“Used to Be Able to Bend”: Crippled Ronnie Coleman Who Worked Out With Herniated Disc for 10 Years, Once Opened Up on How It Destroyed His Mobility

Ronnie Coleman is one of the greatest bodybuilders modern-day bodybuilding has ever seen. The legendary bodybuilder became one of the best bodybuilders in the world despite starting very late in his life. Overcoming multiple shortcomings, which could have slowed his progress, Ronnie won eight Mr. Olympia titles, thus, making him the second man to achieve this incredible feat after Lee Haney.

Ronnie’s journey as a bodybuilder was not that easy. He stumbled upon multiple injuries throughout his career, which had a long-lasting effect on his body despite retiring from the sport. The champion bodybuilder revealed in many of his interviews he struggled with hip and shoulder injuries, which required long procedural surgeries.

Ronnie Coleman opens up losing his mobility

The legendary bodybuilder, Ronnie Coleman, appeared on Joe Rogan’s podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, in 2020. The podcast revolved around Ronnie’s life, his bodybuilding career, and his journey to the top. Ronnie discussed how he tackled different injuries during his career. Many people believed that his training routine caused his injuries whereas, according to him, it was the stress that he put on his body that led to those injuries.

Ronnie revealed the experience of having a herniated disc for the first time. “There was a loud crunching sound. I lost a little strength. I heard it, but the athlete in you is like, Let’s go on,” Coleman said, revealing how he continued to workout despite being in pain. Coleman revealed that the herniated disc took a toll on his mobility. “Let’s go on. I used to be able to bend over and do all these crazy stretches. I can’t do that no more,” he said, describing the change in his body after the injury.

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Coleman revealed that he worked out despite having the pain for over ten years. According to the 8-time Mr. Olympia, his love for bodybuilding helped him continue despite all the odds.

Coleman went under the knife several times

Ronnie underwent multiple surgeries throughout his career to heal from injuries. Even though, the surgeries improved his condition a bit, they had a long-lasting impact on his body. After retiring from the sport, the champion bodybuilder, underwent many surgeries, which were required to help fix different issues from the previous injuries. So much so that he had 13 surgeries in total. In 2018, Ronnie had to have his back operated on. The complex procedure involved pulling his intestines out and inserting screws in his back, as revealed by his surgeon.

The following year, in 2019, he went under the knife once again to fix four broken screws in his back. He shared the progress of his recovery with his fans on Instagram. Moreover, he had to be operated again, thrice in 2020. He revealed that he spent almost $2 million on those surgeries. However, they did not give him the desired result. His motion was restricted to a wheelchair. The legendary bodybuilder was skeptical about whether he would be able to walk on his feet again or not.

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