crunchy
09-05-2014, 09:02 AM
I need some help working through this problem, but I don't expect an answer in one post. Shit, I'll be surprised if anybody reads through this entire post! (yeah, it's long!).:yep:
But if there was a trainer nearby that I was confident in, I'd be working with him/her. My physical therapist(s) were good, but they'd have a cow if they saw how i was working out now.
The problem is that I've had two surgeries on ruptured L5-S1 vertebrae. Once in Oct '07, then again in September '12. The '12 rupture was worse. Both incidents were the most incredible pain I can imagine. (other injuries i've had were laughable in comparison).
The '12 incident was from my butt pealing up off the leg-sled on a final heavy rep and I felt something pop. What felt like a pulled glute/pulled back got worse day-by-day and the Rx's progressed from ibuprofen to controlled substances along with nerve blockers but i was still in excruciating pain because the disc was almost completely crushing my sciatic nerve. Surgery was about 6 LONG WEEKS of HELL later.
I couldn't believe how much atrophy had occurred in just over a month's time from the glute-foot chain of muscles being almost completely inactivated (I was dragging the leg around by the beginning of September).
I can press, stiff-leg, lunge... weights are decent, range of motion is limited on the press though, but some of this is probably psychological. I've been told more than once to not push the ROM on this.
Day-to-day, I'm pain-free and back function is somewhere around 95%. It would be closer to 98%, but there's a PTSD effect here that's also affecting my workouts. I do have permanent sciatic nerve damage on the right side. The sensation on the bottom of my right foot is altered, but strength is ok.
If my form suffers--even the slightest--the back is the weak link and it will hurt the next day, the disc will flare up, and the sciatic nerve will get a little irritated (either left or right side). I also have measurable disc degeneration at L5-S1 now.
I'm confident i'm busting ass training legs. But I know I'm also holding back and not doing the "1 more rep" that probably counts. I move fast, throw on decent weight, get an awesome pump, but am always afraid of pushing to failure on the set because, frankly, I'm scared SHITLESS of this happening again.
First big question: Am I legs doomed to mediocrity? We used to train with the mentality that if you didn't brutalize your legs, they wouldn't grow. That's what I'm thinking now.
SECOND: I'm reintroducing squats. Should I bother? The weight is terrible. I know my legs can handle way more, but the back and the mind can't. If I'm going to be afraid to push hard on these, what's the point?
I appreciate any help that anyone is willing to offer on this.
But if there was a trainer nearby that I was confident in, I'd be working with him/her. My physical therapist(s) were good, but they'd have a cow if they saw how i was working out now.
The problem is that I've had two surgeries on ruptured L5-S1 vertebrae. Once in Oct '07, then again in September '12. The '12 rupture was worse. Both incidents were the most incredible pain I can imagine. (other injuries i've had were laughable in comparison).
The '12 incident was from my butt pealing up off the leg-sled on a final heavy rep and I felt something pop. What felt like a pulled glute/pulled back got worse day-by-day and the Rx's progressed from ibuprofen to controlled substances along with nerve blockers but i was still in excruciating pain because the disc was almost completely crushing my sciatic nerve. Surgery was about 6 LONG WEEKS of HELL later.
I couldn't believe how much atrophy had occurred in just over a month's time from the glute-foot chain of muscles being almost completely inactivated (I was dragging the leg around by the beginning of September).
I can press, stiff-leg, lunge... weights are decent, range of motion is limited on the press though, but some of this is probably psychological. I've been told more than once to not push the ROM on this.
Day-to-day, I'm pain-free and back function is somewhere around 95%. It would be closer to 98%, but there's a PTSD effect here that's also affecting my workouts. I do have permanent sciatic nerve damage on the right side. The sensation on the bottom of my right foot is altered, but strength is ok.
If my form suffers--even the slightest--the back is the weak link and it will hurt the next day, the disc will flare up, and the sciatic nerve will get a little irritated (either left or right side). I also have measurable disc degeneration at L5-S1 now.
I'm confident i'm busting ass training legs. But I know I'm also holding back and not doing the "1 more rep" that probably counts. I move fast, throw on decent weight, get an awesome pump, but am always afraid of pushing to failure on the set because, frankly, I'm scared SHITLESS of this happening again.
First big question: Am I legs doomed to mediocrity? We used to train with the mentality that if you didn't brutalize your legs, they wouldn't grow. That's what I'm thinking now.
SECOND: I'm reintroducing squats. Should I bother? The weight is terrible. I know my legs can handle way more, but the back and the mind can't. If I'm going to be afraid to push hard on these, what's the point?
I appreciate any help that anyone is willing to offer on this.