I hurt my back!

I really did it this time! I bought a barbell & weights last night. I was eager to try it so this morning, I got up, had a small snack and my morning coffee and went to it. My first set was deadlifts. I only had dumbells before, and 40lbs did absolutely nothing for me. I figured I could do 60-70lbs easy. I neglected to add in the weight of the actual barbell when I loaded it up with 2 25lb and 2 10lb weights, bringing the total to 90lbs. The first 8 reps went fine, It was heavy, but nothing I couldn't handle. I rested. And went for the next 8. By the time I got to my 3rd rep, I felt a twinge in my lower back and thought, this can't be good. I did 1 more rep before my boyfriend stopped me and told me to take some weight off. I removed the 2 10 lb weights. Now, the barbell was pretty light, but my back hurt a little, so I took it easy. I finished my entire workout from Stage 1B in NROL4W.

The rest of the day, the pain literally grew, right where my spine meets my hips, on the right side. It got so bad, I could hardly walk, and forget stairs. I almost toppled over just lifting my left leg to walk up the stairs! My back could not support me!

I put ice on it, and while it seemed to help, I'm not sure if it actually made it worse. I now have a hot pack on it and as long as I remain sitting, I feel completely fine. I put icy hot on it about an hr. ago and that allowed me to walk with minor discomfort. What else should I do?

Was I doing the deadlift incorrectly? I had my knees bent, I was looking straight ahead, butt in the air, using what I thought were my legs to do the lift. I watched a youtube video to make sure I had my form correct. Was it that I just had too much weight on the bar?

Having too much weight on the bar will strain your back, but I think you will feel okay after a few days. Putting ice on the spot is a good idea, and make sure to get plenty of rest. Elevate the spot if you can (put some pillows under and lay down to keep it elevated). Take some advil/tylenol if you can. (:

Injuries when weight lifting are common, so remember to be careful when loading the weights. 

I recommend a pack of frozen peas - something about the size means they conform great around whatever spot. Just put them in a plastic bag in case the veggie bag breaks.

Are you lifting from the floor? Are you able to get down that low and keep the natural curve of your back? I can't get down that low, so I prop the barbell up on milk crates. Otherwise, I have to round my back somewhat to reach the barbell, and then I end up hurting myself.

I'm pretty flexible, so getting down that low wasn't a problem, and I looked at myself in the sliding glass door to check my form, and it looked just like it did in the video. Maybe I just overdid it with the weights.

So, it sounds like ice is more the way to go than heat? I'm reaching for the freezer-burned veggies now.

The rec I've always heard - RICE - rest, ice, compression, elevate.

awww that sucks!

when you get back to it, be sure to retract your shoulders (helps protect the back) and keep the bar close to your legs. you dont have to lower as far as possible for it to be effective. start with less weight and add only if your form is still good on your last couple of reps.

i always feel deadlifts, even with what seems to be a relatively low weight. if im going to get DOMS (hams) it will be from deadlifts.

i have to be real careful with my back. if i do any lifting and twisting simultaneously, i can be down for a week (old gymnastics twisting injury). i go easy on loading up my bar but i always do them because of my tricky back. ive never pulled it doing them but im uber-conscious of my form on that particular exercise.

enjoy your new weights! i use my bar all the time! :)

I am NOT a doctor, but did study physical therapy for a few years. Back injuries are very serious. you could just have a minor injury that will go away in a few days, but if it lasts longer than that I would definitely see a doctor, especially if the pain starts going down either leg or into your butt. For most injuries, you should apply ice for the first 24 to 48 hours and switch to heat after that. Ice should be left on for 15 to 20 minutes and allow at least 30 minutes in between applications. If you find that ice or heat is not working, see a doctor. Unresponsiveness to either of those could mean a herniated disc.

Hopefully you will fine in a few days! When you recover, make sure to do lots of core strength and stability exercises (plank, side plank, bridge etc.) , which will help protect you from back injuries more than anything else can. When you do a deadlift, make sure you tighten your ab muscles throughout the whole movement. Good luck!

Good news! It feels more like a muscle strain today. I'm up and moving around, albeit a lot more slowly. Every now and then, I get a spasm, but I'm able to function for the most part. I'll probably take this week off from lifting just to make sure it heals completely. I'm not hunched over when I walk either, which helps because my poor posture yesterday was starting to put strain on my upper back :( .

I'm guessing that your hips came up too quickly in the lift, which would mean that the bar would slowly swing out and away from your legs and put more stress on your back.

Many people only think about the neutral spine aspect of a deadlift, but making sure your hips doesn't rise too quickly is equally important.

As far as I'm aware it usually happens when the weight is too heavy.  There's lifting a weight, and there's lifting a weight correctly.  Unfortunatly some  people don't find out which one they've been doing until they get injured.

I'm sorry to hear you hurt your back, but I'm glad to hear it's feeling better.   I've had back problems (bulging discs) int he past and I would recommend you make sure it's not bothering you any more before you try the deadlifts again. 

I also work out at home, and with 25 lb. plates I don't think they are big enough to lift from the floor.  I got a couple of fat phone books to put mine on for my lifting. 

That seems to put them up at about the height they would be with the "big-boy" plates.  The good thing about that is that I seem to be able to lift even more than I used to.  I think it's safer for the back as well. 

As littlesimongoerge said, one of the important things about deadlifts is from.  I've heard to keep the bar as close to shins/knees thighs as you can like watergirl said. I keep getting scrapes on my shins because I keep it right against them.  Now I make sure to wear long pants on deadlift days.