Low back strain? Long time to heal...

Hi,

I been having pain in my lower back (L4-L5 area) every time I hyper-extend or bend forward. It's been going on for almost 3 months now and the pain level stays the same.

I am a Powerlifter and was doing deadlifts. After my deadliift session I would notice this pain only during hyperextension and flexion of the low back but it wasn't significant to cause any worry so I continued to workout until one workout (1-2 months later) where I was deadlifting and the weights were sliding off of the bar. After completing my set my low back felt extremely tight and I had to lie down. I iced and rested, taking the week off. The pain however would not go away. I continued to weight train (avoiding doing deadlifts and back sqauts) but the pain persisted.

I finally went to go see my doctor 1 week after and he said I strained my lower back muscle. He gave me some anti-inflammatory and some muscle relaxants (cyclobenzaprine) and told me to heat. After 1 month the pain stayed the same. I even took another week off from training. Frustrated, I needed to go back to the gym so I avoided exercise that would bother my lower back but after a bench press session (one creates a large arch in the back when benching in powerlifting) the pain felt worse. I may have made my injury even worse.

Overall, it's been 3 months since I started feeling pain in my lower back and noting has been working. Medicine, ice, heat, rest (1 week), stretches and I've had 2 sessions of acupuncture (which seem to make it worse), and nothing has been working. The pain is localized, only around my lower back region slightly to the right side. Doctor ordered an x-ray and everything seemed normal.

I was wondering why my injury is taking so long to heal and hasn't got better. Any advice? Please I really need to train as I been off lifting for so long.

Your condition sounds like exactly what the physios are trained to treat.

From the sound of it, hyperextension of your back is directly related to worsening of symptoms. So naturally you should avoid it. At least until you get examined by a physiotherapist. The longer you have low back pain, the more likely that it will stay with you, forever... (not kidding) .. so you really need to treat it seriously. GO SEE A PHYSIOTHERAPIST.

In the long run, you should get a GOOD trainer to look at your posture when you are doing your lifts at the gym. From first hand experience, I think you are only ought to maintain your natural curve of your spine when doing weightlifting. Hyperextension of the back causes more weight loading directly onto the facet joints of the spine, and that maybe where your problem is. To avoid repeated exacerbation, you must put more attention to your back.

Avoid hyper extension and flexion of the spine as there is a soft tissue injury.Consult a hands on physiotherapist expert in spine management