Hurt Lower Back during squatting

[Connoisseur]

So i hurt my lower back when doing squats about 2 or 3 weeks ago. Initially the pain was really bad when bending my back or straightening up. I laid off workouts for a couple of weeks to let it heal. After a couple of weeks the pain was only mild and my back was stiff. Tonight I decided to try squats again with lower weights but it still hurts. I've read that usually it only takes 1-2 weeks for the back to heal but the pain is still there (worse now because of the squats). Short of seeing a doc (which I may do anyway) any suggestions on what's wrong and how to fix it?

 

[Jahee]

See my thread here.. Link.

Sounds like the same injury, you may want to try the methods there in my post, i've done them with limited success.. Its just one of those things that aseem to take ages to heal and is easy to re-injure doing unrelated things like sneezing as i've found..
I've had the injury nearly 4 months now and its still far from healed so depending on the severity don't expect it to heal in a hurry.

 

[purbeast0]

you could have disc issues ... i messed up 2 discs in my lumbar section doing squats and didn't know what it was till over a year later when i actually got it checked out.

if it's bugging you, go get it checked out, it's worth it.

 

[brikis98]

First, a disclaimer: you should probably see a doctor. It's most likely a muscle strain/tear, but it's also possible you did serious damage, such as injuring a disc, and you should check it out before you make it worse.

Originally posted by: Connoisseur
So i hurt my lower back when doing squats about 2 or 3 weeks ago.

It's obvious, but worth repeating: spend some time learning proper squat form. It's certainly possible to injure yourself even when doing things properly, but far less likely. Starting Strength has some 60 pages of text, photographs and diagrams dedicated to explaining the squat and is one of the best resources I know for learning the motion.

Originally posted by: Connoisseur
Tonight I decided to try squats again with lower weights but it still hurts.

It's good that you went with lower weights, but if your back is still stiff and hurting, it's not ready for proper squatting. Rest is really the best remedy. If you do any exercise at all, do something that requires almost no weight (such as back extensions) and do it for a LOT of reps. The only goal is to flush blood through the muscles in the back to accelerate healing.

Originally posted by: Connoisseur
I've read that usually it only takes 1-2 weeks for the back to heal but the pain is still there (worse now because of the squats).

Actually, the back is notorious for being very slow to heal. 1-2 weeks is the absolute minimum I'd give it, with closer to a month being more likely to get back to 100%.

Originally posted by: Connoisseur
Short of seeing a doc (which I may do anyway) any suggestions on what's wrong and how to fix it?

Rest, advil and rehab exercises. I've been dealing with lower back issues myself as I describe in my lower back pain thread. My issue is tied largely to serious lack of flexibility, mobility and glute/hip/hamstring activation (a result of a sedentary job), but even if yours isn't, the thread contains a number of links to good exercises & stretches. These include dynamic stretches to use before a workout, static/PNF stretches to use after a workout as well as some squat technique videos.

 

[Connoisseur]

Thanks for the advice guys. I think i will probably schedule an appt with the doc. I try to avoid them like the plague as the quality of the doctors can vary severely in NYC. I certainly hope it's something that will heal.

Jahee: I don't think it was a matter of form so much as an issue of putting on more weight than I should have taken (which in turn probably messed up my form). I have skinny legs and i'm working really hard to get them up to snuff with the rest of my body so I occasionally have a tendency to go overboard with the weights. I think i'll stick with slightly less back straining exercises (lunges, seated leg press, leg extensions etc.) until I don't feel the pain.

Brikis98: Thanks for all the specific items of advice. I was looking at "Starting Strength" for a while but thought I didn't need it as I did some extensive research online on correct form before doing my weights. Might give it a go anyway. ANd i'll definitely look into doing back extensions. I think part of the issue is that my core could probably be stronger (especially my back). Like most people, I think I mostly focus on the extremities (chest, arms, upper back, legs,some abs etc.) and probably neglected my back for a while. i'll have to work on slowly strengthening it.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

I'm sorry to hear about your injury. I don't have any advice on what to do now, but I do have advice on what to do in the future. Perfect your form. Most likely you injured your back due to imperfect form. Before you get back in the game, you should do body weight squats or bar squats and make your form beautiful. Also, be very gentle when bringing the weight back up. If it is an undiagnosed disc injury, you could really screw things up by tossing too much weight on there.

 

[Jahee]

Originally posted by: Connoisseur
Thanks for the advice guys. I think i will probably schedule an appt with the doc. I try to avoid them like the plague as the quality of the doctors can vary severely in NYC. I certainly hope it's something that will heal.

Jahee: I don't think it was a matter of form so much as an issue of putting on more weight than I should have taken (which in turn probably messed up my form). I have skinny legs and i'm working really hard to get them up to snuff with the rest of my body so I occasionally have a tendency to go overboard with the weights. I think i'll stick with slightly less back straining exercises (lunges, seated leg press, leg extensions etc.) until I don't feel the pain.

Brikis98: Thanks for all the specific items of advice. I was looking at "Starting Strength" for a while but thought I didn't need it as I did some extensive research online on correct form before doing my weights. Might give it a go anyway. ANd i'll definitely look into doing back extensions. I think part of the issue is that my core could probably be stronger (especially my back). Like most people, I think I mostly focus on the extremities (chest, arms, upper back, legs,some abs etc.) and probably neglected my back for a while. i'll have to work on slowly strengthening it.

Which is exactly how i did mine, moved up in weight just before i went on holiday for 2 weeks, came back at the same weight and there it went..

Not sure how the doctors are in America, but over here the doctor was no help at all.. Advised me to take 3 ibuprofen everyday for a month, which i wasn't about to do..
You'll probably be better seeing a physio but thats just my opinion.

 

[Connoisseur]

Originally posted by: Jahee

Originally posted by: Connoisseur
Thanks for the advice guys. I think i will probably schedule an appt with the doc. I try to avoid them like the plague as the quality of the doctors can vary severely in NYC. I certainly hope it's something that will heal.

Jahee: I don't think it was a matter of form so much as an issue of putting on more weight than I should have taken (which in turn probably messed up my form). I have skinny legs and i'm working really hard to get them up to snuff with the rest of my body so I occasionally have a tendency to go overboard with the weights. I think i'll stick with slightly less back straining exercises (lunges, seated leg press, leg extensions etc.) until I don't feel the pain.

Brikis98: Thanks for all the specific items of advice. I was looking at "Starting Strength" for a while but thought I didn't need it as I did some extensive research online on correct form before doing my weights. Might give it a go anyway. ANd i'll definitely look into doing back extensions. I think part of the issue is that my core could probably be stronger (especially my back). Like most people, I think I mostly focus on the extremities (chest, arms, upper back, legs,some abs etc.) and probably neglected my back for a while. i'll have to work on slowly strengthening it.

Which is exactly how i did mine, moved up in weight just before i went on holiday for 2 weeks, came back at the same weight and there it went..

Not sure how the doctors are in America, but over here the doctor was no help at all.. Advised me to take 3 ibuprofen everyday for a month, which i wasn't about to do..
You'll probably be better seeing a physio but thats just my opinion.

Yeah Advil helps the pain a bit but I want it to heal completely. On a related note, my legs are weak I'm 6'0" 200lbs and I can only "safely" squat around 200-220lbs (That is one set without seriously risking my legs giving out). Damn genetics. I gotta work on it.

 

[Howard]

Hmmm... how much can you military press?

 

[gramboh]

Video tape your form and review it or post it here. If your lower back is sore it's almost a 100% certainty that you are rounding your lower back at some point in the motion, most likely at the bottom of the squat.

I'd recommend doing a lot of air squats with perfect form, really focus on tight abs and lumbar extension (keeping your lower back tight with no rounding, especially at the bottom). this might mean less depth than you are used to but it's critical.

I was "sure" I had good squat form but was experiencing some lower back pain. Went to a CrossFit coach and sure enough I was rounding my lower back in the bottom, even though I thoguht I was tight. After a bunch of air squats I learned what tight form really meant, it HURT to do air squats the right way.

 

[KoolDrew]

As gramboh said, it's most likely due to low back rounding at the bottom of the lift.

This should help:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...3D688F10C4DE1F&index=0

 

[Connoisseur]

Originally posted by: Howard
Hmmm... how much can you military press?

Haven't done a military press in a while. I'll give it a shot and report back. I can say with confidence that right now my weakest body part are my legs. They've always been very skinny relative to my overall build. I blame this heavily on genetics (i'm Indian. Many of them ,especially from the south,have chicken legs). My objective is to not only increase their strength, but also to increase their size significantly.

For further clarification, my objective with weight training is more for overall body fitness and strength (and hopefully good body tone). My goal isn't to maximize my lifting ability. I would like to ttransition to the crossfit method of training but I'm focusing on one exercise at a time before I transition to the much more complex compound exercises.

 

[Connoisseur]

Originally posted by: gramboh
Video tape your form and review it or post it here. If your lower back is sore it's almost a 100% certainty that you are rounding your lower back at some point in the motion, most likely at the bottom of the squat.

I'd recommend doing a lot of air squats with perfect form, really focus on tight abs and lumbar extension (keeping your lower back tight with no rounding, especially at the bottom). this might mean less depth than you are used to but it's critical.

I was "sure" I had good squat form but was experiencing some lower back pain. Went to a CrossFit coach and sure enough I was rounding my lower back in the bottom, even though I thoguht I was tight. After a bunch of air squats I learned what tight form really meant, it HURT to do air squats the right way.

Thanks for the suggestion. Unfortunately, I don't have a webcam or video cam at the moment so I can't tape my form. However, I am considering a coach/personal trainer in the future if I don't see myself making meaningful gains or if i find myself constantly sore in the wrong places.