Essential Back Rehab Strategies –Part 1

Jim Smith, CSCS, RKC
Out of the 50-75 emails I receive everyday, I would estimate that 85%+ are injury related.  That is why I wasn’t surprised with the overwhelming positive response when I asked the Diesel community if they were interested in some progressive back rehab strategies.

In this series we will define the most important focus areas when working your way back from a back injury.  We will further categorize these means for ease of reference and implementation.

As with any progressive strategy, we will start by re-establishing a baseline of stability and strength before advancing forward.  My goal is to keep it very simple and provide video demonstrations to drill technique and use as a reference.

Before we lay out our strategies, we must state our most important point.

Step 1:  Consult Your Doctor | Get Out of Pain

The first thing you have to do before you start any rehab program is to get the “OK” from your primary care physician (PCP).  They probably referred you to an orthopedic specialist or physical therapist. You must get a diagnosis to understand what the injury is.  The treatment for a muscle strain is different than the treatment for a bulged disc.  You can’t begin to recover if you are in pain and if you don’t know the extent of the injury.  After they diagnose your issue, you will begin their prescribed program for recovery.

Some common treatments hey might prescribe immediately following a back injury could include; rest, cold therapy, pain medications, chiropractor, TENS or physical therapy.  After you have followed their  plan and got clearance, then you can begin again in the weightroom.

In this series, we will focus on how to get stronger from a base strength level of “0” and AFTER your prescribed treatment from your doctor has been successfully completed.  We will categorize the exercises at each level with the goal of being able to build many different back rehab / strengthening programs at the completion of the series.

DISCLAIMER:  You must get your physician’s approval before beginning this exercise program.  These recommendations are not medical guidelines but are for educational purposes only.  You must consult your physician prior to starting this program or if you have any medical condition or injury that contraindicates physical activity.