Daily Mobility Exercises by Dr. Kelly Starrett Forums General Working with desiccated L-4, L-5 and S-1

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      AvatarLeah Lion
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      Hello, 18 years in the Army has left me with three desiccated discs.  Though I have lost an inch in my height, my muscles did not get shorter.  Ergo, my erector spinae in my lower back are prone to spasm.  That said, due to the desiccation, my nerve canal from the L-5 to S-1 has gotten smaller and now more prone to nerve inflammation that becomes pronounced when I deadlift over 285 pounds and front squat over 235 pounds. 

         I use a weight belt for everything now and I will say that ice helps both pre and post workout.  However, please correct me if I am wrong but I think I’m screwed.  My erector spinae are strong and those exercises for them do not help.  The focal point of pain emanates from the L-5 / S-1 region and possibly from the sacroiliac region of the right side.  I have received epidural injections in that area as well as medial block injections to no avail.  I feel the only path for pain free life is disc replacement and that comes with a three month rehabilitation.
      On a sidetone, the pain comes when the back in flexion and pain is reduced when the back in hyper flexion.  I can squat with full range of motion and my can do unassisted “pistols” without issue.  The pain comes with the shearing motion of the deadlift.  It does not hurt to do OHS or FS but I think that is because the back is in hyper flexion.
      I have been doing CF since 2009 and received my Level 1 cert in 2010.  I feel good about my form and flexibility but due to the pain I think I am developing a butt wink which may exacerbate the situation but I know I don’t have the wink in the deadlift starting position.
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