My Own Experience with Oblique Strain
So last Tuesday I was deadlifting at my garage gym after work, feeling pretty good about hitting a new personal record. But when I twisted to grab my water bottle afterwards – BAM! Felt like a knife stabbing under my ribs. Couldn’t even stand up straight for two days.
Started googling like crazy trying to figure what went wrong. Watched those physical therapist YouTube videos till midnight, then tried matching their explanations to what I actually did during my workout. Here’s what I pieced together:
First clue came when I rewatched my own recording from that day – yeah I film my lifts, judge me! Saw how my hips tilted sideways when I started pulling that heavy weight. Physical therapist called it “asymmetric hip shift.” Basically means I was putting all the pressure on my right side like an idiot.
The 3 Big Mistakes I Made
Bad Twisting Moves: That stupid reach for my water bottle right after heavy weights? Worst timing ever. Your muscles are jelly after max effort. Twisting while fatigued is asking for trouble – made my core muscles rip like wet paper towels.
Zero Core Prep: Realized I always skip core warmups. Like who has time for planks before deadlifts right? Wrong. My physio buddy showed me how cold obliques can’t stabilize your spine properly. Without that prep, heavy lifts overload those muscles instantly.
Muscle Imbalance Mess: Got roasted when my trainer analyzed my posture. Turns out my left oblique was way weaker from always carrying groceries with my right arm. So during deadlifts, my strong side overcompensated until – SNAP! Felt like rubber band breaking.
Currently rehabbing with ice packs and light stretching. Lesson learned? Respect those side muscles folks – they ain’t just for show. And never twist after heavy lifts unless you enjoy walking bent over like a shrimp!