Herniated Disc

Hey guys, I got something here that is bothering me. Back in new years I had a herniated disc and couldn't get back into gym till March. I been hitting gym hard but my legs suffered. I have had a successful bulk but this is annoying me. I was taking a pic and noticed my right leg (side that was injured, pinched nerve) is smaller. It's so clear that it's so frustrating. My left leg has been coming back but right is not. I just started to squat 225 for reps of 12-15. I was struggling with bar at first. Can this be that there are scar tissue that's preventing it from growing? my right does hurt a lot more when stretching too. So pretty much I have improved everywhere since last yr but legs look like shit now which was my weakness to begin with. I can feel my hips/quads/hams are tight, hard to stretch too. Some said try trigger or deep tissue massages so get blood flowing cause something is messed up.

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One legged movements on a machine,slow with lots of control to reestablsh mind muscle connection.Maybe Jonny can comment if Humanofort would help.

Wow man, a lot of your symptoms look like me, I may be wrong but I don't think it's related to blow flow, as I have my share of pain/trouble with my lower back too (for the last 20-25 years), when I try to stretch the hip flexors (when cold) or if I try to do lunges or especially split-squat I feel like if I have hundreds of needles or hundreds of small razor cuts in this right quadriceps, making it impossible to continue. I have the sacroiliac joint very tight (especially the hip flexors and rectus femoris) and I'm stretching them everyday. My right quads feels numb often (the skin mostly) or it easy get numb as soon as it has a little weight on it it get numbs... so clearly there is a blow flow problem in the right leg, but both legs are the same size here.

Do you train your leg separately ? I mean is the left is stronger then the right ? Maybe you can try to train them with lunges and split-squats if you can (those exercises are excellent to correct muscle weakness) to stimulate them individually and give a chance to the right leg to catch-up...

Eric

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Originally Posted by TT Eric

Wow man, a lot of your symptoms look like me, I may be wrong but I don't think it's related to blow flow, as I have my share of pain/trouble with my lower back too (for the last 20-25 years), when I try to stretch the hip flexors (when cold) or if I try to do lunges or especially split-squat I feel like if I have hundreds of needles or hundreds of small razor cuts in this right quadriceps, making it impossible to continue. I have the sacroiliac joint very tight (especially the hip flexors and rectus femoris) and I'm stretching them everyday. My right quads feels numb often (the skin mostly) or it easy get numb as soon as it has a little weight on it it get numbs... so clearly there is a blow flow problem in the right leg, but both legs are the same size here.

Do you train your leg separately ? I mean is the left is stronger then the right ? Maybe you can try to train them with lunges and split-squats if you can (those exercises are excellent to correct muscle weakness) to stimulate them individually and give a chance to the right leg to catch-up...

Eric

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My hips, quads, hams, glutes are always tight. I try stretching and hurts a lot, right one far worse. My right gets tired a lot quicker than left but always use same weight. I am going to try doing deep tissue massage or trigger and see how that is.

First leg day is: Leg Extension

Squats

Leg Press

Walking Lunges (with barbell if possible)

Lying Leg Curl

Seated Leg Curl

Seated Calve Raise

Standing Calve Raise Second leg day is: Stiff Leg Deadlifts Lying Leg Curl Seated Leg Curl Front Squats Hack Squats Seated Calve Raise Standing Calve Raise

Don't be too worried dude. The injury isn't even six months old and you've only been training for a few months anyhow. The leg will come back to size and I'm sure you are imagining more atrophy than is actually there. I herniated a disc years ago and it took a full year for my quads to regain their size. One lacked behind - like you on the injured side. I don't know if that is from blood flow or not. IMO , and I have zero proof , it's the mind telling the body to recruit more effort from the good leg/side when squatting or leg pressing or doing extensions. Eventually I think you'll find that balance as your brain figures out it's OK to. Make sense? I wouldn't bother working one leg at a time because of the possibility of creating an imbalance the other way. Keep stretching and keep tghat lower back loose. Make your abs a huge priority as well.

He needs the one leg at a time to know where his strength is,and switching back and forth helps as well,to retrain the connection.Lately I've been using some peptides again and it seems the tremor in my tri has lessened.

well i am on gear and igf-1 lr3. Ya Hosehead it does make sense. I guess I will keep training and see how it comes along. This is my worst injury and had nothing but trouble. I am doing more ab training too so it gets rid of some stress on my lower back.

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Originally Posted by cog

He needs the one leg at a time to know where his strength is,and switching back and forth helps as well,to retrain the connection.Lately I've been using some peptides again and it seems the tremor in my tri has lessened.

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I see your point but since the leg isn't actually injured are you not just overtraining the affected leg when you train it by itself in addition to two legged exercises? My thinking would be to make the primary concern as healing the lower back and going business as usual for the legs BUT occasionaly testing the strength of that affected leg with a split squat, lunge or one legged press. Just to see where you are. Worked for me with my back injury - mind you it took me a year. Perhaps a mix of both.

I would say every case is individual.Some nerve damage can never be repaired.I had a back injury more than 25 years ago,one side down about 10% as assessed.I noticed for about 6 months and then no longer noticed it.My tricep has taken about five years coming back from about being able to exert five pounds of force.Yhe last 8 months The last three years I've been constantly testing it individually,the last 8 months I've been subjecting each arm to two handed loads at full extension on a triceps station.I believe this has helped.Back and forth,I think it helps rewire so to speak.I would like to ask Stonecold if he can in fact flex his affected quad maximally and maintain this for a least a few seconds.If so It might not be too severe.

Ya I can flex quad no problem. I did trigger point therapy the other day. It hurt a lot and almost cried. My hips and calves are tight but my IT band on my quad is much much worse. He needed tools to dig in deep cause it was too tight and felt like I was getting stabbed. Today woke up better and I will be doing legs today. Tomorrow he wants to see me and do more trigger.