I had a work injury almost 2 monts ago. I twisted and sliped back into a chart landing on my right lower back. I have had a Dr tell me I sprained my lower Rt sacrum. I get sharp pains in my back with different movements I do. The biggest one being getting up from sitting. I'm worried that there might be somthing else wrong. I have some relief of pain but get flare ups with pain level being a 7 or 8 at times. I had x-ray's done but no MRI. What else could this be? Thank you....

-- Britannia Luchay (zowie@mediaone.net), February 21, 2001

Answers

I had the same problem, a sprained SI (sacro-illiac) joint and strained QL (quadratus lumborum) muscles. This caused a grade 1 herniation (bulge) of my L4 disc. Two things that helped during my recovery were a back brace and a chirpractic belt, which is worn around the upper gluteus maximus muscles to hold the SI joint together.

Recovery took about 4 months and am able to work out with heavy weights again, though my regimen has been modified to periods of light, medium and heavy days (weeks of 60%, 70%, 75%, 60%, 70%, 75%, 80%, and 85%, followed by a week off): Periodization. So far I've had no back problems and am getting much stronger than before the back injury.

I would think that for an average person, performing ball exercises would be of great benefit for lower back health. Use of a Sitfit (TM) also helps strengthen the lower back muscles while sitting.

-- Cy Schubert (Cy.Schubert@osg.gov.bc.ca), August 25, 2001.