Hi guys,
31 year old man, 5’9" and about 175. Waist circumference hovering around 37 inches right now.
December of 2022, I slipped a disc in my C5/C6. Wish I Could say I was deadliftting a car or squatting a house, because that would be a lot cooler than “I bent over while vacuuming and lifted my head while hinged at the hips”. Needless to say, that experience humbled me.
I have been off the weights for some time now chiefly to give myself and mainly my psyche the rest I needed, and really feel like I need and want to get back into it. I did the PT thing and in July of 2023 had an injection in my C7/T1, and it has kept me having mostly good days since. Occasionally I’ll have a flair up of pain I will take cyclobenzaprine and diclofenac to treat.
Now, the neurosurgeon I saw doesn’t seem to be a fan of heavy lifting and recommended I avoid squats, but not as a personal prescription but as a “I see many injuries due to squats in my practice”. A general, fair observation.
Recently I got under my barbell just to feel the motions and start getting back into it. Everything feels like I can tolerate lifting again, but my chief complaint is tightness/pain in the upper right arm, which is the same side the disc herniation is located. Years ago, I sought PT for arm pain in the same spot and had some success in getting pain managed to be able to get under the bar for awhile. (in hindsight, I wonder if there had been a nerve pressed there for years and the vacuuming incident was the final straw).
I am curious how you guys might recommend moving forward? I’m going to try variations and avoid pain triggering positions, and overall just listen to my body. But, can you point to any specific flexibility routines for getting to a low bar back squat position again?
I realize I’m staring down the barrell of a consult from BBM to make this work long term, but if there’s any advice or resources you can offer to get me off the ground, I would appreciate it.