Into 2021

Hi readers.  Just a quick note to say I'm still here in 2021, and still training.  

Thankfully I'm passing almost 6.5 years since my decompression surgery with no new leg pain, and passing 6 years since I've been training in olympic weightlifting.  2020 was obviously a challenging year for everyone, and I did have some hip and lower back soft tissue injuries while training early last year, but I worked through those and they were pretty much unrelated to my spondy.  

I managed to compete twice in late 2020 in online competitions, and hit a PR in my clean and jerk (108kg / 238 lbs) and came within 2kg of my 2019 competition PR in the snatch at 86kg (189 lbs).  Planning to compete online this year until the vaccine is more widely distributed and in person competitions become more prevalent again.

Hope everyone is able to exercise and train through their spondy and the pandemic.  

Stay well and stay safe!

#crossfit #weightlifting #spondylolisthesis

Happy 2019!

Happy 2019 to all.  Sorry for the lack of posts here, but not much new to report, fortunately. 

I continue to lift and hit PR's, and in fact competed in 3 weightlifting meets in 2018!  I'm starting to believe that olympic lifting (snatches, cleanes, pulls) is actually strengthening my lower and mid back musculature to a point that it adds stability to my lower back.  That being said, I try to focus heavily on form, form, form before loading, as well as extra core work.  I still mostly avoid irritating movements (situps) but sometimes do T2B, and when I do burpees, I don't usually combine them with heavy lifts due to the possibility of fatigue leading to breakdown in midline stabilization. 

Very thankful that I can continue training and hope that I can continue to do so for a long time.  Sorry for the delay in updates and replies, but I hope that those of you out there dealing with spondy are thriving and improving as well!  Keep searching for answers and keep searching for experts - there are good PT's, coaches and docs out there who can help with this condition.

Cheers.

Fantastic article on the new science of treating lower back pain

Wanted to post this amazing article about back pain and treatment and the new thinking on it.

https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2017/8/4/15929484/chronic-back-pain-treatment-mainstream-vs-alternative

Clearly, the traiditional standbys of rest, surgery, injections and drugs aren't working for many back pain sufferers, but exercise, core strength and PT are.

It's a great read and great validation of the importance of staying active, staying strong and not just blindly following passive treatments.  Certainly there are situations where surgery and injections can help and are needed (and in my case a decompression surgery was absolutely needed) but they shouldn't be the only treatment for anyone with lower back issues.

And, of course, what back pain article would be complete without a mention of Dr. Stu McGill, the spinal biomechanics expert, and his "Big 3" exercises?  He is truly a well of knowledge for those of us with back issues and his research and exercises are back savers.

Anyway, enjoy the read and good luck with your spondy journey!

2017 Updates

Here's a quick update for any followers still out there or folks still dealing with a spondy.
I'm still humming along, doing olympic lifting 3 days a week, including heavy snatches, cleans, jerks and pulls, doing CrossFit 1-2x a week and playing sports.  No new leg pain or low back issues.  I do get some occasional mid and upper back tweaks from olympic lifting but those all seem to be soft tissue and don't last fortunately. 

I competed in two weightlifting meets in 2017 and plan to compete in at least 2 next year as well.  Just recently I PR'ed both my snatch and clean and jerk, and PR'ed my squats this past year as well!  I don't attempt heavy deadlifts, but to be honest, I feel like heavy pulls and lifts have actually made my back feel better and stronger.  I now have spinal erectors that I can actually see and feel, and though I thought it was pretty good then, my core strength is way beyond what it was a few years ago.  I feel very blessed and hope that I can maintain this. 

Anyway, hope everyone is getting the help and treatment they need and taking care of themselves and seeing good progress.  Hit me up with any comments or questions.

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year Spondy athletes!!

#crossfit #weightlifting #spondylolisthesis

Interesting article on Spondy surgery outcomes

Hey folks, just saw this study posted in the NE Journal of Medicine, and thought it might be of interest to those considering surgical options for spondylolisthesis:

In a nutshell, adding fusion on top of lumbar decompression/laminectomy may have no added benefit for those with just radiculopathy (leg nerve) symptoms.

Something to consider if you're being told you need a fusion.

As for me, I continue to do CrossFit and (olympic) lift 3 days a week.  In fact, I did my first olympic weightlifting meet, hitting a PR in my clean and jerk (99 kg / 218 lbs)!
I also continue to hit the core work hard:

- front squats
- weighted planks
- dead bugs
- bird dogs
- reverse hypers and GHD hip extensions (being careful to AVOID hyperextension)

Hope everyone is healing or figuring out ways to continue to train while avoiding pain.

Cheers.

#crossfit #weightlifting #spondylolisthesis

Late fall Update

Howdy spondy athletes.  I see that my blog posts have attracted some attention in Google searches, so I guess there must be a good number of you going through this situation, unfortunately.  I am sorry if that is the case, and I hope that my blog provides some useful knowledge for those in a similar situation trying to decide what to do, especially you athletes out there who want to stay fit and active despite a spondy.  I try to use the knowledge I've gained along the way to guide others and help them avoid a spondy if they don't have one, but if they do, how to manage it and when to consider next steps.

As an update for me, I continue to work out and live pain free.  I am still following my previously described guidance, deadlifting rarely, watching my loads during CrossFit, and only going heavy in low rep situations.  That being said, I have hit a couple of new PR's on the olympic lifts, so I am pretty stoked about that, and it hasn't seemed to introduce any new symptoms.  Again, I am very careful to maintain good form and lock in my midline before and during every lift.  I use a lifting belt for most lifts (this one, since it has a section that goes over L5-S1).  I also played my sport all summer without any issues and continue to walk, run and dance pain-free.  Hoping it will last!

Anyway, as always, feel free to post questions or comments to the blog!

Be well!

#crossfit #weightlifting #spondylolisthesis

Updates

Hi all. Thought I'd post up a short update on how I am getting along these days with my training and my lumbar issues.

Overall, things continue to go well.  The leg pain, burning and numbness that I endured for a year and a half has not returned, fortunately, and though I do have occasional nerve twinges in the hip (that don't extend past my left glute), I'm not 100% sure that those are actually from my L5 nerve root vs. the L4 nerve root (where I have a small disc bulge as well).  Overall, those are fairly minor and do not impact walking, running, dancing, training, etc.

I am still being careful with CrossFit loading and volume, and I am not Rx'ing every WOD, to be sure.  I have continued to focus on really good technique and form, and only go heavy in low-volume strength work.  I rarely deadlift right now, and I don't think I'm suffering for it.  Since it tends to induce higher lumbar shear stresses, I'm OK avoiding it for the most part since I am retaining posterior chain strength via squatting, kettlebell swings, weighted glute bridges and also via some olympic lifts - cleans, snatches.  My clean and jerk is about 25# below my all-time PR, and I don't see any big reason to push it, and recently I snatched 155#, about 10# below my all-time PR.  I'm good with those numbers for the moment, and most importantly, they haven't caused me new pain.

I still hammer my core with planks, weighted planks, suitcase (kettlebell) carries, Chinese bridges, glute bridges, bird-dogs, etc. and I think it really helps to maintain the lumbar stability, especially post laminectomy.  I continue to avoid sit-ups and most flexion-based movements except for on rare occasions when I feel like doing a few toes-to-bar, and I am being especially careful w/WOD combos that combine burpees and flexion with high rep lifts per this recent interview with Dr. Stu McGill.

I continue to do decompression (hanging from the pull up rig, arm supports from tabletops, etc.) a few times a day, and that does help especially after sitting at work a lot or driving.  When I work from home I use a standing desk and alternate between sitting and standing.  I also continue with mobility work on glutes, hams, hip flexors, etc. though not as much as before.

Interestingly, I've had a few PT's and docs tell me over the last few months that I was wise not to go for a fusion at this stage.  No sense in starting the clock on further disc degeneration and with leg pain as the primary symptom, fusion didn't make sense at this point.  Hopefully it stays that way.

Anyway, I hope this blog is proving useful to those going through a similar journey.  I'll post an update over the summer.

Be well, fellow aging lumbar athletes!

#crossfit #weightlifting #spondylolisthesis