Lower back/hip pain from squats

chubby_checkers

I have some sciatic pain in my lower back/right hip area. I've recently discovered that squats really trigger a pain flare up (I thought it was deadlifts that caused it). My form is pretty good; I've deloaded several times to work on it. My max is around 130lbs. Would front squats be more beneficial? I've read that they're better for back pain since they don't compress the spine. Should I stick to goblet squats? Using dumbbells or body weight doesn't bother me.


Side note: I don't have insurance to get any kind of doctor's opinion and the last time I tried to talk to a GP about it, they thought I was scamming for pain meds.

iron_jj

To be honest it's kinda hard to give you advice without seeing your form or anything. If you do have severe pain and your form is good imo you won't get around a doctors visit to be sure. Unless there is something wrong with proper form you shouldn't be having any hiip or back pain. Just my 2 cents here.

Front squats have no benefit imo, from what I read there are no significant differences in targetted muscle grps. Only diff imo is you can't go as heavy as with back squats, you need more core strength so your upper body manages to keep your chest up. They're a nice additio I''d say but don't swap them out.

ChasingKatie

I used to get bad low back pain while doing squats, or kettlebell swings. My trainer showed my a good stretch that has helped me a lot. I hope I can put it into words for you. I use the leg press machine and put just enough weight on to get some good resistance, 100lbs or so. With one leg out holding the press, bring you other ankle over and put it on your knee, so almost like you are crossing your legs. Let your other leg come back with the weight of the press, and you get an amazing stretch on the side with your leg up. Switch legs, and repeat. I usually do this 2-3 times each side, helps so much!
I hope that makes sense!