Spinal injuries are on a different scale than a sprain or muscle pain, so it’s important to treat them as such. Brute Strength’s Director of Injury Management, Dr. Sean Pastuch is breaking down the steps to take if one of your athletes approaches you with a spinal injury.
To start, get them out of the gym for 2-6 weeks. The spine isn’t like a sprain, muscle pain or ligament tear. If they come back from rest and claim that a move is hurting them, that’s a sign that their body still needs time to recover. Once they’ve recovered long enough that they can make a majority of movements without pain, start with the basics. Their spine is essentially new, so it’s important to go over proper form so it can warm up to the movements.
Once the basics are covered, you can start building. Start your athlete at 20-25 percent and over the course of 8-20 weeks increase by 1.4-1.5 times every four weeks. The best way to ensure recovery from a spinal injury is to make sure that nothing is painful. You’re on the right track to recovery when your athlete can build up from the basics over a 20-week-period pain-free.
If you or your athlete wants the ultimate support in getting back in the gym, we suggest looking into the Brute One-on-One Program.
