By Samuel Pitcairn
Let’s be blunt: The orthopedic surgeon has a boat payment to make. When he looks at your MRI, he sees a nail, and he grabs his hammer. You are the nail.
I don’t say this as a "gym bro" guessing at anatomy. I spent four years in a dedicated spine research lab. I didn’t just read the abstracts; I analyzed the raw data. I saw the mechanics of failure up close.
But here is the most shocking thing I learned comparing the data to real humans:
I have seen hundreds of MRIs in my career that look like a war zone, herniated discs at L4-L5, degeneration, stenosis, yet the athlete has zero pain and squats 400 pounds.
Conversely, I have seen MRIs that look pristine, yet the patient can’t put on their socks without weeping.
The structural damage you see on the scan is rarely the root cause of the pain. It is merely the symptom. The cause is almost always a lack of Structural Balance.
If you are in Pittsburgh and considering letting someone cut into your spine, read this first. Once you cut, you cannot uncut. But you can always get strong.
In the "Iron Game," we rely on outcomes, not theories. And here is a data point for you:
I have never seen someone with a back so strong that it hurt.
Pain is almost always the result of weakness or imbalance. When the supporting muscles are weak, the passive structures (discs, ligaments) take the load. Passive structures have a breaking point. Muscles, however, can adapt indefinitely.
If your solution to back pain is to "rest" and avoid lifting, you are choosing to make the support system weaker. You are feeding the problem.
Most trainers think "posture" means pulling your shoulders back. That is kindergarten stuff.
Real postural issues are about neurological asymmetry. We are naturally asymmetrical creatures. We have a liver on the right, a heart on the left, and a diaphragm that works differently on each side. Over time, gravity exploits this.
Through the lens of PRI (Postural Restoration Institute), we see that most people with back pain are stuck in a specific pattern (often an Anterior Pelvic Tilt or a rotation).
When your pelvis is stuck in this position, your hamstrings are lengthened and weak, and your abs are shut off. You aren't just "standing wrong"; you are mechanically incapable of using your glutes.
If you don't fix this pelvic position, surgery is useless. You will just blow out the disc above the fusion because you are still moving with the same dysfunctional pattern.
At Essential Strength, we don't guess. We assess. We look for the Root Cause.
We don't do "core stability" on a yoga mat. We build Structural Balance. Here is a classic superset we use to bulletproof the posterior chain and teach the pelvis to stabilize.
Perform this superset twice a week.
A1. Seated Dumbbell Good Morning
A2. Poliquin Step-Up
I leave you with this.
If a doctor tells you: "You should never lift more than 75lbs for the rest of your life," ... fire them immediately.
That is not medical advice. That is a sentence to a slow death of frailty.What happens when your grandchild runs into your arms? What happens when you need to move a piece of furniture? Are you going to opt out of life?
That advice is cowardice masquerading as caution.
In my 12+ years in this industry, I have taken people who were told they were "broken" and had them deadlifting 400lbs pain-free. It requires patience, it requires science, and it requires ignoring the mediocrity of standard medical advice.
If you are in East Liberty or the South Hills and want to find the root cause, book an assessment. We will look at your structural balance and tell you the truth.
After you submit this form we will be in contact within 24 hrs to set up an appointment to come into our East Liberty location for a performance assessment.
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