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2003/06/08, 04:58 PM
I ruptured 2 discs in my neck a few months ago. They are slowly healing, but I've been laying off the exercise while they heal. I used to weigh 185, and it took me years to get there. Now, in a few short months, I'm down to 150. I lost roughly 35lbs of muscle.
How can I gain this back without putting any stress on my neck? Most of the weight I lost was in my arms and chest. I probably lost about 4 inches on my chest, and went from 19 inch biceps down to 15.
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2003/06/09, 05:35 AM
Signal - I was in the exact situation & just up to a couple of weeks ago have I been pain-free enough to pick up weights again. I empathize with just how frustrating it is to watch your hard earned gains somewhat disintigrate. My best advice is to take the time off until you're completely healed (as I went back to the gym too soon & delayed my healing process by aggrivating my discs again.)
The best advice I can give to you is to keep your protein intake high, refocus on lower body gains until you're fully healed to take on upper body. If you're under chiropractic care, inquire about what you can "do" that will not cause further injury. For me, it was starting at the beginning with very low weights again (but even that took over 3 months to get the green light to do so.)
The good news is that once you are physically capable, your muscles go into motor memory & your gains come back fairly quickly. (At least that's how it has played out for me.)
Please be patient, regardless of your frustration, ruptured discs take a long time to heal properly & it's not worth the pain to push your body until it's ready.
Best of luck!
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You only get ONE body, take care of it and it'll take care of YOU!
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