Screw the pain, SQUAT ANYWAY!

[Gladiola]

Here’s my saga. Opinions please (what would you do?)

Stopped BB style training, to train exclusively Olympic Lifting back in July. Joined a team, now squat & clean 3X per week with my team & coach (as opposed to lower body training 1X per week).

Hips KILLING ME – 3 mos go by, strength pretty stagnant (had more strength gains training like a BB). Hip pain localized & persists. I don’t even feel squats anywhere but the front hip crease - little area.

We are literally destroying the building where we train, so we’re kicked out, I stop any lower body strength training for 2 weeks to let the hips recover. --> HIPS STILL HURT! Wtf?! I kinda think that’s indicative of a problem.

Talk to a Physical Therapist friend who says it may be hyper mobility in the SI Joint. She tells me why she thinks this, makes sense. I pass this info on to my coach in order to get his input. He tells me to see a Chiropractor & massage therapist (neither of which I have the spare cash for) & then essentially tells me BUG OFF.

Apparently he thinks I’m not taking lifting seriously & doesn’t want to deal with me anymore. to be honest, we never got along or communicated well. All the while I take it TOO seriously, overthink things, but am paranoid of serious injury - & the PT friend says I COULD have really messed things up if I pushed through. So how much pain do you think is smart to train through? & was I wrong to consult a PT & ask Coach for feedback on the PT's comments?

 

[JJFigure]

Sounds like a shitty coach to me. No, you're weren't wrong to consult a PT and ask for feedback from your coach; your coach just doesn't seem to care about the long term impact of training while injured. A good coach would have come up with exercise that would work around your injury - maybe have you focus on developing upper body strength/speed while your hips are healing.

 

[Gladiola]

your coach just doesn't seem to care about the long term impact of training while injured.

& Ironically, my coach himself does not compete anymore, even though he's only in his mid 30's, because of 3 reconstructive knee surgeries caused by his own OVERTRAINING!!!

Granted, this overtraining of his was years ago & he said he had no clue at the time. Now he's certified with NSCA & teaches the USAW coach course - so I didn't take that to mean he's a moron when he told me that.

Unfortunately there aren't other options around here.

Thanks for the input.

 

[Gladiola]

and training through the pain, as in training while you're rehabbing/recovering.

Sure, and I never did think that the hip pain was something that would be debilitating. I didn't think I should stop altogether - but it NEEDED TO BE ADDRESSED - some rehab needed to be done, action needed to be taken. & I didn't know what to do!!!

Which is why I turned to my coach, thinking he's the expert. He didn't want to hear any of it. Ever. He didn't even recommend for me to ice it.

This whole thing (OL) has been devastating.

 

[valerie]

Hi Glad- i would suggest that you listen to your intuition on this matter. You have not been a happy camper doing the OL thing.

Your coach sounds callous and indifferent at best. What difference does it make to him that you may end up with an injury or some "issue " to deal with years down the road. Perhaps time to get with someone else or go back to doing what you really love and brings you pleasure-thats why we do what we do ,everything else is bullshit. Good luck-Valerie

 

[Candi Barr]

I don’t know, Gladiola. I haven’t been following the whole history of your OL experience, but a lot of what I’ve heard just doesn’t sound so good. It kind of seems like your coach is oriented toward putting together an OL team rather than helping individual amateur athletes achieve their potential. As if he’s used to an environment where he just cuts people from the team & brings in a new crew when needed. On top of that he doesn’t sound like an especially gifted coach. You say your options are limited, I think you mean both in terms of a gym and a trainer/coach? Are you determined to stay in OL rather than branch off into maybe powerlifting, which may give you more choices?

 

[Temple]

How do you know when to AR and injury and when to leave it be for a few???

 

[spiderwoman]

I am in favour of avoiding pain. Pain can lead to long term permanent damage. Train without pain. Train so you do not feel pain, train differently and recuperate so you can go back to it. If that means bb style or simply taking a week or month off to rest [and come back even stronger!!] then do yourself a favour, sounds like you work very hard

 

[The Ranger]

I broke my back in a Helicopter accident many moons ago babe, I always trained through the pain, sometimes herb induced to help get through it...

Had my first back surgery in 1993....Started squatting soon as I was able...pushed through the pain, ignored it....

23 cortizone shots later, had my second back surgery in 1999...

What did I do, ignore the docs and pushed through the pain....around 20 more cortizone shots and 4 epidurals later....

Today I am walking with a cane, and Monday at 10am I get another series of Epidural injections to avoid another back surgery...Know what I have learned the hard way

There is a fine line between pushing through pain and being fucking stubborn and plain out right stupid...

Listen to your body, see a qualified Doc, get an MRI to be sure, rehab slowly, I am pretty much fucked now and need to figure out how to work legs and still be able to walk when I am 50....heh heh heh

It sucks babe, and vanity can cloud our reasoning, peer(coaches, and WO partners) pressure can add to this way of thinking...remember, where will they be when you're laid up using a walker to get around???

Take care and I wish you the very best of luck babe...Be kind to your body Hun

Ranger

 

[Temple]

Temple, if I know it's just muscle strain, I use AR, hot/cold therapy, massage, hot tub, etc...

Ligamnets, tendons, joints, bones...I don't mess around with that. I back off.

so, when they tell you that you have muscle strain combined with a slipped disk that cannot be put back until the swelling has gone down and something about your hip joint isn't right either...you would listen to them when they tell you so sit on your ice pack and shut up????