When "No Pain, No Gain" Ends Up Hurting You, Part II

I do need to be clear, lifting did NOT cause this. I have many little ladies that are so afraid of lifting anything at all, being bulking, hurting etc...I have fought all these myths for so long, that's the last conclusion I want anyone to come to. The reason I have issues, is because my spine is crooked, and therefore cannot evenly distribute the load. Many people have some degree of curvature, we are of course, imperfect creatures. But with a balanced spine and bone structure, the body can handle a great amount of force. To be honest, my body has handled quite a bit of force for quite a long time.

So as I had said, I went for help through the traditional means. I switched back to my previous Chiropractor. I did this because he works on professional sports teams and was himself an athlete and I needed someone who could understand what I was going through. This is not an injury, this is not a hobby, This is MY LIFE. Telling me to stop lifting things or to just walk was NOT acceptable. They did an initial set of tests on me, and funny enough, everything caused low back pain. (LBP) That makes sense, but with all the other pain my back pain had been overshadowed.

What Dr. C DID Tell me though...basically..."Well you're not competing anymore right?" ....Well my last show was just a few months before...I hadn't planned on stopping. He basically told me that at this point in my career, I really didn't need to prove myself to anyone. Now I don't do it to go Pro, I do it to challenge myself, be a good example, and meet other badass fitness people. ;) But this is NOT what I wanted to hear. I asked him what CAN I do? (Try to remember this part for later, so you can feel just how irritating and confusing this all gets, lol) He said "No seated overhead presses of ANY kind." WHOA. Let that sink in. Cuz shoulders is KINDA a BIG part of a Figure Competitor's presentation. If you don't know....I have an ENTIRE lift session designated JUST for shoulders. My last program was DLB's (Dana Linn Baily's shoulder routine which takes me almost 2 hours). Sitting is the position that creates the most compressive forces on the lower spine. So compound that with weights overhead, no bueno. Also, NO spinal loading, meaning weighted squats, lunges, etc. (In the fitness world, you MUST squat!). I asked him is this was temporary. His response was, "Well, we're talking long term right?" Basically, IF I wanted to do a show, I could pick ONE, and then spend a long recovery after it. But really, not do it. He explained that this was like mourning. That many young professional athletes had to retire due to the wear and tear of the body and this was what happens. The stages of mourning, some I don't remember, but disbelief, depression, anger...and down the line...acceptance. I would be lying if I said I didn't spend many nights, weeks, lost. Balling my eyes out on the way home from the gym. Not being able to practice what I preach. Feeling like a fraud. It's a compete identity crisis.

I started out at 3x/week with adjustments, ART (Active Release Technique, aka soft tissue work that hurts like hell but feels better afterwards), Fire-cupping (where they put a hot glass cup on you to suck up vs press down on the tissue. I spent a weekend with racing stripes (aka Physio-tape) on my back. I was to be icing and foam-rolling daily, which I proved to be a horrible patient/client. I was not working out during this time. For 2 weeks, I couldn't even really participate in my Cycle classes. I faked it, or coached it. But I wasn't getting any better. So at that point, we decided I needed an MRI.

He wanted me to try Aleve for 2 weeks, (the most you should take it, due to damage it can cause) because most doctors due that to see if the pain is caused due to inflammation. I never take pills (aside from my emergency stash of prescription pills, only in extreme cases) so I wasn't happy and Aleve did nothing for me anyhow. First day, whatever..but 2nd day on...I felt I could take on the world. Damn, it took down the inflammation. Regardless, I still needed to find out the problem, as you can't live on pills. So I started messaging my Primary Physician to see where to start. 

When "No Pain, No Gain" Ends Up Hurting You

Some of us are born with a stronger work ethic than others. We push ourselves to our limit. In my case, 'good' is NEVER good enough. In fitness, and especially bodybuilding, there is the "NO Excuses" mentality. "Go Hard or Go Home", "Suck It Up Princess" among many mantras. All of these things are meant to be inspirational, motivational. But we need to also use sound judgement. Sometimes we get so worried about selling ourselves short, that we push too much.

I always knew my back issues, my "signs", but was never diagnosed. When I moved home from college, I finally decided to go see someone. I went to a Physical Therapist. Really, it was the PTA (Physical Therapist Assistant) that saw me. I self-presented. Handed it to her on a silver platter:
"I have one pants leg always shorter than the other
One hip is higher than the other
My left low back musculature is full, the right is concave
My waist goes in on the right, but is straighter on the left
Some say I may have a slight scoliosis."

...."No, that's not it" She gave me back strengthening exercises. Let's be clear, I rowed Crew my freshman year(Starboard, #3 if you're interested), always lifted. Graduated with a dual-track minor in Group Exercise and Personal Training, was working construction that summer drilling through steel doors, teaching a Step and Bounce class....I hardly had a weak back. I think she just liked having a patient who she could get to do a one leg bridge on the Ball.

It wasn't until a co-worker, another personal trainer, recommended I go to the chiropractor he was interning for at TEAM Clinic. He did some neurological tests and could tell right away, he said I had a "significant scoliosis". When I first saw my x-rays, I was shocked. I felt deformed. I was in mid-competition prep for my first show, which I weighed in at 108lbs. How was I going to compete in a sport based on symmetry when I was crooked?


 

My back would lock up from time to time. I could go about 1- 1 1/2 years before I'd be locked up and Dr C would have to work on me, ART(Active Release Technique) stuff, until I could go back to life as usual. Sometimes low back, once it was T4 and he thought I was self-diagnosing because there is actually a "T4 Syndrome". I remember it was so painful, It would hurt just to lean back in my seat/car, as the vertebrae was sensitive to the touch. I couldn't reach, or rotate, it hurt to file at the office. I kept lifting.

I kept building. My initial competition weight was 108. I now compete at 123lbs, as of my last shows. My Lean Body Mass alone I got up to a max of 112lbs. So I've been trying to build. I've never been a power lifter, or did a whole lot of Barbell squats. I was using the Smith Machine for the back support, until last Spring when my back started feeling/sounding like the Grizzly (a wooden roller coaster at Great America) as I would perform my squats. So I switched to Leg Press. My left hamstring was tight, and even when I would take a week or two off I would still have shooting pain down my leg. So I continued. In the fall I threw out my low back performing a bent over Barbell row. I had just increased my last set to an 80lb bar. I could barely move. I couldn't sit right and I was on prescription meds at night, Motrin in sets of 4 during the day. It took about 2 1/2 weeks for me to be able to walk properly again. Still I continued. My sumo/plie squats were becoming a problem as my anterior right hip started having impingement. It was like something was inflamed in my hip flexor preventing me from going down as far. I had certain days where I would place my feet on the Leg Press, and before the plate would even move, I felt like my pelvis was going to come apart. My TFL(Tensor fasciae latae muscle) on the right hip became sore to the touch. My hips were also sore over the sides, the Greater Trochanter. My Physical Medicine doctor said that may have been bursitis. So these are the things I was struggling with when people would say "suck it up", or "oh I have that" and many other things. Sometimes people try to motivate or encourage. But I've never been a slacker. So until it got to the point where I was limping, with shooting pains on the daily, Every time I would get up out of a chair, my car, I'd have to brace the right hip and limp on the left leg. I kept pushing. After one time doing sprints with my co-worker, it felt like my TFL was going to rip off, I had had it. It just wasn't worth the pain anymore and I decided to bite the bullet and go for help.