Hi,
As my post is lengthy, I’ll notate the start and end (of what may be) extraneous background information with “***********.”
Begin background information
I’m a 27 y/o male, and (aside from the problems described in this post) am generally healthy. I was an endurance athlete in high-school/college, and began following Starting Strength in 2008. I took up Crossfit in 2011 and injured my lower back during a relatively high-volume deadlift WOD.
As with many weightlifting injuries, I took a few weeks off and felt well enough to resume training. However, due to bad form I continued to experience recurring lower back pain. I stopped lifting altogether and began running exclusively in 2015. I continued to experience intermittent flair-ups of pain, and in December 2016 experienced intense lower back pain that left me bedridden for a week. I visited an orthopedist, received an MRI, and was told that I had both a herniated disc and disc degeneration L4/L5/S1. The doctor referred me to physical therapy.
Around this time, I found this website, and was encouraged by the general attitude regarding disc injuries. I re-learned the squat and deadlift, and pursued weightlifting in lieu of physical therapy. Sure enough- my pain largely subsided, and my back felt better than it had in years.
End background information
I’ve experienced spells urinary incontinence on/off since approximately 2011- more specifically, difficulty voiding/dribbling. About two months ago I began to experience another “spell,” although instead of improving over time, the symptoms persisted. I eventually elected to visit a urologist; he asked for a brief medical history, inquired if I had lower back problems, and performed a digital rectal exam.
After I relayed the results of 2016 MRI, he explained that my prostate “felt fine,” (perhaps the most modest complement I’ve ever received), and said he was confident that my urinary problems were the result of disc degeneration. He prescribed an anti-inflammatory ointment to apply to my lower back and pelvic region, and said to return in a month if the symptoms hadn’t subsided.
In case it’s relevant- having experienced some tailbone pain (distinct from the lumbar pain that I’ve historically felt) for the last few months, I taped myself to search for form breakdowns. As expected- I’ve gotten in the habit of butt winking on squats, and rounding my lower back during deadlift descent. Fearing that the recent urinary problems and new tailbone pain might be linked, I’ve taken the past week off of training. Should I wait for my tailbone pain to subside to resume training, or should I view training as a means to improve my situation?