Doctor Webb, Does the quality of the image matter if one has an open(standing) MRI vs the traditional lying down one when it comes to the spine image specifically?
I'm wondering about sit-ups. I understand that added weights and decline sit-ups are very risky, but are flat back sit-ups with good form really harmful? I can't understand how they can place as much force as you say on the disks. What about the sit-up multiplies force on the spinal disks?
Army guy here and I’ve done thousands of sit ups and lifted hundreds of pounds of weights and now I’m heading with disc issues. Wish I had seen this video sooner
Hi Dr. Webb. I watched a video you made 5 years ago on chiropractors doing the Y Strap neck Pull. And I want to thank you so much for doing that. It's a big thing right now on TH-cam shorts they show it everywhere and then they put cured a man who hasn't walked in 3 years. So not only are they using the Y Strap pull they're claiming that it is curing people of very serious maladies. I want to tell you that years ago a chiropractor did this to me and I could not move my neck at all. I was an excruciating pain for over 3 weeks I could not turn my head either direction. I think these chiropractors really are negligent and unethical. and if you watch any of these shorts they're all arrogant. once they do an adjustment with a microphone there so you hear it they say wow I sure nailed them. It's just not right. So thank you so much even though that video is 5 years old I found it. Thank you very much.
My bf is in school for Chiropractic right now, and the school won't teach Y strap at all. Every teacher he's asked says they do not recommend it for anyone. Not sure where the ones on TH-cam went to school or why they insist it's the cure for everything.
@@tanylynne2026 WoW. That's great news about NOT endorsing the y strap full neck pull. All these Chiropractors on TH-cam shorts making it seem like it's a miracle. Shame on them.
Each day it becomes more dangerous to take a motorcycle out in traffic. Too many drivers are texting and not looking at road. In my area there is 1 motocycle fatality every WEEK from vehicle crashes. If you have a wife and kids, sell the bike today.
I’m a t3-t12 Spinal fusion patient, I lift HEAVY every day. It’s the only thing that brought me relief. I have 22 screws in my spine but look and feel AMAZING!
As someone who often lifts weights for conditioning, I'm very curious as to what you would term "heavy weights" -- it would be super helpful to define it by X times bodyweight. Would a heavy squat be defined as perhaps .75x bodyweight, or 1x bodyweight? This has serious implications as someone who likes to lift but definitely wants to avoid spinal injury. Would be a great topic for another video. Thank you Dr. Webb!
I'd suggest doing calisthenics instead. I used to lift weights, my lower back was always niggling at me, my knees a little bit and every once in a while I'd do myself an injury, like rotator cuff or pulling something in my back or neck. But ever since I started training calisthenics all of that has gone away completely and the irony is im now 10 times stronger than I was when I lifted weights. I think pull ups, dips, handstands, chin ups.........these things are such natural movements that the risk of injury is extremely low, whereas barbell squats(or even dumbell)and dead lifts...........they're injury city, especially for your back. Honestly I think barbell squats are such a risky exercise to do, they're actually insane and youre better off avoiding them altogether.
I refer you to a pro: Lee Haney. Study his approach to weight lifting, and then apply it for yourself. Remember -- he was a Pro. You are not. So it makes sense to adopt his philosophy, and not his progression. In general, less is more, in weight; and "reps" is more in results.
My wife's uncle just died last year driving a motorcycle. Just hit some loose gravel off on the shoulder and he flipped his bike. Hit his head and died. Also for smoking, I have a friend who had 3 back surgeries who smoked for 30 years. He also has many lung related issues. Thanks for the information.
Wow, thanks for the info Dr. Webb, I had no idea sit ups were so bad for your back! Would love it if you could do a video on exercises you would recommend for back strengthening and health. I stopped riding my motorcycle 7 years ago secondary to the risks, drivers are more impaired than ever and paying less attention to the road, it's not worth it. I work at a trauma center now as a nurse and see all sorts of severe injuries from motorcycle accidents!! I do ride an ATV, but I try not to ride stupidly! I had to quit full time EMS a few months ago secondary to persistent pain/numbness going down both legs, it has gotten a lot better now that I am not lifting people on a regular basis. EMS is a really tough job on your joints and spine, but thankfully manufacturers are coming out with more back friendly equipment!! It's a shame because I would have stayed in EMS until retirement in 20 years if it weren't for that!!
As a gymnast from age 7-20 years old, and aerobics teacher during grad school, and a mom of boys that did hiking, biking, rowing, paddling, surfing, boogie boarding, etc from 22-50 I have had so much bone damage from hyper-flexión and mobility. Other than two lumbar discs that were gone from grade 3 spondylolisthesis, my discs look good. I had L4 spondylosis at 18. My bone spurs in the cervical spine have created loss of arm and hand strength and now I’m heading into cervical surgery #2. My lumbar reconstruction is still holding strong after 11 years. L4/L5/S1.
7 weeks post op from my cervical spine fusion C4/5/6/7/T1. I pushed a grocery cart for the first time in two years without increased arm pain. My pinch grip and on both hands are strong. Now I’m heading into 12 weeks of OT and PT.
Heavy is relative. Heavy weight injuries occur from improper programming and or a break down in form, not from the weight itself. It's a load vs capacity equation, not a linear scale. He mentions Ronnie Coleman who was perhaps the worst example in history on how to lift weights properly or safely. I have far more sedentary patients that come through my door with debilitating spinal pain than I do those who stayed strong their whole lives.
Use a weight belt. The purpose of squatting is to develop the legs. The weight does not need to be placed on the shoulders, compressing the spine. It should instead be put on the hips -> this will put the exact same load on your legs, but will not (uselessly!) compress your spine.
His claims around weightlifting are WIDELY inaccurate based on current evidence we have. When graded & progressed appropriately, strength training & is a great way to keep your joints healthy & your body strong.
Where outside of gym wozld you use abillity to lift those weight ranges? Bag of cement is 50kg, lifting to 500lbs is just situation of diminishing returns just to say you did it.
@ivanmatusic5540 Not everything has to have a realistic application, but there are individuals that weight over 50kg. Firefighters oftentimes have to carry people out of buildings; imagine how much easier that would be if they lifted with proper form and if the person being lifted was well below the firefighter's working set. That is, if i can squat 90kg, it will be much harder to carry a 90kg person than if I squatted >150kg Many people have to put their body under significant stress to adapt toward their goals. It doesnt always have to be as realistic as my firefighter example either. A lot of people want to achieve hypertrophy or see how strong they can get. You might think it's ridiculous to lift so much, but there are also marathon runners that risk organ failure without the right conditioning, hydration, or glucose intake (in the form of glucose pills or gel packets as they continue running). In modern societies where we have access to motorized transportation- to your point, why would we need to run so much? Although marathons can be dangerous, marathon runners are some of the healthiest people.
I’m to late to that party, 23yrs in the Army ruined my spine. especially as a paratrooper with many jumps!!! sit-ups are a required exercise for soldiers and I wish I knew this before!! on my second spinal fusion and decompression.
4:00 you do have to understand that Ronnie wasn't your average lifter even remotely. Let alone the use of large amounts of anabolic steroids, which allowed him to push his body that far. You really cannot say "look at this one top guy, who is literally one in a billion" and then say it applies everywhere else as well. That's an anecdotal fallacy. Spinal injuries in reality are extremely rare in powerlifting. In fact, looking at the injury rate, lifting is one of the safest sports you can do.
I dont agree with the heavy lifting one but I do agree you need to be careful. If you do it at an appropriate Rte you can get very strong with no injuries. Ronnie isn't a good example he is probably the furthest thing from average so why would you base your decisions off his experiences when there are competitors like Jay cutler and Tom plats who have aged increadly well because of their training.
YES to all of this. Current evidence supports the use of progressive weight training to keep joints healthy & the body strong. This was a horrible video full of fear mongering.
With squats, I think he means heavy to super heavy weights. Ronnie Coleman was a good reference, Dorian Yates was in his league & trained heavy also but without so many injuries.
Okay so here's something that happened once. it was the first time I had a cervical disc herniation, but I didn't know that's what had happened. It hurt a lot though. So I tried so light strestches tilting my head left and right, then foreward... and then I titled it back. That act will go down in history as the worst mistake ever made.
I've heard that they are studying, or maybe have even started using a patients own stem cells to treat damaged spines. Such as herniated discs, to avoid surgery. Have you heard of this yet? Do you know if it is or will become common practice to avoid surgery anytime soon?
*Happy Holidays* ! *Thanks for sharing Dr. Webb* ! I Just found your videos when looking up videos on *Spine Decompression surgery to educate myself on it, while my friend is in the hospital possibly needing it. It's quite detailed, but I feel smarter, that I viewed some of your videos. I pray, I *never* have to have it done 🙏. I have an *exercise question* for you about *the Abs* . What are some of the best *AB exercises* that can be done that is not harmful to the back/spine. How about the *Reverse Crunch* for every other day. I have developed my own personalized routine, 😊 it's working. I understand to get my Dr.'s approval before any exercise program, but I see you are not recommending sit-ups (I agree), *so which are good/safe exercises for the Abs* ? I am healthy, and *love my home routine* . I do some walking too (no car) , but this video inspired me to ask the question. I trust your expertise. *Take care, and Thanks*
This is nice Dr. But to some extent some not to do activities like riding a bike it's like telling us not to "eat while sitted" I think provided one doesn't exceed the limit the body adapts slowly to the minimal pressure exerted. Where things are really bad is with body builders really tapping into obscene weights. Great video thou
Motorcycling isn't the same risk as eating while sitting. The insurance industry specifically recognizes the additional danger in this activity. So many motorcycle fatalities & permanent injuries here in Fl alone. Not a week goes by where one makes the news due to road closure (many more don't make the news). Most often the rider isn't at fault, but many are reckless.
Thank Dr. Webb for your amazing work in your medical field! I would like to ask why sitting isn't on this list? I would argue that sitting has become the new smoking and is way worst than a back squat. For the record, unfortunately Ronnie injured his back due to his lack of addressing the root cause early in his career. In other words he didn't do anything about it. To add, Yes Ronnie did squat wayyy to much! However, I wouldn't say squatting is bad if you have good form. We have been squatting for a long time and don't really have issues unless you either go to heavy or have bad form or both honestly. All around the U.S. and around the world millions of people squat. Anyways that's my take on it. Strength Coaches all over the world do this, are bodies get used to the load as we increase in weight.
LOVE the content man. Thank you for the channel. So I gotta ask about lifting heavy weights and how that's bad for the back. I've heard several sides of this argument. Would you say that if someone progressively loaded their back over the course of years and went from 100 pound squats to 600 pound squats executing proper form and giving the muscles around the spine (along with everything else that makes up the posterior chain and what not) enough time to adapt and strengthen proportionally that this is in fact a much better looking back/spine than someone who just squatted 135 for their whole life? Wouldn't this be a harder spine to hurt and if you kept the reps low and not high wouldn't this decrease chances of arthritic issues and disc degeneration? Would be interested in your opinion.
@@guy_bello YOU DON'T NEED REFERENCE, IT'S CAUSING TORQUE AND PRESSURE ON THE LOWER BACK AS YOU RAISE AND LOWER IT FOR A HIGH AMOUNT OF TIMES, THE SPINE DISC ARE VERY SENSITIVE, ONE WRONG MOVE AND POP, I POPPED ONE ALREADY IN MY NECK, I WISH YOU POP A DISC AND LEARN FROM IT, I REALLY DO, THAT'S WHEN YOU'LL STUDY DISC AND SPINE WHILE YOU'RE RECOVERING FOR 3 YEARS, DISC DONT GET BLOOD NOR OXYGEN, ITS LITERALLY A SHELL WITH A JELL IN IT, EASY TO POP IT, EASY TO BULGE IT AND EASILY DEGENERATES IF USED OVER AND OVER AGAIN LIKE SITUPS, CRUNCHES ARE BETTER FOR THE CORE, YOU DO WTF YOU WANT, UR GROWN
Could I go back to smoking 2 cigars a week in warm months? I'm 1 month out of spine surgery post op. Also can I bench press 225 lbs is that a safe weight to bench press. I weight 222 lbs and 6 foot 3. What's the perfect weight to lift? Is 175 enough??
So my family has a history of spinal disc herniation. So I'd get them anyway. But I did notice I've had them less this year than I did in the past five years... And I sotpped smoking about a year ago.
@@bunnyman6321 I SMOKED WEED TWICE AND QUITE FRANKLY I'M GLAD IT WASN'T MY THING, YOU SHOULD STOP, OXYGEN AND AIR IS THE ONLY THING YOU SHOULD BE PUTTING IN THOSE LUNGS
Habib, he mentioned one of the best exercises to do, which is PLANK. He said so at about minute 3:10 of the video. When you do plank, make sure your body is as horizontally straight as possible, without lowering your stomach or lifting your back. Keep your neck straight as well, while doing plank
Ha ha don’t ignore pain, tell this any doctors in Canada. They tell you that as long you have any reflexes you are fine. I can barely walk and my pain in my lower back is horrible. Because of that I almost felt down all the stairs today. Here in Canada no doctors have time to see me all other therapies have been tried. It’s a nightmare
I would like to know if someone has scoliosis as I do my spine is 15% curved at the bottom and I do stomach excercises where I lay on my back and bring my legs up and put then down and up again and at a certain point if I hold my legs just a few inches off the floor my spine or back really hurts so, there is basically a gap between the bottom of my back and floor,however I see alot of gym trainers suggest this kind of excercise. I believe its called the Leg raise,but isnt this excercise bad for your spine?
Flatten back and keep core muscles engaged as you do this exercise. Not supposed to let back come off floor. See a physio or sports medicine trainer. These exercises are very good when done right. Engage the core muscles every time you bend to tie your shoe or even walk down the stairs. Once this becomes a habit, you spinal discs will be protected from wear because your paraspinal muscles are stabilizing the vertebrae and taking the load off disks. The vast majority of DDD is not from accidents, but weak muscles and poor posture, like too much smartphone use.
Thanks man Got a feeling ronnie coleman damaged his body from all that heavy lifting. Funny cause i was thinking about ronnie before you brought him up.
So heavy squat and deadlift are bad for your spine? Even when you apply a progressive overload over time and you slowly adapt to it? That sounds meh. Barbell Medicine would strongly disagree with that statement i think and they are medical doctor too.
Alessandro Pasquini, I do not know who "Barbell Medicine" are, but a spine surgeon knows a lot more than a general practitioner/doctor. Dr Web is 100% correct
@@newmankidman5763 they are two MDs with exellent curricula, one of them is actually an internal medicine professor. They refer only on scientific literature, no bullshit approach, and they are two competitive powelifters with years of expericence. Personally, as a neo-MD, i disagree with some of Dr. Webb affirmations in this video, although he surely is a great spine surgeon!
I've won multiple drug-free bodybuilding shows and am in school now to be a doctor. I'd always recommend front squats over back because much more of the load is distributed over your core
So the military that requires sit-ups during the PT TEST when the veteran gets out and claims back pain. Should be 100% service connected? Lol is that what you are telling me ? Lol
The points you make about waiting to get an MRI is on par with current best practice. But your wild claims that sit-ups & weightlifting degenerate the discs is WIDELY in accurate based on current scientific evidence. There’s absolutely nothing to support the notion that lifting weights causes degeneration. In fact, evidence supports the exact opposite. We need to stop with the fear mongering geared around lifting because the benefits HIGHLY outweigh the risks when graded & progressed appropriately.
Ronnie Coleman took massive amounts of steroids and took lifting to the absolute extremes. That is a terrible example. Crazy a doctor is giving this advice
Jack Ward, you are correct. Most people do certain things only based on the benefits they bring, while ignoring or not knowing about the negative ramifications. Sit-ups are good for abdominal muscles, but VERY BAD for the spine
@@newmankidman5763 it is only bad due to the constant flexion and extension on the spine that is unnecessary. You can do a sit-up without an extension activity to the spine, but most people use it for momentum, which is terrible, causing that unnecessary shear force to occur. Plus, situp doesn't do a great job attacking the abdominals like other abdominal exercises.
@@appollo1826, I did not say so because I read it somewhere. I speak from my own experience, and that of my teammates when I did gymnastics. Our coach would have us do lots, and lots of sit-ups, because he said it was all that we needed for our abdominals. He ended up being right, because, like him, we all developed beautiful and strong abdominals, but over the years our backs paid the price. Having said that, you are partially right in that some ways of doing sit-ups are more dangerous for the back than others
The lifting weights thing was very stupid studys have shown weight lifters have lower disc degenerative rates and have more fluid in the spinal discs and most people who get back injurys are ones with weaker lower backs and Ronnie Coleman blasted gear and lifting weight for beyond a human should be able to lift and back was destroyed through 3 botched surgeries
I'd love to read the literature you're relying on to form an opinion about weightlifting having a deleterious effect on the spine. The "car" metaphor is useless. Cars don't adapt to stimulii placed upon them while muscles, tendons, ligaments and associated tissues do. A weak back is a fragile back. The Ronnie Coleman example is a sample size of 1 and shouldn't be used as a justification for avoiding "heavy weights". This is a PRINCIPLE reason I avoid medical professionals entirely for issues associated with bone or muscle. None of you train. You're out of your depth.
Thanks for watching everyone! Let me know your thoughts!
Hi Doc! Are crunches just as bad for the spine as sit ups?
Doctor Webb, Does the quality of the image matter if one has an open(standing) MRI vs the traditional lying down one when it comes to the spine image specifically?
When you mentioned smoking 🚬... was it also Marijuana?
I'm wondering about sit-ups. I understand that added weights and decline sit-ups are very risky, but are flat back sit-ups with good form really harmful? I can't understand how they can place as much force as you say on the disks. What about the sit-up multiplies force on the spinal disks?
good advice bruh
Army guy here and I’ve done thousands of sit ups and lifted hundreds of pounds of weights and now I’m heading with disc issues. Wish I had seen this video sooner
Hi Dr. Webb.
I watched a video you made 5 years ago on chiropractors doing the Y Strap neck Pull. And I want to thank you so much for doing that. It's a big thing right now on TH-cam shorts they show it everywhere and then they put cured a man who hasn't walked in 3 years. So not only are they using the Y Strap pull they're claiming that it is curing people of very serious maladies. I want to tell you that years ago a chiropractor did this to me and I could not move my neck at all. I was an excruciating pain for over 3 weeks I could not turn my head either direction. I think these chiropractors really are negligent and unethical. and if you watch any of these shorts they're all arrogant. once they do an adjustment with a microphone there so you hear it they say wow I sure nailed them. It's just not right. So thank you so much even though that video is 5 years old I found it. Thank you very much.
My bf is in school for Chiropractic right now, and the school won't teach Y strap at all. Every teacher he's asked says they do not recommend it for anyone. Not sure where the ones on TH-cam went to school or why they insist it's the cure for everything.
@@tanylynne2026 WoW. That's great news about NOT endorsing the y strap full neck pull. All these Chiropractors on TH-cam shorts making it seem like it's a miracle. Shame on them.
@@tanylynne2026 tell your bf to go to medical school and not be a loser chiropractor
My aunt is an ICU nurse. She calls motorcycle riders, organ donors because of all the deaths from motorcycle accidents she has seen.
At least 1 motorcycle fatality a week makes the news in this area of FL alone. Many aren't even the motorcyclists fault.
Can confirm. My Mom is a Neurologist. She frequently calls motorcycles “donor mobiles” because of the countless catastrophic accidents she has seen
Each day it becomes more dangerous to take a motorcycle out in traffic. Too many drivers are texting and not looking at road. In my area there is 1 motocycle fatality every WEEK from vehicle crashes. If you have a wife and kids, sell the bike today.
If I had a dollar for ever time I hear the organ donor thing, I would have a car instead of a bike😂
We call them kidney donors if they don’t wear helmets. Turns out you really cut down on fatalities but making it illegal not to.
I’m a t3-t12 Spinal fusion patient, I lift HEAVY every day. It’s the only thing that brought me relief. I have 22 screws in my spine but look and feel AMAZING!
#3 you sound like my stepdad before he passed and #5 that is partly how I got to having l4 and l5 fushion surgery
As someone who often lifts weights for conditioning, I'm very curious as to what you would term "heavy weights" -- it would be super helpful to define it by X times bodyweight. Would a heavy squat be defined as perhaps .75x bodyweight, or 1x bodyweight? This has serious implications as someone who likes to lift but definitely wants to avoid spinal injury. Would be a great topic for another video. Thank you Dr. Webb!
Heavy is relative to the lifter so any weight more than what causes failure at 12 reps I'd say.
Powerlifting is a no no.
@@ADAM00717I would argue the amount reps has zero correlation with that.
I'd suggest doing calisthenics instead. I used to lift weights, my lower back was always niggling at me, my knees a little bit and every once in a while I'd do myself an injury, like rotator cuff or pulling something in my back or neck. But ever since I started training calisthenics all of that has gone away completely and the irony is im now 10 times stronger than I was when I lifted weights. I think pull ups, dips, handstands, chin ups.........these things are such natural movements that the risk of injury is extremely low, whereas barbell squats(or even dumbell)and dead lifts...........they're injury city, especially for your back. Honestly I think barbell squats are such a risky exercise to do, they're actually insane and youre better off avoiding them altogether.
I think Its fine to lift heavy if you are natty. But exercise form is also very important.
I refer you to a pro: Lee Haney. Study his approach to weight lifting, and then apply it for yourself. Remember -- he was a Pro. You are not. So it makes sense to adopt his philosophy, and not his progression. In general, less is more, in weight; and "reps" is more in results.
Great list. I am extremely happy for the fact that I do not do anything on that list either. Thank you, Dr Web
Make vedio about best exercises for spine health
My wife's uncle just died last year driving a motorcycle. Just hit some loose gravel off on the shoulder and he flipped his bike. Hit his head and died. Also for smoking, I have a friend who had 3 back surgeries who smoked for 30 years. He also has many lung related issues. Thanks for the information.
Wow, thanks for the info Dr. Webb, I had no idea sit ups were so bad for your back! Would love it if you could do a video on exercises you would recommend for back strengthening and health. I stopped riding my motorcycle 7 years ago secondary to the risks, drivers are more impaired than ever and paying less attention to the road, it's not worth it. I work at a trauma center now as a nurse and see all sorts of severe injuries from motorcycle accidents!! I do ride an ATV, but I try not to ride stupidly! I had to quit full time EMS a few months ago secondary to persistent pain/numbness going down both legs, it has gotten a lot better now that I am not lifting people on a regular basis. EMS is a really tough job on your joints and spine, but thankfully manufacturers are coming out with more back friendly equipment!! It's a shame because I would have stayed in EMS until retirement in 20 years if it weren't for that!!
I've always been so sketched out by heavy weight squats. I'll stick to mainly bodyweight stuff lol
As a gymnast from age 7-20 years old, and aerobics teacher during grad school, and a mom of boys that did hiking, biking, rowing, paddling, surfing, boogie boarding, etc from 22-50 I have had so much bone damage from hyper-flexión and mobility. Other than two lumbar discs that were gone from grade 3 spondylolisthesis, my discs look good. I had L4 spondylosis at 18.
My bone spurs in the cervical spine have created loss of arm and hand strength and now I’m heading into cervical surgery #2.
My lumbar reconstruction is still holding strong after 11 years. L4/L5/S1.
Sorry you had to go through this💙
7 weeks post op from my cervical spine fusion C4/5/6/7/T1. I pushed a grocery cart for the first time in two years without increased arm pain. My pinch grip and on both hands are strong. Now I’m heading into 12 weeks of OT and PT.
@@dr.patriciahorton8394how old are you? What would you do differently ?
Hope everyone has a great holiday season!
How do I know how much weight is too heavy for me? Im currently squatting 285. I want to train to be stronger, but I dont want the ramifications.
Heavy is relative. Heavy weight injuries occur from improper programming and or a break down in form, not from the weight itself. It's a load vs capacity equation, not a linear scale. He mentions Ronnie Coleman who was perhaps the worst example in history on how to lift weights properly or safely. I have far more sedentary patients that come through my door with debilitating spinal pain than I do those who stayed strong their whole lives.
Use a weight belt. The purpose of squatting is to develop the legs. The weight does not need to be placed on the shoulders, compressing the spine. It should instead be put on the hips -> this will put the exact same load on your legs, but will not (uselessly!) compress your spine.
His claims around weightlifting are WIDELY inaccurate based on current evidence we have. When graded & progressed appropriately, strength training & is a great way to keep your joints healthy & your body strong.
Where outside of gym wozld you use abillity to lift those weight ranges? Bag of cement is 50kg, lifting to 500lbs is just situation of diminishing returns just to say you did it.
@ivanmatusic5540 Not everything has to have a realistic application, but there are individuals that weight over 50kg. Firefighters oftentimes have to carry people out of buildings; imagine how much easier that would be if they lifted with proper form and if the person being lifted was well below the firefighter's working set. That is, if i can squat 90kg, it will be much harder to carry a 90kg person than if I squatted >150kg
Many people have to put their body under significant stress to adapt toward their goals. It doesnt always have to be as realistic as my firefighter example either. A lot of people want to achieve hypertrophy or see how strong they can get. You might think it's ridiculous to lift so much, but there are also marathon runners that risk organ failure without the right conditioning, hydration, or glucose intake (in the form of glucose pills or gel packets as they continue running). In modern societies where we have access to motorized transportation- to your point, why would we need to run so much?
Although marathons can be dangerous, marathon runners are some of the healthiest people.
My mind was blown from your facts about sit-ups
I’m to late to that party, 23yrs in the Army ruined my spine. especially as a paratrooper with many jumps!!! sit-ups are a required exercise for soldiers and I wish I knew this before!! on my second spinal fusion and decompression.
Great video! Are there any other exercises we should avoid to promote our back/bone/joint health?
I imagine that dead lifts are frowned upon.
leg press machine, leg extension machine, leg curl machine, etc.
@@Txcowboy80 leg press machine are actually perfect if you do the correct form.
@@jeanpichardo87 i was actually mentioning exercises to do instead of squats. I read the question wrong. 😂
@@Txcowboy80 lol I see!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Very happy I found ur channel years ago always some great knowledge here.
Good advice about sit-ups thanks
You bet
4:00 you do have to understand that Ronnie wasn't your average lifter even remotely. Let alone the use of large amounts of anabolic steroids, which allowed him to push his body that far. You really cannot say "look at this one top guy, who is literally one in a billion" and then say it applies everywhere else as well. That's an anecdotal fallacy. Spinal injuries in reality are extremely rare in powerlifting. In fact, looking at the injury rate, lifting is one of the safest sports you can do.
Interesting
I dont agree with the heavy lifting one but I do agree you need to be careful. If you do it at an appropriate Rte you can get very strong with no injuries. Ronnie isn't a good example he is probably the furthest thing from average so why would you base your decisions off his experiences when there are competitors like Jay cutler and Tom plats who have aged increadly well because of their training.
YES to all of this. Current evidence supports the use of progressive weight training to keep joints healthy & the body strong. This was a horrible video full of fear mongering.
@@dr.susie.squats B.S, ST-FU YOU KNOW NOTHING
In German Hospitals, we call motorcycle rides : organ donors on wheels
Make vedio about how to keep your spine healthy ❤❤
Would you replace sit-ups with hanging leg raises and what about squats?
With squats, I think he means heavy to super heavy weights. Ronnie Coleman was a good reference, Dorian Yates was in his league & trained heavy also but without so many injuries.
Okay so here's something that happened once. it was the first time I had a cervical disc herniation, but I didn't know that's what had happened. It hurt a lot though. So I tried so light strestches tilting my head left and right, then foreward... and then I titled it back. That act will go down in history as the worst mistake ever made.
Oh my god 😮
I've heard that they are studying, or maybe have even started using a patients own stem cells to treat damaged spines. Such as herniated discs, to avoid surgery. Have you heard of this yet? Do you know if it is or will become common practice to avoid surgery anytime soon?
he mentioned in the video that stem cell therapy is still not effective
*Happy Holidays* !
*Thanks for sharing Dr. Webb* ! I Just found your videos when looking up videos on *Spine Decompression surgery to educate myself on it, while my friend is in the hospital possibly needing it. It's quite detailed, but I feel smarter, that I viewed some of your videos. I pray, I *never* have to have it done 🙏. I have an *exercise question* for you about *the Abs* . What are some of the best *AB exercises* that can be done that is not harmful to the back/spine. How about the *Reverse Crunch* for every other day. I have developed my own personalized routine, 😊 it's working. I understand to get my Dr.'s approval before any exercise program, but I see you are not recommending sit-ups (I agree), *so which are good/safe exercises for the Abs* ? I am healthy, and *love my home routine* . I do some walking too (no car) , but this video inspired me to ask the question. I trust your expertise. *Take care, and Thanks*
@Werse Varsity
Thank you! Blessings.
Glad I Havnt done sit ups since high schools.
As a retired fireman I agree stay off motorcycles, wear your seat belt when driving a car, don't drink and drive!
Ty Dr. Webb ,are dumbbell military presses or shrugs safe to do for a middle aged man?
You mentioned sit-ups, but what about crunches? Any info on this exercise?
If done right, crunches are definitely less harmful for the spine.
Sit ups aren’t harmful for your back if you are using the proper form and technique. Plus, exercising your abdominal muscles is good for your back
CRUNCHES ON AN AIRBALL, I DO THEM, 5 SETS 15 REPS 3 TO 4 TIMES A WEEK IS SAFE AND GOOD FOR YOUR CORE
@@scienceandtechnologyrocks6802 YOU'RE A DU-MB A$$, OF COURSE THEY ARE BAD, CRUNCHES ARE THE ONLY THING SAFE AND NOT HARMFUL
@@P.DoctorZoom100 FACT
Thank you for the great info!
This is nice Dr. But to some extent some not to do activities like riding a bike it's like telling us not to "eat while sitted" I think provided one doesn't exceed the limit the body adapts slowly to the minimal pressure exerted. Where things are really bad is with body builders really tapping into obscene weights. Great video thou
Motorcycling isn't the same risk as eating while sitting. The insurance industry specifically recognizes the additional danger in this activity. So many motorcycle fatalities & permanent injuries here in Fl alone. Not a week goes by where one makes the news due to road closure (many more don't make the news). Most often the rider isn't at fault, but many are reckless.
I was in the Army for 8, had to do situps all the time for PT and PT Test. Now my low back pops when I bend over
I was in for 15 years and two months. That was my first thought when he said sit-ups.
Awesome vid from the best Spine Surgeon!!
Thank Dr. Webb for your amazing work in your medical field! I would like to ask why sitting isn't on this list? I would argue that sitting has become the new smoking and is way worst than a back squat. For the record, unfortunately Ronnie injured his back due to his lack of addressing the root cause early in his career. In other words he didn't do anything about it. To add, Yes Ronnie did squat wayyy to much! However, I wouldn't say squatting is bad if you have good form. We have been squatting for a long time and don't really have issues unless you either go to heavy or have bad form or both honestly. All around the U.S. and around the world millions of people squat. Anyways that's my take on it. Strength Coaches all over the world do this, are bodies get used to the load as we increase in weight.
what about body weight squats ?
Live fast, die young 😂😜
Sit-ups interesting. I'm supposing same goes for GHD.
Thank you for your insight!
Great content!
What are your thoughts on lead gowns that are worn by staff during surgery, how does that effect someone’s back ?
for smoking does weed count as well?
LOVE the content man. Thank you for the channel. So I gotta ask about lifting heavy weights and how that's bad for the back. I've heard several sides of this argument. Would you say that if someone progressively loaded their back over the course of years and went from 100 pound squats to 600 pound squats executing proper form and giving the muscles around the spine (along with everything else that makes up the posterior chain and what not) enough time to adapt and strengthen proportionally that this is in fact a much better looking back/spine than someone who just squatted 135 for their whole life? Wouldn't this be a harder spine to hurt and if you kept the reps low and not high wouldn't this decrease chances of arthritic issues and disc degeneration? Would be interested in your opinion.
Belt squat is a better option, no load on the spine. Or do goblet squats
Thanks Dr.
But How do you exercise abdominals muscles? 😅
Nice video boss, do you have a reference for the bad things sit ups can cause?
He does not, because all the references support sit-ups & weightlifting to keep the body strong & actually nourish your joints.
@@dr.susie.squats okay chief, thanks for your comment as well, can you direct me to some references then, specifically for sit ups?
HE ALREADY SAID SPINE AND DISC PROBLEMS
@@leelunk8235 with references from the literature?
@@guy_bello YOU DON'T NEED REFERENCE, IT'S CAUSING TORQUE AND PRESSURE ON THE LOWER BACK AS YOU RAISE AND LOWER IT FOR A HIGH AMOUNT OF TIMES, THE SPINE DISC ARE VERY SENSITIVE, ONE WRONG MOVE AND POP, I POPPED ONE ALREADY IN MY NECK, I WISH YOU POP A DISC AND LEARN FROM IT, I REALLY DO, THAT'S WHEN YOU'LL STUDY DISC AND SPINE WHILE YOU'RE RECOVERING FOR 3 YEARS, DISC DONT GET BLOOD NOR OXYGEN, ITS LITERALLY A SHELL WITH A JELL IN IT, EASY TO POP IT, EASY TO BULGE IT AND EASILY DEGENERATES IF USED OVER AND OVER AGAIN LIKE SITUPS, CRUNCHES ARE BETTER FOR THE CORE, YOU DO WTF YOU WANT, UR GROWN
Great video 😊
Thanks! 😊
@Antonio J. Webb, M.D. Thanks for the info Dr.Webb!
Is doing ab wheel exercises bad for the spine?
Heh, I literally do every single one of these things!
Deadlifts?
What about lightweight squats like kettlebells or goblet squats
Great real 🌍 advice , Thanks 🇨🇦😎👍
Should you do leg raises or lying leg raises instead
This is nocebic information regarding weight lifting
Is smoking weed bad for spine or just nicotine?
Could I go back to smoking 2 cigars a week in warm months? I'm 1 month out of spine surgery post op. Also can I bench press 225 lbs is that a safe weight to bench press. I weight 222 lbs and 6 foot 3. What's the perfect weight to lift? Is 175 enough??
how to protect the spine on long flights?
What about a Vespa like the kind they ride in Italy 🇮🇹????
Love from Chicago! You mentioned smoking, does that include Marijuana? I think cigarettes are bad for people too.. thanks!
So my family has a history of spinal disc herniation. So I'd get them anyway. But I did notice I've had them less this year than I did in the past five years... And I sotpped smoking about a year ago.
Is smoking weed bad for the spine as well?
@@bunnyman6321 OF COURSE DUDE, ALL THE SMOKE DRIES EVERYTHING OUT , NOT JUST YOUR SPINE DISC
@@leelunk8235 Damn
@@bunnyman6321 I SMOKED WEED TWICE AND QUITE FRANKLY I'M GLAD IT WASN'T MY THING, YOU SHOULD STOP, OXYGEN AND AIR IS THE ONLY THING YOU SHOULD BE PUTTING IN THOSE LUNGS
@leelunk8235 I should stop?
Where did I type I smoke weed?
I don't smoke or drink, or do any drugs.
Excellent explanations as usual. Can you explain internal decapitation? It's been in the news with the death of Shanquila Robinson in Mexico?
Dr webb when are you going around to different cities on a speaking tour?
I suffered bouts of kidney stones pain in my teens and have ptsd when it comes to anything remotely deemed pain. sigh life eh?
Which vertebrae do sit-ups hurt the most?
I think a great video would be talking about what are good exercises that don’t hurt your back
Habib, he mentioned one of the best exercises to do, which is PLANK. He said so at about minute 3:10 of the video. When you do plank, make sure your body is as horizontally straight as possible, without lowering your stomach or lifting your back. Keep your neck straight as well, while doing plank
👏👏👏absolute truth
When he says sit ups, does he mean crunches, too?
How about training abs from hanging?
Very informative. I rode on a motorcycle for 6 yrs.
Ha ha don’t ignore pain, tell this any doctors in Canada. They tell you that as long you have any reflexes you are fine. I can barely walk and my pain in my lower back is horrible. Because of that I almost felt down all the stairs today. Here in Canada no doctors have time to see me all other therapies have been tried. It’s a nightmare
Perhaps soon technology will be able to create an artificial replacement disk with similar, or perhaps identical, properties.
I would like to know if someone has scoliosis as I do my spine is 15% curved at the bottom and I do stomach excercises where I lay on my back and bring my legs up and put then down and up again and at a certain point if I hold my legs just a few inches off the floor my spine or back really hurts so, there is basically a gap between the bottom of my back and floor,however I see alot of gym trainers suggest this kind of excercise. I believe its called the Leg raise,but isnt this excercise bad for your spine?
Flatten back and keep core muscles engaged as you do this exercise. Not supposed to let back come off floor. See a physio or sports medicine trainer. These exercises are very good when done right. Engage the core muscles every time you bend to tie your shoe or even walk down the stairs. Once this becomes a habit, you spinal discs will be protected from wear because your paraspinal muscles are stabilizing the vertebrae and taking the load off disks. The vast majority of DDD is not from accidents, but weak muscles and poor posture, like too much smartphone use.
Thanks man
Got a feeling ronnie coleman damaged his body from all that heavy lifting. Funny cause i was thinking about ronnie before you brought him up.
What about hanging leg raises?
I thought with certainty you would have diving into shallow water on your list…..maybe number 6?
#6 Don’t dive into shallow water.
#7 Don’t eat yellow snow ❄️ or brown snow either.
What are alternative exercises to squats that you recommend?
Core exercises
Good for your back
@@antoniowebbmd Not for the back. Squats work out the legs, so I was curious what exercises you'd recommend as an alternative to that exercise.
@@KK_183 leg Press, leg extension
"The 6th thing to never do is play basket ball. it applies pressure to the discs"
So heavy squat and deadlift are bad for your spine? Even when you apply a progressive overload over time and you slowly adapt to it? That sounds meh. Barbell Medicine would strongly disagree with that statement i think and they are medical doctor too.
He mainly talks about the intervertebral discs that dont really get "better" while progressive overloading the lifts
Yeah Barbell Medicine is also a physician.
Alessandro Pasquini, I do not know who "Barbell Medicine" are, but a spine surgeon knows a lot more than a general practitioner/doctor. Dr Web is 100% correct
One of the best exercises I've added to my work outs is farmer walks. My back actually feels better since I started doing them. 8-9 weeks now.
@@newmankidman5763 they are two MDs with exellent curricula, one of them is actually an internal medicine professor. They refer only on scientific literature, no bullshit approach, and they are two competitive powelifters with years of expericence. Personally, as a neo-MD, i disagree with some of Dr. Webb affirmations in this video, although he surely is a great spine surgeon!
Ronnie Coleman’s spine problem was exacerbated by his steroids
Haha, tell that to Big Blue or Green, all those years doing the AFPT.
Hey Dr Webb. If you had to pick between front squats vs back squats what would be your preference?
I've won multiple drug-free bodybuilding shows and am in school now to be a doctor. I'd always recommend front squats over back because much more of the load is distributed over your core
Skip squats if you have a good leg press machine.
@@J_H72 Everyone don't have access to a leg press.
@@thomasjkellyiv196 Yup
@@bunnyman6321 Pistol squats then. No equipment needed.
I was liking the video, until you said don't do sit ups, and don't ride motorcycles. Too things that make life worth living.
So the military that requires sit-ups during the PT TEST when the veteran gets out and claims back pain. Should be 100% service connected? Lol is that what you are telling me ? Lol
#1 on your list should be,not cheat on your wife
you're gonna get some hate for the weightlifting part lol
Wow, Smoking is crazy bad for you didn't know nicotine caused vasoconstriction
The points you make about waiting to get an MRI is on par with current best practice. But your wild claims that sit-ups & weightlifting degenerate the discs is WIDELY in accurate based on current scientific evidence. There’s absolutely nothing to support the notion that lifting weights causes degeneration. In fact, evidence supports the exact opposite. We need to stop with the fear mongering geared around lifting because the benefits HIGHLY outweigh the risks when graded & progressed appropriately.
Hi, are you a medical dr?
SPINE DISC DON'T GET BLOOD FLOW SIR
Ronnie Coleman took massive amounts of steroids and took lifting to the absolute extremes. That is a terrible example. Crazy a doctor is giving this advice
I see these videos on tiktok. They call motorcycles, donorcycles for a reason.
Don't ecsorsise, doctors orders
Smoking is not worth it.
🙃 ᵖʳᵒᵐᵒˢᵐ
I hate sit ups. Don't do them. Mainly cause I'm lazy.
Jack Ward, you are correct. Most people do certain things only based on the benefits they bring, while ignoring or not knowing about the negative ramifications. Sit-ups are good for abdominal muscles, but VERY BAD for the spine
@@newmankidman5763 it is only bad due to the constant flexion and extension on the spine that is unnecessary. You can do a sit-up without an extension activity to the spine, but most people use it for momentum, which is terrible, causing that unnecessary shear force to occur. Plus, situp doesn't do a great job attacking the abdominals like other abdominal exercises.
@@appollo1826, I did not say so because I read it somewhere. I speak from my own experience, and that of my teammates when I did gymnastics. Our coach would have us do lots, and lots of sit-ups, because he said it was all that we needed for our abdominals. He ended up being right, because, like him, we all developed beautiful and strong abdominals, but over the years our backs paid the price. Having said that, you are partially right in that some ways of doing sit-ups are more dangerous for the back than others
Lol, good thing I do powerlifting then :)
No more sit-ups for me. Bye bye 👋
The lifting weights thing was very stupid studys have shown weight lifters have lower disc degenerative rates and have more fluid in the spinal discs and most people who get back injurys are ones with weaker lower backs and Ronnie Coleman blasted gear and lifting weight for beyond a human should be able to lift and back was destroyed through 3 botched surgeries
I'd love to read the literature you're relying on to form an opinion about weightlifting having a deleterious effect on the spine. The "car" metaphor is useless. Cars don't adapt to stimulii placed upon them while muscles, tendons, ligaments and associated tissues do. A weak back is a fragile back. The Ronnie Coleman example is a sample size of 1 and shouldn't be used as a justification for avoiding "heavy weights".
This is a PRINCIPLE reason I avoid medical professionals entirely for issues associated with bone or muscle. None of you train. You're out of your depth.