Report finds Erg use is a risk factor for lower back injury

[michaelb]

I don't really have back problems, but used to have a sore back at night occasionally. I think rowing has helped strengthen my back, and I don't notice back pain anymore.

[Cayenne]

I find this thread fascinating. Some say erging is bad for the back. Others say, no ! Erging is good for the back. In fact it saved theirs. Fascinating.

[Ducatista]

I don't think warning stickers go far enough. I say we swaddle everyone in bubble wrap at birth.

And Ban Motorcycles!

Ha! Of course, in that photo I'm swaddled in the moto equivalent of bubble wrap: leather & kevlar.

[derrickri]

I've always had a dodgy back; typically once a year I'd strain a muscle and be sidelined for a few weeks. I started erging and only once did I strain my back; it was when I was training for a half-marathon. I could feel my technique slacking and that's when it happened. Once you learn your limits and maintain form, it's like any other activity. To date I haven't experienced any further back injuries other than the mild strain that occured. Since the strain occured after I'd started my rowing program, the recovery time was much quicker. So I'd agree that if anything, it helps your back, just as long as you listen to your body and respond to what it's telling you.

[Pontus5]

I've been thinking about this question for the past few months. I have a prolasped disc in my back at L5. I'm having surgery to fix it on 12 Dec. If all goes well I can resume my normal activities (running and rowing) after around 12 weeks. I've been laid up with this since May, and I wouldn't like to go through this again.

I've asked 2 chiropractors, a family practice doctor and the neuro surgeon who will cut me next month about rowing after recovery. They said 1) are you kidding, 2) why would you want to do that, 3) no way, and 4) not advisable unless you like coming to my office on a regular basis.

Are there any rowers out there who have come through a situation like mine? I loved to use my erg, but if I run the risk of more disc problems I'll give it up.

[johnnybike]

I have more serious problems with my knees from running, and can see no warning stickers on my running shoes...

Good point Ancho

[FrankJ]

I've been thinking about this question for the past few months. I have a prolasped disc in my back at L5. I'm having surgery to fix it on 12 Dec. If all goes well I can resume my normal activities (running and rowing) after around 12 weeks. I've been laid up with this since May, and I wouldn't like to go through this again.

I've asked 2 chiropractors, a family practice doctor and the neuro surgeon who will cut me next month about rowing after recovery. They said 1) are you kidding, 2) why would you want to do that, 3) no way, and 4) not advisable unless you like coming to my office on a regular basis.

Are there any rowers out there who have come through a situation like mine? I loved to use my erg, but if I run the risk of more disc problems I'll give it up.

Pontus5,

I was diagnosed with a bad disc at L4 when I was 27 but at the time the doc said try physical therapy rather than surgery. He felt that surgery would just stiffen my back more and move the problem to the next disc. At the same time a coworker was having a similar problem and he went for surgery. He was feeling great just a few weeks after surgery but it took me about 8 months of hard work before I was feeling good.

Two years later when I left that office my back was feeling great but my coworker was scheduled to be going in for more back surgery. Seems he had a problem with another disc.

Now I'm 61 and have lived most of my life with a "bad back." I started rowing about 4 years ago with no back issues but I am always diligent in watching the way I move and lift. My back however has stayed very strong. When I was going to the Y two years ago I could do 3x30 reps on the back press machine set to 225. I'm sure that I could have done more but was afraid to find my limit by causing an injury. Over the last four years on the erg I have logged 9.5million meters.

Surgery may be the right answer for your problem but it is fixing the symptom not the source. You will still need to figure out why and how you injured your back. In my case core strengthening and relearning how to lift and move fixed my problem and surgery was not necessary. Just be sure you have a complete answer before agreeing to the surgery.

Frank

[Yankeerunner]

After two years of excruciating agony in her lower back and right hip my wife had surgery in July to have part of the disc between L4 & L5 removed. The initial injury occured after tripping and falling twice on the same hip.

Her Doctor has given her the OK to start erging again, with the usual caveat to keep it in moderation. She is 56 years old.

Rick

[Pontus5]

I've been thinking about this question for the past few months. I have a prolasped disc in my back at L5. I'm having surgery to fix it on 12 Dec. If all goes well I can resume my normal activities (running and rowing) after around 12 weeks. I've been laid up with this since May, and I wouldn't like to go through this again.

I've asked 2 chiropractors, a family practice doctor and the neuro surgeon who will cut me next month about rowing after recovery. They said 1) are you kidding, 2) why would you want to do that, 3) no way, and 4) not advisable unless you like coming to my office on a regular basis.

Are there any rowers out there who have come through a situation like mine? I loved to use my erg, but if I run the risk of more disc problems I'll give it up.

Pontus5,

I was diagnosed with a bad disc at L4 when I was 27 but at the time the doc said try physical therapy rather than surgery. He felt that surgery would just stiffen my back more and move the problem to the next disc. At the same time a coworker was having a similar problem and he went for surgery. He was feeling great just a few weeks after surgery but it took me about 8 months of hard work before I was feeling good.

Two years later when I left that office my back was feeling great but my coworker was scheduled to be going in for more back surgery. Seems he had a problem with another disc.

Now I'm 61 and have lived most of my life with a "bad back." I started rowing about 4 years ago with no back issues but I am always diligent in watching the way I move and lift. My back however has stayed very strong. When I was going to the Y two years ago I could do 3x30 reps on the back press machine set to 225. I'm sure that I could have done more but was afraid to find my limit by causing an injury. Over the last four years on the erg I have logged 9.5million meters.

Surgery may be the right answer for your problem but it is fixing the symptom not the source. You will still need to figure out why and how you injured your back. In my case core strengthening and relearning how to lift and move fixed my problem and surgery was not necessary. Just be sure you have a complete answer before agreeing to the surgery.

Frank

To make a long story short, the original injury came from poor lifting technique. I was in a truck and handed someting heavy. I lifted while twisting and felt pain at the disc that's injured. That happened a few years ago, but the pain wasn't constant. I took up rowing in 2001 and found it helped the back pain. The recent series of events kicked up after taking a fitness test. I'm in the USAF, and required to test annually. Part of the test is doing crunches for 1 min. In the past my back always hurt after the test. This year my right hamstring was sore and tight the next week, and I was referred to physical therapy. The symptoms got worse as the next 6 weeks went by, and the final diagnoses was disc damage, confirmed by MRI. The disc is prolasped; imagine a smashed doughnut and you have a picture of the disc. This is beyond physical therapy. The only options I have are surgery or steriod injections (which isn't a garauntee).

I know that exercises to stregthen my core muscles are essential to keep from having a second surgery. All the medical advice I've received says to quit rowing and find another fitness activity that's less stressful on the back.

[FrankJ]

To make a long story short, the original injury came from poor lifting technique. I was in a truck and handed someting heavy. I lifted while twisting and felt pain at the disc that's injured. That happened a few years ago, but the pain wasn't constant. I took up rowing in 2001 and found it helped the back pain. The recent series of events kicked up after taking a fitness test. I'm in the USAF, and required to test annually. Part of the test is doing crunches for 1 min. In the past my back always hurt after the test. This year my right hamstring was sore and tight the next week, and I was referred to physical therapy. The symptoms got worse as the next 6 weeks went by, and the final diagnoses was disc damage, confirmed by MRI. The disc is prolasped; imagine a smashed doughnut and you have a picture of the disc. This is beyond physical therapy. The only options I have are surgery or steriod injections (which isn't a garauntee).

I know that exercises to stregthen my core muscles are essential to keep from having a second surgery. All the medical advice I've received says to quit rowing and find another fitness activity that's less stressful on the back.

Pontus5,

That is what I had a ruptured disc. There were no MRIs at that time so they took a myelogram which gave me the worst headache I ever had. When my problem first hit I moved wrong and felt like a sword went down the back of my right leg. The next thing I remember is my wife trying to wake me up because I had passed out cold from the pain. I spent a week in the hospital and about 2 weeks at home flat on my back with my knees supported by pillows to keep them bent. The only place I was allowed to go was physical therapy and it was long slow process but it did work. It is surprising at times how well the body can recover from debilitating injuries.

Frank

[Pontus5]

Pontus5,

That is what I had a ruptured disc. There were no MRIs at that time so they took a myelogram which gave me the worst headache I ever had. When my problem first hit I moved wrong and felt like a sword went down the back of my right leg. The next thing I remember is my wife trying to wake me up because I had passed out cold from the pain. I spent a week in the hospital and about 2 weeks at home flat on my back with my knees supported by pillows to keep them bent. The only place I was allowed to go was physical therapy and it was long slow process but it did work. It is surprising at times how well the body can recover from debilitating injuries.

Frank

My first chiropractor had the same attitude, that the body can recover from many injuries if you get the right rest and therapy. In the early days of treatment from him I overheard him telling another patient that he'd only thought surgery was needed for 3 of his previous patients. The next time I saw him was after the MRI, and he told me I was the fourth. He also said I was fortunate to not be in more pain that what I am.

I'm keeping an optimistic attitude towards this situation. I may have to give up rowing, but there are other fitness activities that are still open after recovery.

[editedby]

I've read that people have recovered from back pain with Pilates. Mat Pilates exercises focus on strengthening the midsection.
Good luck.

[citiusaltiusfortius9]

I think it's all in the technique. I think a lot of people who have back problems from rowing don't row right. Myself included, I had a pressed disk in my back which hit my sciatic nerve... that hurt pretty bad but after chiropractor and PT I'm a lot better but I've modified my rowing stroke a lot since with special care to keep my back straight.
Many people who erg without doing proper research also put the damper at a 10 thinking it will burn the most calories, but end up either only erging 5min or hurting their back.
Pilates can probably help but it has to be done with someone who knows your injury and knows what they are doing. I did a few months of pilates in a class of 30 people+ at the Y and went home with a sore back every day. My PT gave me certain exercises from pilates and took the care to show me how to do them and my back has been much better since. You just have to do things properly.

Also I did a year of PT at a sports medecine place with no improvment. After a few months with the chiropractor and their PT I'm much better. Try a chiropractor for back pain.

[tennstrike]

I'm looking for some input on what I'm doing wrong. I self-diagnosed a stress fracture on my right side in the back in early September. At the time I was doing around 75K meters a week and full into the WP for around ten months and had gotten my 2K down to the 7:16.9 shown below. So I stopped erging for nine weeks. I tried after seven weeks, but could tell I needed a little more time.

When I started back up, I did the same routine for two weeks, a 1600 meters of warmup, a twenty minute L4 piece (average over the intervals 2:13.9) another 1600, another twenty minute L4 and another 1600. That was a little over 13K meters and I did this for two weeks, twelve workouts. All felt really good.

Then I started a little over a week ago back into my WP training. I tried to take the times from February, figuring go back six months for two months out. It's an L1, L4, L2, L4, L3 then L4. Started 500 at 1:50, 1K at 1:53, 2K at 1:57 and two 5K at 2:04 and the 10K at 2:09. The three L4 are all 60' at 2:13.9 average. (176/180 three times) Except for the L4, I have done just a little better than my targets for each workout.

But.....now my ribs are beginning to hurt again on the right side, front this time. Not fractured, but they hurt.

Am I doing something wrong or is this natural after the layoff, even though I "warmed up" for two weeks. Should I maybe adjust the drag? I did move it down from the 145 area I was at to around 135. On the one hand I want to start back up training because I don't have many years left to get sub 7:00 at least once, but on the other hand I don't want to have to take another two months off.

Thanks.

[FrankJ]

Tennstrike,

One thing I notice is that your DF is on the high side. I row with a DF of about 100 +/- 5. You might want to try that.

Frank