Back Injury Pre Rowing

[midranger]

So last march I believe I Injured my back lifting weights. It wasn't really apparent other than some soreness until I was running and I felt severe pain which felt like it had crippled me mid run. I crawled home and rested for a few weeks. I began stretching and back rehabbing daily and when pain reduced I began running, cycling, gently lifting light weight again. The pain never completely went but it was much better. Every morning I was very sore until I began moving and things started loosening up.

Up until this point I had never rowed, however in July when on holiday i was using the resorts gym and they had a terrible selection of stationary bikes and I was looking for some low impact exercise as running was a bit of a red flag still considering the back. They had a concept2 rower so I gave it ago. I ended up using it every day and when I got home I started studying the correct technique and using the concept2 most days at my local gym. As you all probably know rowing is a bit addictive and I'm now obsessed with the machine.

The rower has never seemed to irritate my back and I always feel very loose and pain free after a rowing session. My rowing form is good as I spent a lot of time concentrating on correct form.

I'm now at a bit of a problem where my back has flared up big time in the last week. The problem is I've been lifting weights, running a bit, cycling, and rowing. So I cannot quite figure out what has caused my problem to flare up to it's worst level of pain since the injury begun.

I've seen a doctor and am booked in to see the physio next week. I'm obviously not a doctor but I believe I have herniated a disc or have a bulging disc. Ive been suffering with the injury for almost a year now.

So I guess I'm asking for some advice. I believe I've probably been too careless in the weight room considering my injury, but there's also part of me that thinks the rower has bit by bit been straining my back without me really realising. Even though when I row I feel loose afterwards.

If I have a bulging/herniated disc should I just forget the rowing and cycle instead? Or could the rowing actually be good for my back injury?

Bit of a ramble I appreciate, just very frustrated as I'm not good when sidelined with injury.

Would be a shame to give up the rowing as I really enjoy the work, however my brain is sort of telling me rowing is never going to be good for someone with a vulnerable back injury.

Any input greatly welcomed.

[Sakly]

Hi and welcome,

No medical advice, but there are plenty of people with bulged discs deadlifting heavy weights and doing other fancy stuff, so generally speaking this is no reason to stop.
Your specific individual case can differ for sure, so you should assess with a doc/physio what makes sense for your specific situation.
Often pain is created by missing core stability, wrong muscle recruitment during movement.

[p_b82]

No medical advice here - but Dr and physio's should be able to identify the exact problem and treatment.

If while rehabing you didn't suffer any back issues, then it suggests that the rowing on it's own is ok, but the combination of things is too much - maybe when feeling better, you cut one activity out and see how things feel, and/or rotate them to see which one starts to cause the flare up?

As an aside, I had a back spasm at the start of the month while on the erg, which knocked my lower back out; barely mobile for 10 days - glad I live in a bungalow so no stairs to contend with! It has taken 3 weeks and I still have much reduced lower back flexibility and I'm having to be very gentle and listen to it carefully. But I'm improving steadily day by day thankfully.

I thought I'd done a disk initially, as the pain was not directly muscular/didn't feel like my usual "bad back" issues, but I believe (without medical assessment) that I just really badly pulled a muscle and the inflammation pressed on the nerves to give nerve pain on top of the muscle damage.

Hope you get to the bottom of things, as I quite literally, feel your pain!

[gvcormac]

Disk issues are very common. I actually got into rowing more than 30 years ago as part of rehab for disk issues.

Originally they had me warm up for physio on a bike, but I graduated to rowing (on a model D) and loved it.

I can't row when my back is actually in spasm, but otherwise it is great. When it is in spasm, I immediately like flat on my back with calves on a bed or stool, pelvic tilt. Or if I can't do that, sit upright with feet flat on a book or raised in some other way. If it is really bad, booze or codeine or methocarbamol help a bit. In the US, I think booze is the only one of those you can get over the counter. In Canada, all three. Methocabamol is sold as a "muscle relaxant" but I find it least effective. As Hamilton Hall says in "The Back Doctor" ... "there are no muscle relaxants, just people relaxants."

Be careful to activate your core to keep your back straight, and don't lean back far.

[midranger]

Thanks for the responses guys. I'm going to rehab very gently until the pain is reduced. I find hanging from a pullup bar for 30-60 seconds is helping the most along with stretching/mobility and trying not to lounge around too much.

I think the plan one the pain has subsided is back off any weight training and start off with zone 2 zwifting and some gentle rowing and see how things go from there.

The rowing has never caused me back pain during the activity, I'm just a bit wary if it has been causing the back some strain without me realising.

I'm pretty sure I've been doing too much in the weight room. The back starts to feel better and it's hard to not get carried away sometimes.

[gvcormac]

Thanks for the responses guys. I'm going to rehab very gently until the pain is reduced. I find hanging from a pullup bar for 30-60 seconds is helping the most along with stretching/mobility and trying not to lounge around too much.

Interesting. In physio they put me on a rack (yes, the medieval torture device) and it felt great while being stretched but no lasting benefit. Also TENS was an interesting distraction, but no lasting effect. I found sleeping with a bolster pillow and/or a pillow between knees quite helpful.

Core strength is key. Do/can you do hollow body holds?

[midranger]

My core strength I feel is good. For example pre Injury or when my back is feeling good, I can do things like L sit pull-ups with good form. Just something I did threw my back out and it hasnt fully healed since.

I think it's going to be a lot of trial and error introducing each activity one at a time and seeing which is aggravating the back most.

[Dangerscouse]

I think it's going to be a lot of trial and error introducing each activity one at a time and seeing which is aggravating the back most.

That sounds like the best plan. Also, I'd use a low drag factor to start with and not drop below r18. You'd be better off keeping the momentum going and not having any jerky movements.

What stroke rate and drag factor do you usually use? Are you sitting up tall and engaging your lats during the drive?

[midranger]

I think it's going to be a lot of trial and error introducing each activity one at a time and seeing which is aggravating the back most.

That sounds like the best plan. Also, I'd use a low drag factor to start with and not drop below r18. You'd be better off keeping the momentum going and not having any jerky movements.

What stroke rate and drag factor do you usually use? Are you sitting up tall and engaging your lats during the drive?

Drag factor is usually between 125-130. Stroke rate is dependant on the session. Sometimes I'll do a 30r20, if I'm doing a 6k-10k it's usually around 22-24r.

[midranger]

So I resumed rowing 2-3 times a week the last two weeks, and it hasn't made my back worse but the back also hasn't really improved much either.

So at a bit of a crossroads whether I should continue to row or go stop rowing.

While it doesn't hurt to row I'm unsure if it is preventing my bs k go heal or if it's not bothering it at all.

[Dangerscouse]

So I resumed rowing 2-3 times a week the last two weeks, and it hasn't made my back worse but the back also hasn't really improved much either.

So at a bit of a crossroads whether I should continue to row or go stop rowing.

While it doesn't hurt to row I'm unsure if it is preventing my bs k go heal or if it's not bothering it at all.

Purely based on my own experience and opinion, I'd carry on doing what you're doing if it's not feeling any worse, and I'd also consider seeing a physio and/or doctor

[pagomichaelh]

Drag factor is usually between 125-130. Stroke rate is dependant on the session. Sometimes I'll do a 30r20, if I'm doing a 6k-10k it's usually around 22-24r.

I'd drop the drag to the absolute minimum (depends on how dirty the fan unit is) until you feel like you're healed

[BinaryZombie]

So last march I believe I Injured my back lifting weights. It wasn't really apparent other than some soreness until I was running and I felt severe pain which felt like it had crippled me mid run. I crawled home and rested for a few weeks. I began stretching and back rehabbing daily and when pain reduced I began running, cycling, gently lifting light weight again. The pain never completely went but it was much better. Every morning I was very sore until I began moving and things started loosening up.

Up until this point I had never rowed, however in July when on holiday i was using the resorts gym and they had a terrible selection of stationary bikes and I was looking for some low impact exercise as running was a bit of a red flag still considering the back. They had a concept2 rower so I gave it ago. I ended up using it every day and when I got home I started studying the correct technique and using the concept2 most days at my local gym. As you all probably know rowing is a bit addictive and I'm now obsessed with the machine.

The rower has never seemed to irritate my back and I always feel very loose and pain free after a rowing session. My rowing form is good as I spent a lot of time concentrating on correct form.

I'm now at a bit of a problem where my back has flared up big time in the last week. The problem is I've been lifting weights, running a bit, cycling, and rowing. So I cannot quite figure out what has caused my problem to flare up to it's worst level of pain since the injury begun.

I've seen a doctor and am booked in to see the physio next week. I'm obviously not a doctor but I believe I have herniated a disc or have a bulging disc. Ive been suffering with the injury for almost a year now.

So I guess I'm asking for some advice. I believe I've probably been too careless in the weight room considering my injury, but there's also part of me that thinks the rower has bit by bit been straining my back without me really realising. Even though when I row I feel loose afterwards.

If I have a bulging/herniated disc should I just forget the rowing and cycle instead? Or could the rowing actually be good for my back injury?

Bit of a ramble I appreciate, just very frustrated as I'm not good when sidelined with injury.

Would be a shame to give up the rowing as I really enjoy the work, however my brain is sort of telling me rowing is never going to be good for someone with a vulnerable back injury.

Any input greatly welcomed.

Definitely a late response here, but here goes.

Bit of history: I've suffered from a low back injury since I was 18-19, I'm 37 now. I've got three back surgeries so far, all in the lumbar spine area (L5-S1) and recently came off an injury to L3-L4 and L4-L5 that left me pretty much crippled and back on a cane for months.

Should you row? Yes, but with caution. Don't push it. If you're feeling leg or back pain hit pause and lay down on a firm flat surface for a few minutes. Do something else like take a walk after the pain subsides. If you absolute want to hop back on the rower then take it easy, no sprints. Focus on form and make sure to keep your abdominals tight and tense to take tension off your back.

Once you're off the rower still keep an eye on your back. Take it easy for a few hours, don't bend or round your back for whatever reason.

Without an MRI or advanced imaging we can't know if you have a bulging or herniated disc hitting a nerve root. If that's the case you would most likely be feeling it in one leg or glute at least and, in worse cases, in the groin and scrotum. One thing I learned in my long history with back pain is that it can be referred pain to another area: your hips.

Look into opening up your hip flexors and stretching them. In some cases I've had pain go away entirely after just a short (5 min) stretching session on my hip flexors. So that might be something to explore if you haven't already with your physio (again, this is a super late response!).

Anyway, good luck man!

[MPx]

No idea or comment on the medical stuff.

What I do know is that using the erg actually strengthens the back over time and has certainly helped me completing various (DIY) projects which it turned out needed a strong back! I also know the erg is used in all sorts of rehab cases so best advice would be to go see a knowledgable physio and get the lowdown and a programme from them.

[drluvguru]

I have chronic lower back pain and take CBD for it. Of all the meds and stuff I tried for it, CBD works the best. It helps calm the pain and manage it.
I recommend trying it. As proof, this page on medical cannabis for lower back pain describes its benefits. Read it and convince yourself.