In a given day prior to beginning this here fancy blog, I would normally get about 30-40 emails a day, mostly from clients, physios/chiros/doctors regarding their patients, etc. Since I started writing this here fancy blog, I’ve been getting about 10-30 additional emails from readers wanting advice for specific concerns and problems they’ve been having. Now I have to say I am more than happy to help out in any way I can, and I am sure some of the people I’ve emailed with can vouch for the fact that I’m more than happy to work with them like they are a paying client. However, there are the occasional emails I receive that could use a little, shall we say, direction. Actually, some make me want to throw hot coffee in my face rather than continue reading them.
Here’s an example of a typical email I have been getting from some of the people who have read my articles:
Hey Dean, I’ve been reading your blog for a few months now and I think you’re fantastic!! The reason I’m write this I have a problem with my back. Well, it’s not really a problem, it’s more an annoyance. It started about six months ago when I was deadlifting really heavy/sweeping the floor/playing basketball/ordering takeout, and I felt/heard/thought there was a loud popping noise/buckling/something not right. I stopped, and then afterwards the next day I could barely move. I decided to let it rest for a few days because I thought I just worked too hard, but then when I tried to workout again, it got even worse.
My question to you is, what did I do, and what kind of exercises or stretches can I do to make it feel better? I’ve been injured a bunch of times and found that when moving around I can make them all feel better. Also, did I herniate something or tear something else, and if so what did I tear?
Now, for everyone who has sent me an email with any kind of concerns, I appreciate the thought that I’m informed enough to be able to assist in your troubles, however my X-ray vision through the internet hasn’t been working as well since I turned 29, so I may not be able to help diagnose a condition with an outline such as this. I’ll admit I try to give them the best advice I can with the information presented, but in situations like these, I can’t really be of much assistance.
For starters, if something like this happens, get your ass to a doctor and get at least an assessment or an X-ray to rule out any kinds of fractures. MRI’s will take for ever and won’t really tell you a lot more, except if there’s a disc herniation or muscle tear, but odds are if you can walk into the doctor’s office, that’s probably not the case. Also, I’m not really the guy you should be trying to get a diagnosis from, especially over the internet. I can get you hella strong and dieseled out once you have an idea of what’s going on, plus teach you the ways of getting all the ladies to want to hang off your gi-normous biceps, but at the end of the day, I tend to not diagnose anything more than a movement dysfunction here and there. Most of my assessments are to see if someone is ready to start exercising or not, and if something gets my Spidey-Sense prickling, I will pretty much always send that person out to get a diagnosis or clearance to train. Go get checked out.
Second, once you have an idea of what the injury may be, go get some primary treatment from a physiotherapist in your area who can actually test you, look at how you move, and see you in person. They should also be able to give you a more finite level of detail about what the problem is, what you should be doing about it, and more importantly what you should not be doing about it.
Then, give me a ring-a-ding and I’ll help you out as much as I can. If you’ve had a chronic injury that’s actually been assessed and you can give me specifics to work with, I’ll have a better chance of giving you some good advice than if you send a vague email of symptoms and concerns. For those interested, a popping or giving way sensation around the low back could mean 1 or a combination of any of about 23 different structures, so it makes it pretty hard to nail down.
In the words of Jerry McGuire, “Help me help you.” If you give me a lengthy email talking about every single problem you’ve ever had, your favorite color, reason for wanting to hit a goal, etc, etc, etc, and don’t give me ny specifics to what you’re looking for, I may not be able to provide much insight. However, if you can give me some detail, such as images you’ve had of the area, diagnoses you’ve received, types of primary treatment, and specifics as far as movements, exercises, situations that can cause problems, now we’ve got something!!
Again, I am very happy that there are readers out there who take the time to ask for specific help, and in all honesty if you have a problem and want some assistance I will do everything in my power to help you out, but you will have to hold up your end of the bargain and do something to help me out as well. Should pain? Gotta be specific. Back pain?? Gotta be specific. Knee pain?? Yup, you guessed it, gotta be specific. If you ask a specific question with specific levels of detail, I’ll be able to give a specific answer with specific amounts of detail and we’ll all be happy little campers.