Injury help

[WhatAFoolishFool]

So stupid me was cajoled into deadlifts last week. Never done them before, just copied what they did without explanation. I now know how fucking stupid that was, especially as I have a weak lower back and core.

anyway. That night I woke up with a sore lower back. Hoped it was doms. Went for a long walk, the next day went to the gym.

woke up the next morning with all doms gone but a painful coccyx and lower back. So I’ve obviously strained / sprained something.

looking for advice, it’s been 5 days. I’m on naproxen and paracetamol, using heat and gentle stretches. I am really impatient and worried (health anxiety).

has anyone else done similar and can advise me on a fair timeline and anything else I could / should be doing?

I think if you’ve rested it and given it time the best thing to do would be now to try getting some movement into it. If you feel you can without making anything worse.
Stretching, like you’re doing, and do you have a foam roller or massage gun? maybe try and release your glutes and hamstrings as well as stiffness there definitely impacts your lower back.
Stop the heat btw, it’ll possibly be keeping it inflamed and angry. Swap for ice, or alternating cold/hot, if you can bear it.
I’ve done this a number of times to my back through deadlifts so feel your pain. Lower back is awful isn’t it, can’t avoid aggravating it just through daily living. I always found that resting it completely made it worse and I needed to sensibly carry on with some kind of exercise/movement for it to improve.

I'd go and see an osteopath and do some mobility (Tom
Morrison's stuff on YouTube is great). Then work on strengthening your core and back. Long term strengthening is going to be what prevents stuff happening. I've never had a niggle that hasn't gone away. I got a lot less stressed about this stuff from listening to Barbell Medicine podcasts. Bodies are much more resilient and adaptable than we can get sucked into believing.

Unless it's a sharp sudden pain that happens in direct response to something you've done. But it doesn't sound like it is. That would be potential injury rather than niggle for me. Stronger you are, less likely that is to happen too.

Thanks both @BedZwift @RayKray

so I feel like between my coccyx and anus is in a spasm, I can’t sit properly. And lower back is just aching.

I can do everything, it just hurts. So fine to walk / twist etc.

I’ve been doing cat cow, lower spine mobilisation, child’s pose, happy baby, and then lower back stretches. Naproxen isn’t touching it.

is now a good time to start core work etc? I really don’t want to aggravate it, I’ve got tingling around my coccyx which suggests nerve compression to me. Very stressed out.

Oh and he’s being doing some hamstring stretches - they’re super tight! And whatever it’s called when you put your opposite leg over your knee and draw towards your chest to stretch the outside of your leg / butt

It’s most likely your glutes that are super tight from the deadlifts and are causing the spasms.
When this happens to me, I find DH’s elbow pushed into the tight gluteus muscles really helps - it’s painful but the muscle will relax under the pressure. (A tennis ball would do a similar job). That plus stretching and some heat usually frees the buggers up after a day or so.

How do I know? I know it sound silly but I’m very new to the gym and have never been good at feeling muscle knots etc!

I’m currently sitting on a wheat bag!

stretching about 5x per day and heat about 3x per day at the moment

Have a poke of your muscles either side of your coccyx. Then head towards the top of your leg. Which bits are sore?

Have you ever seen an osteopath? They've released stiffness for me in one session before.

@MerryCheesemas ok thank you I’ll give it a go. At the moment it’s just the bit between my coccyx and anus that is painful.

@RayKray i have however they actually caused a locked facet joint in my thoracic spine which hasn’t yet been resolved. I’m too nervous to go back!

I’m wondering g if I’ve damaged ligaments at this stage.

Same thing happened to me and it’s never been right again.

Sadly I can’t prove it…

keep moving. Use heat - use anti inflammatory as required. It will get better.
oh and don’t lift massive weights until you’ve built up

@underneaththeash gosh really! Yes he’s determined it wasn’t him. But it was. It’s better now, not causing me constant pain but still aware of it.

thank you. I really hope so. Was expecting some kind of improvement by now, it’ll be a week tomorrow

Try ice alternating with heat, heat won’t help with inflammation but icing the area will. Go to an osteopath. The long walk and back to the gym the next day probably made it a fair bit worse.

This works for me when 8 get lower back/hip/sciatic issues. Worth a try. https://www.yogaros.co.uk/uploads/2/4/8/9/24899240/constructive_rest_pose_for_clients.pdf

@Garman thank you, I’ll try it. Haven’t done it for a few days as frankly it feels horrible to ice your butt crack 😂

I thought it was just doms but yeah I can see why it didn’t help! What an idiot. I’m not doing well with my decision making

thank you @cardibach will try that

Saw a physio today who did trigger point release on my ass and thigh. Hope it helps, no improvement since the initial injury 8 days ago 😩 my coccyx is still in a horrible spasm and my sacral area feels compressed. If I hinge forward from the waist, I hear and feel it all clicking out.

I really doubt it. It sounds like a spasmed back (been there, done that).

The stretches you're doing are fine. You might find knee rolls, & knee hugs can help also. Bend your knees, plant your feet into the floor knees pointing up, and keep your shoulder girdle on the floor and really supporting you, then let your knees fall to one side. Breathe out as you do this. Then on an inward breath, bring them to the centre, and let them fall the other way. Keep your shoulders on the floor as wide & supportive as you can make them. If you can stand it, the extra twist is to turn your head in the opposite direction to the way your knees are falling.

And just lying in constructive rest/semi-supine position, as above, will really help. I once had to sleep on the floor like that, when my deadlifting was getting really heavy before I was totally ready ...

@WickDittington thank you. How long did it take you to see an improvement?

I have been doing that actually, it gives my lower back a lovely click but that’s higher than where the pain is (pain is sacral and coccyx rather than lumbar)

I’ve also been lying on the floor for shits and giggles. My kids have stopped even questioning when they find me in random positions all over the house 🫣

10 days or so before I could move freely. 5 days of painful lower back, 2 days of which I took cocodamol - I rarely take painkillers, so 2 days was enough to take the edge off.

@WickDittington see I have had no issues with movement. I can do everything, it just bloody hurts. The coccyx spasms are hard going, I can feel it throbbing right now just lying here.

I’d see a physiotherapist in that case.

I saw a physio yesterday. They said it’s just my muscles overreacting to the strain and it will ease.