fractured humerus near the rotator cuff and could barely lift my arm when I started GST over a year ago. I now have full, pain-free mobility and strength in my arm I don't think I would have ever obtained otherwise.) 

The good news is that Foundations sets you up to have the human body you were meant to have anyway. It will help prevent injury and at no point will anyone ever encourage you to foolishly push through your pain (soreness is another issue, pain/injury is distinct). As a matter of fact, Coach Sommer gave a really good lecture about smart training on his most recent podcast with Tim Ferris (I think I'm saying his name right. Listen to it if you haven't already). So, give it a shot and you might even consider it like a form of your own PT. Move easy through the progressions, don't skip steps, and you'll be on your way to big results. 

One last thing, I'm not a physician and it sounds like yours gave you certain recommendations. Since your background is in weightlifting, I imagine their advice was tailored around your history of hitting the weights and was given under the assumption you wish to continue with it as soon as possible. I personally would do Foundations before I did squats with any amount weight. This is because the tendons, ligaments, and the often neglected connective tissues will grow stronger and protect you from other injuries. Everyone knows the old adage "learn to walk before you run". You will eventually reach single-leg bodyweight squats and will notice strength in your body you didn't know you could obtain. It's such an amazing feeling... Good luck and I wish you a speedy recovery!

[Ian Howard]

Sorry, your original question was regarding Fundamentals, not Foundations. Fundamentals didn't exist when I started but from what I understand it's like the beginner-beginner step. Anyone can feel free to correct me on this. I still have the same opinion as in my previous post, so I say go for it.