Lower back pain -- tips?

Zeuggma
Zeuggma Posts: 157 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi all,

I started SL 5x5 in December, but sometime in February, I ended up hurting my back.

Now my lower back hurts regularly during squats, deadlifts, good mornings, and I can't add much, if any weight to these exercises. I've been trying to focus on form, but i'm eager to get back to lifting at least what i was before i started SL.

Does anyone have any advice on how to help my lower back heal completely? Is it wise to continue weight lifting, or should I move on to a combination of bodyweight exercises, kickboxing, and yoga for the time being and return to weightlifting in the future?

Replies

  • gearhead426hemi
    gearhead426hemi Posts: 919 Member
    It really depends on the type of damage you did to your back. I hurt my back being stupid and competing in a squat competition in my local gym. I felt a pop on the way down and got a stabbing pain but I ignored it and racked the weight. When I stepped away from the bar I collapsed and it took almost 15 minutes before I could stand up. When I woke up the next day I couldn't get out of bed. It took a couple days before I could stand up straight again. I just figured I strained it and just went back to lifting just lighter weights. I ignored the pain for a couple years until it finally got so bad I couldn't ignore it anymore. Went to the doctor and had an MRI. They found two compound fractures and Episacral lipoma. Since I waited so long to get looked at he couldn't say if they were directly correlated or not but none the less I have started physical therapy to help with mobility. I don't lift anything more than my body weight and I avoid any movements that require me to lift bent over. I would suggest meeting with a doctor or physical therapist. I wish I would've gone earlier.
  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
    I third the advice of going to the doctor. I have had chronic back pain in the past which was likely caused by a mix of not having physical after a surgery when I was a teenager and not having enough abdominal strength (it wasn't so much that I was weak so much as my back was already a mess from that surgery). The only things that really helped were [classical] pilates and swimming.
    Earlier this month I strained a muscle (or group of muscles) in my lower back and, from what everyone can tell, it was just a normal "you hurt your back doing something unremarkable." What made that better was time, a lot of NSAIDs (as suggested by my one of my doctors), flexeril (as prescribed by the same doctor), and some PT exercises that my PT gave me that help both with my shoulder injury and my back. That said, I went to the doctor and spoke to my PT about it at one of our already scheduled appointments.

    That said, my back pain is not your back pain. My real advice is - see a doctor.
  • 1BlueAurora
    1BlueAurora Posts: 439 Member
    See a doctor. Ask if you need a referral to a physical therapist. I would definitely NOT workout at anything until I'd been evaluated by a doctor. (Take it from a person who had a bulging disc 20 years ago, and recently had a fall down some stairs and really hurt my back). I needed physical therapy for the bulging disc, and rest. I had rest and medication for muscle spasms for this recent injury, no physical therapy, and slow resumption of activities. Good luck.
  • Leannep2201
    Leannep2201 Posts: 441 Member
    Another vote for the Dr!
    My back pain ended up being a slipped disc which eventually needed surgery.... twice. Don’t take any chances with your back! Mine worsened before I got it sorted due to my sciatic nerve being pinched, and this started affecting my leg. I would lose sensation and power in one leg towards the end, and could be walking along and just fall. I fell once on the concrete while carrying a glass, which smashed as I went down. I was lucky I didn’t cut myself badly as well.
    Get it checked!
  • Zeuggma
    Zeuggma Posts: 157 Member
    Thanks everyone! I've looked into physical therapists in the area :)
  • Reed039
    Reed039 Posts: 62 Member
    If your doctor determines that it's simply a strained lower back, I'd record yourself squatting and deadlifting (or whatever caused the injury) and submit it for a form check (here, /r/fitness, /r/formcheck, etc.).

    As for accelerating the healing of a lower back strain, I'd use a heating pad while sleeping, refrain from anti-inflammatories unless the pain in debilitating, and try to move your lower back through a full range of motion as much as possible. Personally, I've found that moderate to high volume back squatting with an very light load (~33% of max) to help loosen up the area, encourage bloodflow, and makes strains feel worlds better.
  • Psychgrrl
    Psychgrrl Posts: 3,177 Member
    Reed039 wrote: »
    If your doctor determines that it's simply a strained lower back, I'd record yourself squatting and deadlifting (or whatever caused the injury) and submit it for a form check (here, /r/fitness, /r/formcheck, etc.).

    As for accelerating the healing of a lower back strain, I'd use a heating pad while sleeping, refrain from anti-inflammatories unless the pain in debilitating, and try to move your lower back through a full range of motion as much as possible. Personally, I've found that moderate to high volume back squatting with an very light load (~33% of max) to help loosen up the area, encourage bloodflow, and makes strains feel worlds better.

    Please see a doctor before treating. Heat and/or continued exercise can make some injuries worse.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    See a doctor. And don't do weighted good mornings!

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