Pike position and bulging disc in the lumbar spine

Hi

I just recently bought F1 and have started testing my current mastery level. I've just finished the testing of all the PE1 mastery requirements (thought it would be a walk in the park, but was tougher than expected ).

Next week I'll start testing the PE2 requirenments, which involve the jefferson curl (IE getting into a weighted pike position).

In August i got confirmation of having a herniated disc in the lumbar spine. I believe its a case of bulging disc from what I has told, due to the fact that there is scatia pain, without any signs of impaired reflexes (which is good:)). 

I regularly train front squats and some olympic lifting, without experiencing any pain (focusing on bracing the core and stabilizing the spine ofc). The one thing that does aggravate my lower back however, is the pike position!

I tried going into a pike stretch the other day, and it seemed fine for a while. Then I suddenly felt a strain in my back and I had to back off. My back felt rather numb, sore and weak the next day, but has gotten a lot better. 

My question: how do I go about training the pike without my lower back going rogue on me?

I am working on a lot of hamstring flexibility, and have had some decent progress using a good morning inspired stretch I learned by Ido Portal on one of his seminars. There really is room for a lot of improvement when it comes to my hamstring flexibility as my recent milestone was being able to sit on my but with an upright torso, 90degree angle in the hips, and not having to use my hands as support (small victory for me, laughable in the world of gymnastics:p). 

My initial idea is to emulate the pike stretch as closly as possible, but making sure to keep the lower back tight and mainly working hamstring and thoracic mobility. 

Any and all guidence would be greatly appreciated!

Are you receiving any treatment for your spine?

I have received some, though after 1 to 1.5months I was told the best thing I could do was to stay active and do my rehab exercises. I was free to continiue with the olympic lifting I was doing at the time as long as nothing hurt whiles doing it.

Lately I have found that whenever I aggrivate the lower back, I can sooth it by releaseing the piriformis and TFL with a lacrosse ball. Will probably include this in my daily routine form now on, and is considering seeing a soft tissue practitioner.

I think you're on the right track. At least initially you should focus on hip and hamstring flexibility and keep the corset area braced. Pike position puts some strain on the discs, and no matter how strong you are in your back if you have a bad disc already it may be aggravated by that position. I'd work toward improving your good morning stretch and work towards a pancake type stretch, where your back is kept fairly neutral. Granted, with this approach you will likely not achieve manna, but maybe that's not the worst thing in the world.

Sounds like a good plan.

Not achieving manna, but staying healthy and improving everything else is better than having a dysfunctional back

If I have come to understand what I've read about my condition, and what I have bin told by my physio, I do not completely rule out the possibility of achieving manna in the future. Though as you said, working on hamstring and hip flexibility is probably the best thing to do as of now. With enough flexibility in the hips and hamstring the demand on the spine will surely decrease, and with proper rehab and strengthening I will hopefully be able to strengthen it to the point where it can handle it. Baby steps!

Having read most of the threads here on GMB, and having wandered to the dark areas of the internet; I have come to understand that a common weakness in people with lower back instability is the multifidus. Is there any truth to this?

If so; has anyone successfully "woken up their multifidus" from its slumber so that it can stop muscles like the psoas from stabilizing the spine?

you are correct that multifidus can help with back pain and back stability. However, it will not get rid of a herniated disc. It is certainly laudable to work on this. arch body holds and rocks will really help your back, as will the various hollow body holds. I think they will get you to the point of feeling very good with your back. However, the question as to whether someone with a compromised lumbar disc should be putting the back into a position of pressure on the discs remains. Herniated discs are overemphasized in general, and is by no means something that should cause you chronic problems if you have a strong and supple back. I would still hold, however, that putting the spine into flexion could be problematic. The nice thing with the jefferson curl is that you are also using weight, which provides some distraction on the spine and may de-emphasize the pressures on the intervertebral discs. As with most of these things, you'll just have to see how things go, take it slowly, and listen to your body if something is aggravating it. Good luck.

As for the Jefferson curls, it may be a consolation to know that I initially felt a bit of discomfort, but it subsided in a couple of weeks, I'm presently using 32 Kgs with no problems. My back has never played tricks on me, but despite that, I still needed a bit of adaptation.

Ravn said:

.....I'm presently using 32 Kgs with no problems......

Oof.

I'm serious, it feels almost* pleasant.

*compared to the stall bar pike progressions, that is.

Go very slow on progressing. You should have no neural symptoms such as pins and needles and numbness. Once the disc stabilises and develops some scar tissue you should be ok with the pike stretches. It could take years though, so be very patient.

I've bin rather bussy with my pre-master thesis lately, so havent had the time to post an answer.

Anyway; thank you all for great advice.

As soon as my back has settled (the improvement is much more rapid than when the disc problems first occurred) I will start implementing some VERY easy jefferson culrs, not trying to force anything, just allowing gravity to do its thing, and just focusing more on steadily increasing the volume at firs. Then in time (perhaps by next fall/winter), I might increase the load a bit and work on improving the pike stretch gradually. In the meantime, while doing this, I will of course continue focusing on my Good Morning hamstring stretch. Hopefully improved hamstring mobility will take some of the load of the spine (less arching needed).