How To Go Back To Lifting Weights after a Back Injury
Back pain can be a common complaint in the weight room. It can be debilitating at times, limiting your function and not allowing you to perform your exercise routine comfortably. It may have been due to poor technique, too much weight, an improper warm up, a combination of factors, or even a total accident. But the question is….WHAT DO I DO NOW TO MAKE IT GO AWAY?!
The first thing you need to do is take a deep breath and know that you are probably fine and that you will get better.
A lot of back pain that is experienced during lifting can be due to neuromuscular strains or overuse and don’t require extensive medical testing and intervention. Acute back pain episodes tend to resolve with time. It can be helpful to seek assistance from a physical therapist for guidance on graded exposure back into moving in normal movement patterns without pain and returning back to lifting through load management.
Below is a great article that outlines what you should do if you have injured your back while lifting.
I Hurt My Back Lifting Weights…Now What?
Take home points from this article:
- 1. You don’t need to be fixed.
- 2. Respect flare-ups and find tolerable movement patterns.
- 3. Continue training in non-threatening ways.
- 4. Don’t succumb to catastrophizing and kinesiophobia (fear of movement).
- 5. Slowly reintegrate back into painful movement patterns.
- 6. Take action to reduce the risk of further flare ups.
Omaha Physical Therapy Institute (OPTI) specializes in the treatment of back and neck pain. Call today to receive the attention and care that you deserve!
Braden Swanson, PT, DPT
Your Comeback Story Starts Here!