So a couple of weeks ago I pulled a muscle in my back doing Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu and took two weeks off and then I went for a run and immediately seized up.
I went to the Dr and they said that I’ll have to rest 4-6 weeks. Why is it so long compared to other muscles which get better in 2 weeks?
In: 52
Because unlike muscles in your arms and legs, you can never really stop using the muscles in your core. You use them when standing, walking, sitting upright, turning, you use them A LOT.
They don’t necessarily take longer. Back injury might take a long time to heal or it might heal quickly. Other muscle injuries can take much longer than 2 weeks to heal.
Something made your doctor estimate this particular injury will take 4-6 weeks to heal.
Truth: They don’t take any longer. Your doc is being way overly cautious, possibly taking into consideration that you run and do BJJ (ie: maybe lay off rolling *hard* for… naw, 4 weeks is insane. 2 weeks). If anything, the fact that you use your spine for everything (you realize it when it’s hurt) means until it heals it will jab you at every head turn and cough.
I’m not a doc, but have worked in the exercise fields long enough to know if it’s a pull, go easy until it feels ok, go a little less easy, and ease back in letting pain be your guide.
As a Strength and Conditioning Coach the best way I can explain it is that your back/core is used for just about everything you do, from standing to sitting, laying down to getting up, tying your shoes to taking off your pants/shirt. If you strain your bicep, it’s pretty easy not to use that one arm for a while until it heals because you’ve got another one to pick up the slack, same with a quad. Also most back strains aren’t a strength issue they tend to be more of a endurance/conditioning problem, as in you’ll see people who can deadlift 500-600 lbs staring it bending over to tie their shoe or sneezing.
My 2 cents is to look up Dr Stuart McGill and his big three exercises. They’ll teach you to condition your core so this becomes less/not of a problem in the future. I’ve been doing it for 4-5 years now and haven’t had a back problem since.
have to recommend “treat your own back” by Robin McKenzie. also has books for neck. both worked for me in life changing ways. mckenziemethod.com.au
For a muscle strain, there is zero difference whatsoever. Back is no different from any other part of your body. Muscle strains don’t usually cause your back to ‘seize up’ however, so it’s more than likely another issue which they haven’t even looked into properly.
Doctors don’t know really know a lot of muscular-skeletal stuff as it’s not what they’re meant for. The fact they have suggested you rest for 4-6 weeks suggests to me that they aren’t even remotely up to date with best practice for recovery from basic MSK injuries, and especially anything to do with neural issues in your back. If it’s not an acute tear or break, extended periods of rest are probably the worst thing you can do.
Personal story: random gym injury causing excruciating back pain/muscle spasms. Couldn’t stand/sit or move without discomfort. Went to ER as I was crippled, got told by a doctor that I would probably need 2 months off any sort of exercise, but she would bring a physio in for more advice. Saw a fantastic physio in hospital who did some general mobilisation work, got me to walk laps of the ER ward swinging my arms like crazy, and told me in 3 days I would be totally fine as long as I kept moving/mobilising as much as I could without bad pain, put heat on it when it got sore, and kept hydrated/got a solid 10hrs of sleep each night. Did all of those, and by day 4 I had zero pain whatsoever.
Background: 10 years in the fitness industry, and actively recommending people see physiotherapists/ex phys’s for MSK stuff after hearing multiple horror stories like mine who didn’t see somebody better.
You have an acute issue that is likely related to an underlying issue you have – flexibility, strength, trigger point, something like that.
Taking time off doesn’t do anything to fix the underlying issue.
If you can get into a PT for an evaluation, that will help. If you don’t address underlying issues you are likely to reinjure.
Think of your back like a big, strong bridge that holds up your whole body. When something happens that hurts your back, it’s like a part of the bridge getting a little broken.
Now, imagine you hurt your arm or leg. Those are like smaller bridges, so when they get hurt, it’s easier for your body to fix them up. But your big back bridge has lots of parts and needs more time and care to get better.
See, your back does a lot of important jobs, like helping you stand, walk, and even sit. So, when it gets hurt, it takes longer to heal because it’s doing such a big and important job. Doctors and your body need to be extra careful to make sure your back gets better in the right way.
Just remember, your body is like a team of superheroes working together to make things better. And sometimes, the big heroes like your back need a bit more time to get back to their super-strong selves!
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