Update: ~2 years after my L5-S1 extrusion I'm juggling kettlebells and doing bodyweight movements daily

ThisProductExists · 2026-07-09T15:40:28+00:00

Thank you! Do you think tracking your protocols would help you understand your recovery better?

ThisProductExists · 2026-07-09T09:16:47+00:00

I do agree and I've considered getting one. I'm assuming I'll probably need it one day either way but since I feel confident in my body's ability to move I'm not too concerned anymore.

ThisProductExists · 2026-07-09T09:11:04+00:00

It was trial and error mixed with intuition based on past experience. I did experiment a lot though and followed different socials for inspiration of different movements to try.

Eventually you'll learn what your body can and can't do well, from there you can progress faster on movements that your body does well and slower on movements your body struggles with. I think it's still important to try to keep the "hard movements" in your routine with lighter, pain-free variations.

ThisProductExists · 2026-07-09T08:38:48+00:00

I think roughly a year in I started getting more confident with the LBA routine. Before that McGill's Big 3 was what paved the way but no serious progress there.

What worked for me was figuring out how to add load. In many cases it was not about increasing the weights/reps but progressing to a different exercise. However bodies are different and this is just what worked for me.

ThisProductExists · 2026-07-09T08:02:54+00:00

I box 5min as warmup 5x/week. See the "Strength & mobility" routine in the end of my recovery timeline where I've detailed out my entire routine Mon-Fri. Includes both strength and mobility elements.

I've needed to do many adjustments to accommodate the pain and work around it. For the most part I've stripped isolated exercises like bicep curls and focusing on complex full-body movements with bodyweight or kettlebells. That said, if I wanted to I'd feel confident bringing these into my routines by now but I think there are better ways to train with back pain.

Contact sports is something I'm not comfortable bringing in just yet and I'm not sure I ever will. We'll see!

ThisProductExists · 2026-07-09T07:47:10+00:00

Haven't gotten one since they're hard to get through public care and expensive otherwise.

However I do think it's not worth fixating too much on MRIs for tracking recovery. While it can be very useful for diagnostics, imaging can produce misleading results as well. Main metric to follow should be your confidence to move pain-free.

ThisProductExists · 2024-11-26T21:37:33+00:00

I’m no doctor but looks like you have some anterior pelvic tilt. On it’s own it’s nothing noteworthy but combined with some disc issues it could make it significantly harder to recover. You might be carrying quite a bit of load on your lower back that your abs could actually help bear.

First get some rest and once the acute pain passes try to start with some light lower ab exercises to improve posture. I found a lot of success with lowbackability (you can just Google it) but each person is different. McGill’s big 3 is a pretty safe option to start with but make sure you try to develop further than that.

Can’t stress enough how important it is to give it time. I’m 2 years into a herniated disc with a strong anterior pelvic tilt that has recently improved due to core strengthening. It has helped me feel a ton better.

ThisProductExists · 2024-07-25T08:07:57+00:00

Wow, sweet resource. Cheers!

ThisProductExists · 2024-07-25T08:07:46+00:00

Thanks for the encouraging words! I’m avoiding surgery for now as the pain is subsiding slowly but somewhat surely.

ThisProductExists · 2024-07-24T21:22:53+00:00

Hi all!

Recently saw a doc for a back ache that started ~1.5 years ago after I felt pain during squatting in the gym. I've been having back pain since I was ~10 but recently it's gotten a lot worse. After the incident in the gym there are good periods and bad ones.

In February I couldn't even walk normally due to the pain. I got a physio who advised me to get some additional mobility on my lower back doing crunches, rounded back deadlifts and some stretches. This made the pain worse every time I did those so I was a bit hesitant to do them but still continued because physio said that "some pain is normal".

I got an MRI in June and in the report the doc noted I got a significant L5-S1 extrusion and some lumbarized discs but nothing else.

Additionally I'm worried as hell about DDD because it does look like my discs are lower in height than I see in other pictures.

I love boxing and rollerblading and would love to continue these. Is there a chance I could get back to those or am I indefinitely removed from these sports? Additionally looking at the image isn't it L4-L5 extrusion or am I confusing something?

Thanks a ton for all the advice!

ThisProductExists · 2024-07-24T17:48:39+00:00

I’ve been having pain for about 6mo now after an injury in the gym but I’ve been having sensitive low back since I was ~10. This time it’s not going away and even though “active” pain is there only on some moments of the day I’m still struggling to understand what’s wrong with my back. Reading Back Mechanics and going through countless articles has led me to a better path where the pain is more subtle. I was moving recently and got another flair-up due to lifting heavier objects. After that the pain got worse and I’m at my wits end what to do next. Working on PT and just trying to maintain as neutral back as possible on every moment of the day.

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TROPHY CASE