Back Injury & No Mobility - HELP

[Mr Physique]

Hello, I'm going to start this post out with an overview of training injuries and lower back pain, so it may end up being a bit lengthy. So I want to thank you for your input and help now

Been lifting since 2009-2010 (freshmen yr highschool), I began developing back pain around the beginning of 2011. I attribute this mainly to doing heavy box squats on a smith machine (very stupid). 2012 I did not train legs at all after deciding to not play football or sports my senior year. After graduating in June 2013 I began training legs again just for balanced physique/aesthetic purposes (my "bro" phase had ended).

In Sept of 2013 I injured my lower back squatting 185 while still warming up. On my way down I did not stay tight and at the bottom I felt a weird pain (like icy hot kind of) in my lower back. For the 3-7 days following I could not even walk properly. In total I was out of the gym for just under 2 months. After returning my lower training took a few different turns, but never really addressed my weaknesses as I should have. Began low bar squatting.

Recently, in October 2017 a similar thing happened again when squatting, it did not affect my ability to walk like the 2013 injury. But I was out of the gym again for another 2 months. I recently began training full throttle again and addressing a lot of my issues/imbalances (core strength, squat form, etc.).

Now I cannot seem to squat or deadlift comfortably. I can't find my groove in either and they both feel very uncomfortable on my lower back. I do not want to give these movements up, though. Recently I have discovered when walking if I extend my left leg a little beyond my average stroke length I get a pain above my butt on my lower left back, which I believe is a sciatic nerve. This is also bothered when deadlifting and squatting.

I am going to see a PT, but it will be almost 2 months until I can get in. What I'm asking for is:
1. Help from others who've been in the position
2. I need to improve my mobility/flexibility drastically also as I feel stiff, advice on a mobility routine
3. Should I cut out squats/deads?
4. A program for strengthening my core and lower back

I've spent sometime on Joe DeFranco's YouTube channel... While he has had much more serious back injuries he said he has discontinued the squat and deadlift, and moved away from crunch based core movement (his leg training is based around unilateral movements that avoid spinal compression/allow you to remain upright.. like lunges, sleds, step ups, etc.), as well as core training that is among an anti-movement pattern (mainly planks, etc.)

I'm leaning toward going Joe's route until I see a PT, but would also like feedback as I'm sure many of the fine men here on AM have been there, done that in regards to my position or similar. I was also going to begin doing his Agile 11. Should I do this daily, and should I add more mobility work on top of this?

Thanks y'all, all feedback in appreciated

 

[PoSiTiVeFLoW]

If you can spend 30 minutes and get a full spine MRI, you can see if you have compressed discs, hopefully no nerve stenosis... Even a back X-ray might let a doctor measure for disc compression I think, but MRI is needed for other tissues.

 

[Ase_james]

Id get a specialist to look at it if you're planning on keeping squats and deads going.
I fell from a roof decades ago, never really thought about it much after. But years later i started having the same type of isses. In the end, i stopped squats and deads. Went through pt and retrained my core, this took a couple years. Then after a while of doinf the pt moves and the roman chair i started doing single leg squats on the bottom of rhe stairs, added weight slowly. You get all the weight on one leg and less overall on your spine. Now i do it all and still have a severe spinal injury, but my core does most of rhe work.

Dont **** around with a back injury, it could keep you out of the gym forever...
Not saying you could have the same thing, but if a disk has a tendency to slip and you start throwing heavy ass bars on your shoulders, you could wind up an invalid.

 

[Mr Physique]

Thanks y’all. I’m getting an MRI scheduled and until then no move movements that compress spine! More advice is always welcomed

 

[bigsmall]

Hope the MRI does not reveal anything that cannot be corrected via training! Whatever the case, when you do get back: The Glute Ham raise is the King of posterior chain development and re-hab. Every time you open your back (with a squat for a example), you need to close your with an extension of some sort. For every time you have opened your back and not closed it - you need to make up for that in the coming years. I highly highly recommend you do proper Glute Ham raises twice a week to failure and with assistance so you can exercise proper form. And do regular back extensions (3 sets x 30 reps) two other days a week (warm up / cool down). To do proper glute ham raises, you will very most likely need a spotter for the first few weeks - just to get a few proper reps. They are tough, but will make you bullet proof! Good luck and let us know how that MRI goes!

 

[BennyMagoo79]

Video yourself from side on. Does your back flex during the squat? If so, then you need to improve hip mobility. A sustainable squat technique involves zero spinal flexion and neutral positioning of vertebrae.