bumps n lumps

They said they could not wait for an indefenite amount of time for me to return, due to the nature of the problem the company doctor said they could be no way to tell how long it would take for me to get fully fit again, he said it could be a couple of weeks but it could be a year there is just no way to tell.
The injury itself I dont know how it started just started one day, it was not too bad so I did nothing about it and it got worse, three days later my back just froze up and I could not move.
I have good days and bad but on the whole there are more bad, at times I cant even get out of bed, I need to be helped out, Im on all the pain killers but they dont do a lot of good just need to ride it out till physio.

SCJP

Could it be a work related injury? If so you might be able to hit your ex-employer.

I take it you can claim benefits so you're not left high & dry with no income?

invisiblekid

There are plenty of stretching exercises in the Back injury forum, I'd seriously consider taking a look at those. DON'T do any exercise or stretch that causes you pain.

Do you have full range of movement? Where is the pain located? Any referred pain into your legs (if so do the pains go past the knee), buttocks or groin?

Try and stay as active as you can. By this I don't mean get down the gym and start deadlifting, but try and go for short walks and move around the house.

I'm not hot on employment contract law, but wouldn't that be unfair dismissal? It all depends on your contract, if you had one, I guess?

__________________
Most bodybuilders are actually insane. Albert Einstein defined insanity as "Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results".

ianp

My first post on here as this is a subject i have/am having trouble with myself.

First a bit of background, no pun intended , 15 years ago i had a lumbar discectomy (sic) and after a year or so i was ready to get back to the gym.

Now i have not used any steroids up to yet but i have often wondered about them.

Around 6 years ago i was doing a lot of running, up to a 1/2 marathon at weekends and 2-3 10k's during the week, well this came to an abrupt end when the scar tissue around the operation site decided to twang on my sciatic nerve.

So the running had to stop. I did try again a couple of years later but kept loosing the feeling below my right knee .

Well now ive been on incapacity benefit for neatrly 4 months and i'm currently waiting for a scan to see what the problem is now. I think the disc its-self has had enough.

Anyway to the point ... I too was on diclofenac and codeine but it really didnt work too well the codeine would make me very fuzzy, like being drunk all day, so that had to stop.

After 2 months on diclofenac my doctor changed it to indometacin which is a much better anti-inflammatory for me .

I can now get to the local supermarket, a mile away, on foot for my shopping without too much trouble, my walking is still very slow and steady but at least i can now go shopping without having to spend the rest of the day curled up on the sofa in pain.

Ask your doc about alternatives if your not getting the relief you need from the meds your on.

SCJP

Ian,

What treatment are you getting/waiting for?

colrob1

ian i am in a similar boat to you .i had a discectomy last year and i have had no real relief from the pain .as i am writing this my right calf is throbbing.as for the scar tissue i was told that if it doesnt bother you in the first 2 years then it probably never will .
with me they think that they havent freed the nerve off the disc enough and im going in to have some dye injected under x ray and this will give a good picture to see exactly where the nerve is being snagged.ive had 3 mri but the problem is you are lying down so your discs arent under load.there is a surgeon im seeing in cheshire "martin knight"look him up ,he does all the laser surgeries for top athletes thats the road im going down as my original op was conventional surgery and i was off work fot 6 months .with the laser you have no scarring and you go home the next day .by the way i found stretching and pilates help .also watch your weight as it all puts load on the discs .bodybuiding is probably not the best sport for someone with a back injury .ha ha

ianp

I did have acupuncture for a few weeks but that didn't do a damn thing except hurt like hell when she accidentally stabbed a nerve .....

What i mostly do, and it works really well for me, is walk as far as i can every day then do some more I find this does a very good job of keeping the nerve stretched and keeps me sane too. Now the weather is a bit warmer i'm finding it a lot better , just dreading the autumn/winter months, some days it feels almost normal.

Once the scan has been done i hope to have recovery options, i wish they'd hurry im skint and need a job, tho i have no idea what if anything they're going to do i cant live on anti-inflams forever

I'd heard about laser surgery tho i have no idea if Chesterfield has that option i'd love to give it a try and get back to normal as soon as possible.

Once you start training almost nothing will stop you it just takes time to find a routine that suits you again. In my case that didnt include too much heavy lifting but lots of cardio, up to 15 miles a day walking, and stretching routine .

SCJP

I've been to see the physio this morning (& she was quite cute) & she thinks I have damaged one of the discs in my lower back. She had a good poke around & everything, so I'm quite confident in her diagnosis.

She believes that I injured the disc deadlifting & that this has caused the surrounding muscles to cease supporting my lower spine in the way they should, due to the signals from the nerves, etc.

Might need surgery one day, but not warranted yet.

I've been told to steer clear of squats, deads & the like, which isn't good, but on the positive side I've been told not to run or 'power walk'.

I will be doing some pilates type exercises to stengthen the muscles in the problem area so that they give better support & am going back next week for another appointment (just to collect a special cushion thing really, but this allows her to charge more, I imagine, but it's through my work cover, so I'm not too fussed).

I was hoping for a quick fix involving a few quick stretches every morning, nevermind.

SCJP

I should also add that I've been told to wear a belt for the timebeing whilst training. Can anyone advise of a decent one?

Tasty

My back has been causing me problems for a long time now (just got back from the doc's who's signed me off work for a week) but still the GP just doesn't take it seriously, it's just so disheartening that every few months I have to stop working out for a few weeks when there must be something they can do to help me, plus because I'm not a gym member but I work out at home deads and squats are a staple of my programme

invisiblekid

Tasty - have you ever thought it might be the squats and deads that are aggravating the problems??

See a physio. By that I mean put your hand in your pocket and go see a good one (if you can afford to), before it gets worse. GP's aren't interested in referring someone who lifts. They will just tell you to quit - which may actually sort your problem out! They'd rather give you sick notes as that costs your employer or you, and doesn't eat into their practice's budget.

__________________
Most bodybuilders are actually insane. Albert Einstein defined insanity as "Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results".

ianp

well i had an appointment at the hospital physio dept and the chap i saw there thinks there's not much they can do, apart from more meds, the thing is i'm doing pretty good at the moment although nothing like back to normal.

I took a look at the Martin Knight site and i think if after having my scan,sometime in the next 5 weeks, if they have nothing constructive to offer then i'll ask my doc to contact them for a consultation.

On a more positive note ... it is still possible to carry on with your exercise routine if you just take it steady and try not to rush things. I may not be at full fitness but i' still a hell of a lot better than most people my age that i know.

Tasty

Oh they almost definately are, but they're the best way for me to grow, I'd rather take the back pain and grow than not be able to work out at all

Unless there's other ways I can work these muscles that are as effective?

invisiblekid

Speak to one of the Mods - PScarb - he suffered a back injury I believe and has been unable to squat or dead for many years. He seems to have progressed nicely

__________________
Most bodybuilders are actually insane. Albert Einstein defined insanity as "Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results".

Tasty

Thanks, I will

(I hope he knows you just volunteered him for this)