Delayed reaction to pulled or strained muscle?

herblady28 · Post by **herblady28** » Sat Jun 20, 2009 6:33 pm

We worked out at the gym on Thursday night. We had a pretty strenuous workout and I was greatly surprised on Friday that I wasn't sore. I was a little stiff but felt pretty good. I went to bed last night (Friday night) and woke up during the middle of the night with a TERRIBLE pain in back. I felt like I had a knife right in the middle of back.

I am still hurting but not like I was this morning. I have taken Aleve and done a lot of stretching and have still tried to carefully use muscles so I don't completely stiffen up.

I just wondered if it is possible to have a delayed reaction like that? I know that on Friday and Friday evening that I didn't do anything strenuous to hurt myself. I think it might have been from Thursday night workout but it's hard to tell.

Anything like this ever happen to anybody else?

bkoman · Post by **bkoman** » Sat Jun 20, 2009 7:15 pm

Hmm...i've had delayed reactions to muscle soreness after workouts but what your describing "knife in the back" almost sounds like you have SHARP pain? If thats the case it sounds like an injury...did you catch yourself lifting anything heavy improperly during your last workout? You may have tweaked a nerve in your back. Give it some time and dont jump into another workout if your still having pain and of course get it checked by a doc if it continues!

herblady28 · Post by **herblady28** » Sun Jun 21, 2009 2:41 pm

Thanks for the reply!

Boss Man · Post by **Boss Man** » Sun Jun 21, 2009 6:14 pm

Could be a delayed reaction, or possible you were sleeping in a funny way, as some peole do move around quite a bit when sleeping, so you might have possibly tweaked something, slightly impinged a nerve, or something like that.

If it persists, consult a doctor, otherwise, if it doesn't feel too bad, just be careful when doing things that might stimulate the affected area, and if necessary, train with a reduced weight level for the next few sessions, on exercises, that could affect the area.

Packard · Post by **Packard** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 8:05 am

It sounds like a muscle spasm to me.

A muscle spasm can be very painful. Consider the most typical: The stiff neck.

Often your muscles will spasm if they are over-tired and you have been dehydrated. Stretching and hydrating are the response.

If it does not loosen up in a few days the doctor can prescribe a muscle relaxant. It will give immediate results but you need to continue stretching (gently at first) and continue strengthening the muscles. But avoid over-tiring the muscles.

herblady28 · Post by **herblady28** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 8:52 am

The more I think about it, I think I did do it at the gym. I think I overdid it with the bench presses.

I am starting to do a little better each day but it is just still the weirdest thing that it bothers me the worst laying down. I do best when I am up and about but when I lay down and sleep I wake up hurting. I don't know if it is because I am getting stiffer while resting or what.

Thanks for the suggestions. I have been stretching and trying to gently continue to use those muscles so I don't stiffen up. I plan on going to the gym tonight but I think I might just stick with doing some cardio or even legs only.

Packard · Post by **Packard** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 9:00 am

If it hurts the most in the morning when you first wake up and then eases up a bit during the day only to hurt more at the end of the day, then this sounds like a muscle spasm.

A spasm will tighten up with the lack of use (sleeping) and loosen up with use, but then the muscles get tired again at the end of the day and they tighten up again.

The spinal erectors, especially at the base of the spine tighten up quite a bit during bench presses. If the muscles are over-tired they could easily cramp up and spasm. (Spasms are just muscle cramps that won't go away.)

After you are able to work out the pain in your back you should take care to add strength to the back with dedicated back exercises and also daily stretching.

Packard · Post by **Packard** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 9:02 am

Post a description of the stretching exercises you do an the times of the day that you do them.

This is favorite for the lower back. Perform it very gently in the morning, and a bit less gently in the evening before going to bed. Ibuprophen can help too.

http://www.westvalley./stretch/stretch_028.html

herblady28 · Post by **herblady28** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 10:11 am

Packard:

Thanks for posting that stretching exercise. I don't have a lot of really good ones for the upper/middle back. The one that feels the best that I have been doing the past few days has been this one: (I don't know what it is called)

I grasp hands together and gently hold arms out in front of me while rounding shoulders.

I am even wondering now if I didn't stretch that part of back enough after workout on Thursday.

Thanks for the suggestions!!!

Packard · Post by **Packard** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 10:36 am

The stretching exercise I showed works the lower back, the hips and the abdominal rectus (groin) muscles. I start and finish each workout with that stretch (along with a few others).

There are many stretching exercises, but if you have a lower back issue you also need to stretch the hips. This stretch does that.

Nokie173 · Post by **Nokie173** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 12:16 pm

When I was doing Deadlifts last Wednesdayâ€¦ I kind of messed up forms when someone was walking so close to me I thought she was going bump in to me, so I kind of twisted myself to make wayâ€¦

BAD idea!

lower back hurt so badly even now it hurts a bit.

Here are some exercises I did & still doing to help stretch lower back.
I also bought myself a heating pad. So farâ€¦ itâ€™s helping.

http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen ... t/117.html

Packard · Post by **Packard** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 1:05 pm

Nokie173 wrote:When I was doing Deadlifts last Wednesdayâ€¦ I kind of messed up forms when someone was walking so close to me I thought she was going bump in to me, so I kind of twisted myself to make wayâ€¦

BAD idea!

lower back hurt so badly even now it hurts a bit.

Here are some exercises I did & still doing to help stretch lower back.
I also bought myself a heating pad. So farâ€¦ itâ€™s helping.

http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen ... t/117.html

When you are executing an exercise you should pick a point on the wall to look at. It will aid in keeping your balance.

If you are sufficiently focused on the point on the wall and the exercise at had you will not even notice the people around you. It then becomes their obligation to make sure they do not bump into you.

I knew a guy that was doing a middle weight set of dead lifts. Someone told a joke or a funny story and the dead lifter started to laugh. He ended up with a double hernia. (Laughing relaxes and tenses the abdominal muscles making you susceptible to hernias.)

Concentrate on your own work and ignore everything around you while you are executing a set.

herblady28 · Post by **herblady28** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 2:17 pm

Wow! I am going to be very careful doing dead lifts as well! I hope you are okay Nokie. Thanks for sending the link.

I am also going to remember not to laugh while doing dead lifts. I know I have been whining quite a bit about back but I am REALLY happy that I was not seriously hurt. I agree that you can't be too careful with lifting weights.

Nokie173 · Post by **Nokie173** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 4:23 pm

Thanks Packard!

I'll do deads by the walls for now on!

And more importantly.. I'll make sure NOT to laugh!

I'm doing ok herblady28.
lower back was hurt before...
Having this pain makes it longer to heal...

Of couse workouts are less intensive because I don't want to over due it.

But it's WAY... better then last week for sure!
Hope you are feeling better too!

Packard · Post by **Packard** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 7:28 am

Laughing during any heavy lift can cause a hernia. Lifting is a serious pursuit.