Yeah its the shit. i'm getting manueel therapie weekly now that I have to nighly lift a 12 kilogram ape every night for half an hour wilst my muscles are still in semi-REM modus.
daily-planking also seems to help
Squatting would probably help here. Not sure if you're lifting with your back or if you squat already. Planks are a good!
The first time it did not appear instantly, but over a few days. Im pretty sure what was the trigger though.
I was climbing on a wall (with those colored grips, good English Jan lol). And my foot slipped, and with trying to hold on, I think I forced something in my back. A nerve slightly out of position or whatever.
took my 6-8 weeks before it really was gone completely. Also couldn’t put on my socks in the beginning.
second time, like a year later, was more instant. Lifting a heavy machine. Instantly knew that injury was back. Couldn’t even lay down. Good nights of sleep.
My first time with back pain (not with sciatica) happened after a summer of lifting with poor form. I did overhead presses on Tuesday, then squatted on Thursday. As I
re-un-racked the weights without bracing properly for my squat, I immediately felt a pinch in my back. Could barely walk without pain, and even stepping up felt
bad.
When you feel the pain come in immediately, though, that's just next-level. As far as I know, back injuries aren't immediate like that. Good to know your recovery this time didn't take long.
Obviously don't do this when in the recovery-period. But when you are in a pain-free period, yeah, training your core is a very good idea... Don't focus too much on the weights though. Build it up slowly. It's about using the muscles, so they get used to being 'used' again. More important than "muscle growth".
And not just the back, also your abs are very imporant in supporting your back muscles.
I agree with both of those things. Gotta learn the proper muscle patterns, brace your abs hard, and activate your glutes and hamstrings. That's how you can help avoid injury, whether that is lifting heavy at the gym or picking something up in daily life. If you want to strengthen your abs, just make sure you're actually using them. With ab exercises it's too easy to compensate with the lower back and hips, which will only exacerbate the problem.
(Speaking as someone who never felt ab crunches 'right' until I started bracing hard and limiting my range of motion.)