AboutPatrick Ward Expertise I am available to answer questions on exercise and program design, nutrition, sports performance training, youth strength training program design, weightloss, soft tissue therapy, sports massage, mobility/flexibility, pain and injury.
Experience I have over 6 years in the industry of personal training, rehabilitation and sports performance. I also am a sports massage/soft tissue therapist.
Organizations National Strength and Conditioning Association
American Massage Therapy Association
American College of Sports Medicine
Publications Local publications in the Phoenix area as well as several websites on health and fitness.
Speaker/lecturer at events (NSCA - AZ State Clinic, USA Volleyball - AZ Region) on the topic of developing strength and conditioning programs for youth athletes
Education/Credentials MS Exercise Science
NSCA-Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
NASM- Perfomance Enhancement Specialist
NASM- Certified Personal Trainer
Certified Active Release Techniques - Upper Extremity
Past/Present Clients Everything from professional athletes to soccer moms.
I am a female 29 years old and have had a spinal disc injury since 2005. I do Pilates regularly (1 every 2 weeks or when needed if I have alot of pain) and swim 1x a week. I have gained weight, though, and wish to lose the extra 10 pounds since I stopped weight training. Would it be possible to do weight training at the gym again, with my disc problem? The disc is the last one, right above my lower back. Doctors have all told me NO WEIGHTS ever again except for low resistance ones (and the only low resistance weights I know of is from Pilates reformer training). However, a friend's personal trainer said yes you can do weights with good supervision. Im a bit hesitant about going against the doctors' advice and, bear in mind I had a personal trainer who pushed me too far with back exercises which were right before I got the disc. YOur advice is greatly , greatly appreciated.
D
Answer Dala,
Back injuries are tough! Doctor's are tougher!! Most doctors have little training in exercise science, so they see an injury (any injury, not just a back injury) and automatically go with the whole "just don't do ANYTHING the rest of your life!!" philosophy. Which is fundamentally flawed since we are human beings and we move all through life. If we stop moving or stop training those movements, we loose them and we are then more apt to getting injured as they become unfamiliar.
"Don't lift anything! Never do a squat!!"
Those are interesting comments that doctors like to make. My argument to them is always, "How does this person pick stuff up in their home? Or pick up their kid from the floor? Never do a squat? How do they ever sit down on the toilet or get up from the seat of their car!!"
Fundamental movements.
That being said, the nature of your injury is a sensitive one and you should try and seek out a qualified physical therapist (good ones can be hard to find) that can give you the nuts and bolts of your specific problem. They can be there to evaluate you and know what the rules are for you in particular.
