Lower Back Pain GONE - David Daradan
“My lower back pain has gone”
Music to my ears of course
This is what my long term client, David Daradan said to me the other day during his session
Just typing this out, I’m only just realising the full ramifications of this
David mentioned he was in pain, just getting up off the couch
Now in David’s case
I’d certainly say he is a man who has endeavoured to stay active over the years
He dabbled in Muay Thai for quite some time (I should mention he sustained a long term elbow injury from the sport, so this impedes his ability to do some exercises)
Has trained a bit in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
He’s also done a lot of strength work with me over the years, plus some cardio
I know he walks a lot with his beautiful dog, Peanut
In general, David has engaged in a decent amount of activity in general
So in this case, his pain hasn’t come from either injury nor physical inactivity
It is actually degeneration
To be exact, here are the details:
“Deteriorating L5 vertebrae. Causing a lot of pressure on the lower back”
So you might be asking, what did we do with David to help him?
Well quite frankly, I followed a decent amount of Andrew Lock’s material (specialist in lower back and shoulder rehabilitation) and not only implemented this in Dave’s session, but also got him to practise outside of training
To which of course, he did!
And the success of following such protocol, has certainly paid off
David actually visited a physio to get treatment for his his back, and he was advised that he work on things like Deadlifting, squats and core exercises like bird/dog. The physio also prescribed some light massage
So on top of this advice, we worked on the following exercises:
McGill’s Big 3 - (I’ve written a short blog on these before, click here for details)
Bird dog - anti rotation control
Side planks - abdominal and gluteal control
McGill curl up - abdominal activation
Lock’s Base 5
Lock clam - to initiate glute activation (get to Glute max without direction extension)
Front plank - abdominal brace (to set up lumbo-pelvic control to minimise lumbar extension when Prone hip extension applied
Side plank - abdominal and gluteal integration
Shoulder taps - Anti-rotation
Prone Hip extension - (we actually did hip extension in a supine position)
Then we’d finish off with a decent session of Sumo Deadlift
In all honesty, David pops in to see me once a week. So before his session commences, he’s got to run through the Big 3 and Lock 5 in preparation for his Deadlifts
But here’s what I think has REALLY got him better
It’s doing his activation and core exercises MOST days of the week
Not just at our session
MOST… days…
Here’s what I think is imperative for many of you to know (or realise)
Some things require more work than others, and it’s likely if you’ve got an ailment such as a lower back issue, then daily work will be crucial to your healing
Here’s a bit of an example of what Andrew Lock might prescribe for a lower back rehab program
So, how often would you do something like this?
Well I guess it depends on how you’re pulling up from some of the exercises, but I’m pretty sure, this is daily protocol for those wanting to get better
I’ve said it before, movement seems to be one of the best medications
Of course, with any medication, it’s the dosage which we must be mindful of
To finish off, I asked David himself, to do a bit of a write up about his back
This is what he said:
“Early to mid last year I started experiencing minor lower back pain that quickly became severe. Getting out of bed became a painful and laborious task and throughout the day I would get random sharp pains that left me feeling crippled and helpless.
After some scans, I was told that the bone on my L5 vertebrae (which is the lowest sitting vertebrae) was deteriorating. This is the kind of deterioration that can lead to arthritis. Something had to be done immediately to avoid further deterioration and pain. Strength training was necessary for any hope of recovery.
Enter stage left: Scott Jenkins. Once I had told Scott of my situation we got to work right away. We focused on deadlifts along with some core strength exercises and ensuring that my technique was perfectly executed. I was astounded by how quickly I felt less pain after doing deadlifts. Fast forward to today and my lower back is stronger and more mobile than it has ever been. And best of all ZERO pain. And I couldn’t have done it without Scott’s expertise and guidance. Now that I have achieved my primary goal of zero pain, now I’m ready to take it to the next level and get as strong as I can with my deadlift and couldn’t think of a better coach than Scott to guide me along the way. Thank you Scott!”
If you are having back problems and you are feeling a bit lost
Then please reach out
If I can’t help, I will certainly and quite sincerely, point you in the best direction that I know
Of course, if you haven’t already seen a Health Professional (Chiro/Physio/Osteo) then it’s wise that you do this before engaging in any form of physical exercise/rehab program
P.T. Scott