Hey guys,
I have poster here previously about questions regarding lower back pain and bilateral radicular symptoms with lifting. Since I last posted, I have had an MRI and consult with a PMNR specialist. Long story short, there is some bulging and a small protrusion in my L5-S1, but no true nerve compression. PMNR’s best guess is that the protrusion is causing chemical nerve irritation. She suggested some medication and return to activity with slow and gradual loading.
Based off that suggestion, I decided to purchase the low back pain rehab template to guide me through. I think I misunderstood the instructions and RPE scaling with the first initial phase, and have since caused a flare up in my lower back and LE symptoms. I realized the errors I made after reading through the supplemental material more closely. I am currently on week 3 of Phase 1, but I was wondering if I should restart the program entirely due to the flare up? Or possibly repeat week 2 with lighter loads and proper RPE use? Any help would be appreciated!
Thanks for the post, and sorry to hear you’re still dealing with this I don’t think there’s a huge difference between starting on week 1 or repeating week 2. The goal is to have the pain settle down enough so you can move forward. That said, I think restarting phase 1 of the low back pain template would be a good idea if the flare up is recent (now) in order to give you a longer on-ramp.
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Thanks Dr. Feigenbaum! I will do that and follow it as prescribed. Follow up question: should I wait until my symptoms return to baseline, or is it possible for me to try to incorporate the movements during a flare up?
Sorry, I’m not sure what you mean. If you’re still experiencing significant symptoms that are getting worse (or not improving) with movement, I don’t think adding more is a great idea.Changing the movement may be beneficial, pending the time scale this is all happening over.
I may be misunderstanding you, but I do think starting with the 1st phase and running it as written is a good idea.
Thanks doc! I feel like this answers my question. If im experiencing higher symptoms, it’s probably best to wait for them to ease, then try phase 1 from the start as written. Thank you!