Lower Back Pain during Strength Training

AmbrrrB22
AmbrrrB22 Posts: 18 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Any suggestions for lower back pain during strength training?

EVERYTHING hurts my lower back. I try to go slow and focus on form, and it still hurts. Anything core related hurts, squats hurt, even standing ab exercises hurt. I know core exercises are supposed to help strengthen the lower back, but idk how I'm supposed to do that when everything hurts my lower back. I'm at a loss and very frustrated.

Replies

  • emmap40
    emmap40 Posts: 3 Member
    Do you experience the lower back pain during exercise or afterwards? I use Paingone before and after weight training and have found that to really help, it's a TENs pen but I find it works for me. They do products specifically for back pain as well.
  • x_stephisaur_x
    x_stephisaur_x Posts: 149 Member
    AmbrrrB22 wrote: »
    Any suggestions for lower back pain during strength training?

    EVERYTHING hurts my lower back. I try to go slow and focus on form, and it still hurts. Anything core related hurts, squats hurt, even standing ab exercises hurt. I know core exercises are supposed to help strengthen the lower back, but idk how I'm supposed to do that when everything hurts my lower back. I'm at a loss and very frustrated.

    If you're experiencing a significant amount of pain performing core work, it would be worth getting checked for Diastasis Recti. Separation of the ab muscles leads to a weak core & poor form, which could be what's causing your issues.

    Failing that, perhaps a visit to a chiropractor to see if you have any underlying back issues?
  • AmbrrrB22
    AmbrrrB22 Posts: 18 Member
    emmap40 wrote: »
    Do you experience the lower back pain during exercise or afterwards? I use Paingone before and after weight training and have found that to really help, it's a TENs pen but I find it works for me. They do products specifically for back pain as well.

    It's usually during and after
  • AmbrrrB22
    AmbrrrB22 Posts: 18 Member
    x_stephisaur_x wrote: »
    AmbrrrB22 wrote: »
    Any suggestions for lower back pain during strength training?

    EVERYTHING hurts my lower back. I try to go slow and focus on form, and it still hurts. Anything core related hurts, squats hurt, even standing ab exercises hurt. I know core exercises are supposed to help strengthen the lower back, but idk how I'm supposed to do that when everything hurts my lower back. I'm at a loss and very frustrated.

    If you're experiencing a significant amount of pain performing core work, it would be worth getting checked for Diastasis Recti. Separation of the ab muscles leads to a weak core & poor form, which could be what's causing your issues.

    Failing that, perhaps a visit to a chiropractor to see if you have any underlying back issues?

    Isn't diastasis recti common after having children? I have kids, but I've had lower back pain since I was young, so I doubt it would be children-related for me.

    I've thought about going to the chiropractor, but that's an added expense
  • x_stephisaur_x
    x_stephisaur_x Posts: 149 Member
    AmbrrrB22 wrote: »

    Isn't diastasis recti common after having children? I have kids, but I've had lower back pain since I was young, so I doubt it would be children-related for me.

    I've thought about going to the chiropractor, but that's an added expense

    Commonly, yes, but can also be caused by being overweight. Depends on whether you were overweight when you were young then, really.

    I know that seeing a specialist can be pricey, but it may be better as a preventative measure to ensure you don't do yourself a serious injury.
  • Speakeasy76
    Speakeasy76 Posts: 961 Member
    As someone who has dealt with chronic low back pain for years, I highly recommend going to see a physical therapist, preferably one in sports medicine/exercise rehab.

    You're probably right that you need to strengthen your core, but how you do it depends on what you're experiencing. If you're feeling the ab moves in your low back, the move may be too difficult for you/too heavy and you're recruiting the wrong muscles, or it's placing too much pressure on your back. Avoiding exercises that involve spinal flexion may be better for you for now, but a good PT should be able to tell you what to do. Glute strength is also really important to prevent and rehab low back problems as well. However, proper core engagement/recruitment needs to happen with all strength training exercises, especially those big lower body compound moves (like squats).

    The other thing I'd mention is to really pay attention to you posture, especially when sitting. My hunch is that you may have some posterior pelvic tilt/decreased core engagement when sitting, which places more pressure on your low back plus uses the "incorrect" muscles for sitting. This is part of my problem as well. All the exercises in the world won't make a difference if my posture is not good.

    I'd cautioun against using pain management like ibuprofen before workouts just so you can get through them. That will only mask the problem and could end up making it worse.
  • Retroguy2000
    Retroguy2000 Posts: 1,835 Member
    edited October 2021
    OP, that sounds serious enough that you should get it checked out by a specialist. You may need physical therapy or more, and you certainly don't want to risk making it worse.

    If you don't feel it's that serious, consider core work like the yoga bird dog, or extensions by lying face down on the floor, keeping pelvis on the floor, and using your arms at chest height to push up and hold that for a while.

    Definitely avoid exercises like back squats for now. You can substitute with reverse lunges, or walk the box, while holding dumbbells if you can. Walk the box is getting into a squat position then walking around like that, and you can hold weight in front of your chest if needed. These won't stress your lower back the way rear squats will. Goblet squats are another option. For your back exercises, you could try seal rows and pullups for now, rather than say bent over rows or deadlifts.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,156 Member
    Another vote for getting a medical diagnosis, if you haven't already.

    It's fine to decide to work with pain IF one knows that one isn't burning any bridges, causing serious injury, or the like. Back pain can have truly serious causes, though that's not always the case of course (maybe not even usually). Some of the sources of back pain, if pushed further, can have truly life-changing consequences.

    After you have a diagnosis, and clearance to do it, physical therapy would be a good next step.

    Yes, this all costs money. So does long-term disability. I'm not trying to be super-scary here, because it's most likely not heading that way . . . but it's really important to know what you're dealing with, when it comes to back pain.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    edited October 2021
    I didn't take my knee pain seriously and it is still an issue, 11 years later, so learn from my mistake and do get checked out :)

    That said, I had lower back pain for decades that was aggravated by a desk job and is no longer an issue due to:

    1. A Herman Miller chair
    2. Regular breaks
    3. Regular exercise
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
    I would first look at your programming and load management. From my experience it more than likely has to do with either to high of intensity for your rep scheme, too much volume for your current adaptations, or your load management on the recovery side is off.
  • SnifterPug
    SnifterPug Posts: 746 Member
    I would see a physiotherapist rather than a chiropractor or osteopath. Not sure where you are, but here in the UK you are more likely to get suitable exercise suggestions from a physio, whereas the others (at any rate any that I have ever seen) do their work on you at the appointment and that's that.

    Having ruled out anything worrisome, my next port of call (funds permitting) would be a decent personal trainer for some proper assessment of how you move and what (if anything) you are doing wrong.

    If funds are an issue then you will need to consider how painful your back actually is. If it is a low-grade complaint from the back it may be fine (indeed beneficial in the long run) to work through it, but I wouldn't risk that without having seen a physio first. It may be that you have weaknesses or imbalances in places other than your back that are translating to back pain.
  • cupcakesandproteinshakes
    cupcakesandproteinshakes Posts: 1,124 Member
    https://www.barbellmedicine.com/blog/pain-in-training-what-do/

    Useful article.
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
    cupcakesandproteinshakes wrote: »
    https://www.barbellmedicine.com/blog/pain-in-training-what-do/

    Useful article.

    Agreed a decent start here.
  • AmbrrrB22
    AmbrrrB22 Posts: 18 Member
    Thank you all for your suggestions! I'm seeing my doctor tomorrow and will address it then 👍

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