I forgot to put on my belt prior to deadlifts this past Monday. While pulling I felt a lower back pop similar to cracking a knuckle. I immediately dropped the weight and felt mild pain & stiffness set in. By midnight I was in considerable pain. Heat and ibuprofen have reduced the back pain to just some stiffness now on Friday, (I dod not seek medical intervention). My question is, Is there a specific time period to avoid putting a load on such an injury, or should someone, (me), start testing the injury to see if it can support a load? And would my plan be to train Squats/Deadlifts submaximally for a period of time? At 47 I’ve never had a “real” back injury, this is my first experience with this dreaded topic.
There is no specific time period to avoid movement / training, as this is not the best approach after a back tweak. You need to get moving; you will likely need to do a few light sessions to see how things go.
Is there a time when a disc bulge / herniation can no longer handle compression as is with squatting? And squatting needs to stop all together? I have been advised of this.
If there is active cord compression with correlating symptoms, I would not advise squatting. Otherwise, I have not come across such a scenario in the gym.