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Does olympic weightlifting cause spondylolysis?

Sat, 08/19/2006 - 4:02pm — Mary Douglass

I found an article through google that claims (among many other things):

"...the Olympic lifts, power cleans and their analogs -- cause repetitive forced hypertension of the lumbar spine. This forced hyperextension can lead to any number of physical anomalies and injury defects including lumbar sprain, strain, disc injury or a condition known as spondylolysis..."

Since I had never heard of this, I would love to hear from weightlifters and/or people with medical knowledge on this board whether there is any truth to this, or whether anybody has encountered any problems. I recently started learning the olympic lifts with an experienced coach, and I love it. I have been involved in powerlifting for 5 years, but it's very exciting to learn something new. I'm pretty old for a OL beginner (29), but because I have a background in powerlifting, I seem to have a little head start according to my trainer Smiling

So basically, I'm just trying to inform myself as well as I can, both about the benefits and the risks of olympic lifting.

I started doing some research because one of the trainers at the foo foo fitness gym I go to on the weekend (my olympic weightlifting club is pretty far away, I only go there twice a week) saw me practice overhead squats, and because my wrists were bent back he said I'd run into a ton of problems later in life. On the other hand, I know I have to take his advice with a grain of salt because the word "injury" is one of his most frequently used vocabulary words when explaining a new machine to somebody joining the foo foo fitness club.

Anyways, sorry this is so long!

Maryhttp://www.i-a-r-t.com/articles/mannieexplosion.html

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Sat, 08/19/2006 - 4:33pm — Todd Wilson
Todd Wilson's picture

Re: Does olympic weightlifting cause spondylolysis?

Mary Douglass wrote:
"...the Olympic lifts, power cleans and their analogs -- cause repetitive forced hypertension of the lumbar spine.

So does getting off the toilet.

First, no. Olympic lifts, nor there variations cause any type of back/spinal problems. Because of strength gained from them they can prevent quite a few however. The website you got that from IART, is a HIT site. They are "anti-explosive movements." They claim how dangerous olympic lifts can be, but fail to understand, that forces encountered in sports, are far more demanding on the body than any olympic lift variation. Hence prepare for them. Also, as a whole, weightlifters have comparatively fewer injuries to the back, knees, and shoulders than do athletes from various other sports.

Sat, 08/19/2006 - 5:15pm — Phil

Dangerous lifts

Olympic lifts, the powerlifts, bodybuilding, strongman, and all sports are potentially dangerous...Especially when done at a high level where someone is pushing themselves to the limit, or done improperly.

My advice is to find someone to coach you how to properly do the Olympic lifts. I do Brazilian jiujitsu, and in my experience, most people hurt themselves by either: not tapping out because of ego, messing around, or just having accidents. The fact is that if you are going to try and get really good at any sport, you are going to get hurt eventually. The point is to minimize the risks by training smart, listening to your body and your coach.....my two cents.

Sat, 08/19/2006 - 6:17pm — Dan Croutier

Does olympic weightlifting cause spondylolysis?

Exactly, Phil. When I roll, all you hear is tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap...

You can't learn anything if all you're doing is prolonging a session with your ego. I'd rather cut my losses, absorb what I've learned, and move on to another move. Learned my lesson on that years ago.

I'd rather be on the mat learning and doing than standing on the side wearing a sling.

Sun, 08/20/2006 - 11:58am — Mary Douglass

Does olympic weightlifting cause spondylolysis?

Thanks Todd for your input, it's good that you told me that the site where I found the article is trying to promote a certain type of training, so it makes sense that they slam olympic lifting like that. All I know is that the president of the olympic weightlifting club I go to has been competing for 50 years, he is over 70 already! That's what I call I good track record, albeit most people are probably not that blessed in terms of the longevity of their weightlifting careers.

To Phil: Don't worry, I am not training OL alone, I have a very good (certified) trainer who coaches me every time I train.

Mary

Tue, 08/22/2006 - 9:43am — Silencer

Does olympic weightlifting cause spondylolysis?

Don't you worry man
Olympic weightlifting is probably one of the safest sports if not the safest.
injuries are very rare.

Unlike basketball-football-baseball etc where almost any player is injured at least twice a season.

Tue, 08/22/2006 - 9:55am — Kim Baugher
Kim Baugher's picture

Does olympic weightlifting cause spondylolysis?

Silencer wrote:
Don't you worry man
Olympic weightlifting is probably one of the safest sports if not the safest.
injuries are very rare.

Unlike basketball-football-baseball etc where almost any player is injured at least twice a season.

I forget where I found it, but there's a list of sports and injury rates associated with them. Weightlifting was at the bottom (lowest incidence of injury), and soccer was at the top.

Tue, 08/22/2006 - 11:03am — Dr. Squat

Does olympic weightlifting cause spondylolysis?

Have a look at my article, STAND & Deliver...it's all in there...

• Weightlifters [Olympic style] have less than half the injury rate per 100 hours of training than do those engaged in other forms of weight training; 17 vs 35. (Hamill, B. Relative Safety of Weightlifting and Weight Training. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 8(1):53-57. 1994)
• Retired Olympic weight lifters had lower lifetime incidence and prevalence of low back pain than a control group of normal active men of similar age; 23% vs. 31%. (Granhed, H. et al. Low back pain among retired wrestlers and heavyweight lifters. The American Journal of Sports Medicine,16(5):530-533. 1988)
• Mike Stone, et. Al. provided an excellent review of the research literature on this topic. The inescapable conclusion was that weightlifting is indeed the safest method of weight training. (Stone, M. H., A. C. Fry, M. Ritchie, L. Stoessel-Ross, and J. L. Marsit. Injury potential and safety aspects of weightlifting movements. Strength and Conditioning. June: 15-21. 1994)

Fri, 09/08/2006 - 1:51pm — Guest

Does olympic weightlifting cause spondylolysis?

Hi, new member here.

RE: Dr Squats

On the last bullet point you mention "weightlifting" and "weight training". What do you mean by this and what is the difference?

Tue, 09/26/2006 - 10:32am — Tommy Spratlin

Does olympic weightlifting cause spondylolysis?

Robb_P wrote:
Hi, new member here.

RE: Dr Squats

On the last bullet point you mention "weightlifting" and "weight training". What do you mean by this and what is the difference?

Weightlifting refers to the Olympic lifts - clean & jerk and snatch (& associated training lifts), while weight training is a generic term for exercising with weights & covers a broad range of exercise programs.