lower back pain from dead lifts

goldenbeaut
goldenbeaut Posts: 47 Member
in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
i've noticed some lower back pain lately with my lifts this week and i'm sure my deadlifting form is a bit off. my question is if anyone has any suggestions for the pain? i know i have to fix my form before adding weight to my deadlift. i've also been doing yoga this week but cant seem to hit the spot where it hurts. any other suggestions? do i have to lay off the lifts until it goes away :'(

Replies

  • kimmeastar
    kimmeastar Posts: 11 Member
    You might not be doing the exercise correctly.Have someone who is familiar with the exercise observe you (AFTER you have recovered) perform the exercise and critique you. I would also suggest for you to work on the front also (abs) to help with support. Also try to use less weight until you are executing good form. Just my opinion, hope you get better.
  • anubis609
    anubis609 Posts: 3,966 Member
    Rehab your lower back by practicing proper form at a significantly lower weight. Also, focus on strengthening your back overall by doing other back exercises with proper programming.
  • jdog022
    jdog022 Posts: 693 Member
    I hurt my back while deadlifting. Tweak during and extreme pain next day. Took a week off period and took a full 5 weeks off from deadlifting and squats because it hurt at depth too. No issue from there tho. Full recovery
  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
    Take some aleve, maybe foam roller (not directly on your spine but on the muscles). I sometimes get relief when I’ve tweaked my back by hanging from a pull-up bar. And yes, lighten your lifts and have someone check your form, you should not be tempted to pull with your back.
  • Lolalikeslolagets
    Lolalikeslolagets Posts: 142 Member
    I hurt my back last year doing deadlifts- stupid really, pushing for a pr when I was tired. Anyways, rest it, seriously.. and then work on glute strength, keep your core tight, watch your form, warm up properly.. that’s my two cents.
  • ercarta
    ercarta Posts: 74 Member
    goldenbeaut wrote: »
    i've noticed some lower back pain lately with my lifts this week and i'm sure my deadlifting form is a bit off. my question is if anyone has any suggestions for the pain? i know i have to fix my form before adding weight to my deadlift. i've also been doing yoga this week but cant seem to hit the spot where it hurts. any other suggestions? do i have to lay off the lifts until it goes away :'(

    Try taking naproxen (Aleve) with food before heading into the gym. I’d reduce the weight your deadlifting by at least 30% until you’ve recovered if you don’t plan to stop working out. Consider doing lower back stretches before and during the workout also.

    While you’re recovering I’d add hypertensions and leg raises to your routine to strengthen your core before going back to your normal weight. As noted above, this’ll help with support going forward.

    Regarding technique, you want to spread your shoulders and lock in your lower back. Your chest & butt should be sticking out when in the starting position. Your shoulders should be aligned with your hips the whole time. I also find wrist straps help steady the bar during deadlifts so it’s easier to keep good form.

    What I’d really rather recommend is that you take a couple of weeks off before getting back to it. You may even come back stronger. I’ll let you judge if that’s necessary though.

    All the best with your recovery either way.

    Eric
  • staticsplit
    staticsplit Posts: 538 Member
    I did deadlifts yesterday and also have a bit of a twinge, but my lower back is sensitive to lots of exercises. For me, it's that my hamstrings keep tightening, which in turn inflames my QL muscle. The Athlean guy who's video is above also has some good ones with stretches and exercises to help this. Here's one:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXh1oLXb6zk&t=303s
  • OooohToast
    OooohToast Posts: 257 Member
    I do love a deadlift but its also the exercise I pay most attention to in terms of form - things can go pear shaped easily. If in pain, I would stop lifting, perhaps consider seeing a sport therapist / osteo / chiro etc to check it out and get some qualified advice. Whether you do or dont see someone, I would wait for it to resolve before lifting again after getting my form checked. As a comparable, I hurt my sacroiliac joint a few years ago (not lifting weights) and thats a deep injury to resolve - even now, I can feel the weakness when I do fairly benign things like gardening. So not only can it take a while to heal, it can also actually get a whole world worse. Good luck !
  • levibuttigieg
    levibuttigieg Posts: 24 Member
    goldenbeaut wrote: »
    i've noticed some lower back pain lately with my lifts this week and i'm sure my deadlifting form is a bit off. my question is if anyone has any suggestions for the pain? i know i have to fix my form before adding weight to my deadlift. i've also been doing yoga this week but cant seem to hit the spot where it hurts. any other suggestions? do i have to lay off the lifts until it goes away :'(

    Wow so happy I found this. I'm not gonna give advice on whether you should or should not keep deadlifting. All I can say is my own personal experience with the exercise. I have worked on my form over the years, experimented with lowering my weight to work on technique, lifted heavy with good form. However, for me I just cannot recover in a reasonable time. 2 weeks later I can still have an aching back, to the point where driving, sitting for any length of time, squatting etc are all just out of the question. Maybe my back is f*#ked lol but I've just accepted that I do not get on with the exercise. And so heavy rows and chin ups are the way forward for me
  • goldenbeaut
    goldenbeaut Posts: 47 Member
    Thank you everyone for all of the great advice and insight!!!!!! the videos are definitely going to help with adjusting my form, which will be my focus until my back feels better.. no more adding weight until!! the ultimate lifters nightmare!
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
    whmscll wrote: »
    Buff_Man wrote: »
    Keep deadlifting at a manageable weight and work on your form. Main thing is to keep your abs tight throughout and squeeze your lats too to distribute the load throughout your back, drive with your feet so your hammies are loaded too. Also stretches may help. To be honest the best thing is to just keep working out! As long as it doesn't get worse keep going

    Keeping going is a recipe for disaster, IMO. Actual pain is a warning and “working through” pain is just asking dor more trouble.

    If the pain is not directly from trama then this is incorrect.

    The human body is way more complicated than that. There are people who lost limbs that's experience phantom pain or even many thousands of people like myself that experience chronic pain 24/7 and actually experience less pain because of training.

    Like @Buff_Man stated. The problem usually lies in the improper loading management. Using appropriate weight with correct bracing will help strengthen the body. While training deadlifts and squat, one can experience soreness or tweak sensation. Literature suggests these type of things almost always remedy themselves in 2 to 3 weeks.

    The idea is work with a weight, stance, range of motion that doesn't make the "pain" worse. Something tolerable that the pain dissipates as training continues.

    Also stating that she would be "asking for more trouble" and "keep going is a recipe for disater" is very harmful and can cause a nocebo effect. Not cool.





  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    The only thing I would add, as an aside, is that lower back DOMS feels different (to me, at least) than other DOMS. Just in case that is a possibility.
  • goldenbeaut
    goldenbeaut Posts: 47 Member
    @quiksylver296 thats a great point!! thanks for bringing that up..however when its aching too much to bend forwards, i dont think its DOMS.
    also,if anyone wants an update, ive pin pointed it to my form-- i noticed i am rocking forwards just a tad and balancing too much on my toes while coming up with the bar. if i sit back just a tad and put more pressure on my heels to bring me up, i dont get the pain.
  • arsoria24
    arsoria24 Posts: 110 Member
    Everyone keeps telling you to strengthen your back, focus on strengthening your core. That will help you out the most in regards to back pain and will make you over stronger. Good luck, hope you get better!!!
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
    edited April 2019
    Chieflrg wrote: »
    The idea is work with a weight, stance, range of motion that doesn't make the "pain" worse. Something tolerable that the pain dissipates as training continues.
    goldenbeaut wrote: »
    i noticed i am rocking forwards just a tad and balancing too much on my toes while coming up with the bar. if i sit back just a tad and put more pressure on my heels to bring me up, i dont get the pain.

    Keep in mind it's not necessarily a form flaw, but it is exactly what I offered in advice. This allows you to continue to train that is way more helpful than not in almost all cases.

    Form issues are buried in murky water. There is no clear cut "perfect form" for lifters across the board because we are different sized animals.

    There certainly are individual tweaks that can make us more efficient which can be helpful during macrocycles, mesocycles, and microcycles.

    It use to be the norm not long ago to think one needs a perfectly flat back to deaflift but there is plenty of current evidence of people who don't pull flat backed and don't have problems as long as there bracing is correct and tight.

    *edited to add
    One of the most important things if not "THE MOST IMPORTANT" thing in lifting is to practice proper load management.

    This is where most cookie cutter programs faulter or people who "wing it".

    Good training!


  • MichelleMcKeeRN
    MichelleMcKeeRN Posts: 450 Member
    1) Make sure you are doing the deadlifts correctly
    2) Go lighter
    3) Try rack pulls and planks

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