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Strained lower back from squats and deads

S

smash

Senior Member
Apr 30, 2013
153
24
What's going on with my back is it has nearly seven decades of wear & tear on it, and I still pull relatively heavy and do other dumb shit like twenty-rep squat routines when I want to coax what little muscle mass I can at my age. Sometimes, I can stretch out the kinks (besides the standard piriformis/psoas/hammie/glute stretches and tpt, goblet squats with long pauses help a LOT); sometimes, I need a chiropractic adjustment.

I wish I had some magic words, well maybe I do, I would suggest not resigning yourself to the status quo. People have rarely exhausted their options, that's not to say you should try any quackery, just from a psychological point it has been shown that your mind is critical to pain but not in the way we think.

Regardless of age, pain is clearly produced from tissue irritation, particularly mechanical overload. If the overload is sufficient to damage tissue and produce biomechanical change in the joint, then the loading patterns of other tissues are disturbed. So back injury can begin with damage to one tissue leading to a progressive deterioration over time. There has been some relevant research but I found this very telling from Stuart McGill "Training spine motion under load requires caution. No specific guidelines exist for determining training loads - nor can such guidelines exist for each individual. The point is these notions are acknowledged and considered on an individual basis."
 
UncleAl

UncleAl

MuscleHead
Jun 20, 2012
1,376
600
I wish I had some magic words, well maybe I do, I would suggest not resigning yourself to the status quo. People have rarely exhausted their options, that's not to say you should try any quackery, just from a psychological point it has been shown that your mind is critical to pain but not in the way we think.

Regardless of age, pain is clearly produced from tissue irritation, particularly mechanical overload. If the overload is sufficient to damage tissue and produce biomechanical change in the joint, then the loading patterns of other tissues are disturbed. So back injury can begin with damage to one tissue leading to a progressive deterioration over time. There has been some relevant research but I found this very telling from Stuart McGill "Training spine motion under load requires caution. No specific guidelines exist for determining training loads - nor can such guidelines exist for each individual. The point is these notions are acknowledged and considered on an individual basis."
Thank you so much for caring enough to post such an insightful reply. I am resigned to nothing other than the inevitability of entrophy. I fill all of the prehab, mobility, correctives (muscle balance, etc) squares in my fight to remain one of the strongest seniors (pound for pound) on the planet. Unfortunately, there is no little stupidity in pursuing that goal instead of longevity.

I have a good deal of respect for McGill, but I am certain he would tell me I am taking huge risks...and he would be right. However, I choose to walk the tightrope in hopes of finding the right combo of volume, intensity, and recovery to keep me in the game a while longer.

Apologies to all for hijacking this thread. I'll get off my soap box now.
 
ketsugo

ketsugo

MuscleHead
Sep 10, 2011
2,652
486
Really hurt my lower back last Friday night doing heavy squats and speed pulls. Didn't feel anything abnormal until I came home and started cooking 30 minutes later... that's when I knew I did something to it.
The next day I was in pain and mobility was shot - enjoyed some brews during the fight and felt much better. Lots of Ibuprofen throughout the day as well. Sunday sucked and today is worse.

What can I do to fix this asap??? All the WebMD bullshit says stretches and blah blah blah.
I want real life experiences from those of us who go hard in the gym.

Back pain goes into my love handles, stops before it heads around to my stomach. Nothing wrong with hams and glutes and it's definitely not spinal (shout out to Mike Tyson!). Burns a ton and gives me acute pain when bending and twisting.

HELP.

For years I went to specialists and us being weight lifters stretching never did the trick- I had the best Back Specialists in the Country had me actually doing stiff legged deads , 90 degree hypers and nautilus lower back and hip as my recovery and rehab. for 20 year now still do and I wear no belt and lift heavier then I did 30 years ago. two days week:
Stiff legged Deads 3 x 15
hypers 3 x25 hold top for 3 secs
nautilus lower back 3 x 12-15 with stack of at least 350
also rotory torso machine 2 x 25 ( waist machine) or wood cutters with cable - later I shattered my spine and went back still had the same routine and NO STRETCHING in fact when i first went to other PT places they did nothing and my doc was pissed . We need power not flexibility. He used to say your erectors need to be big and poweful like your arms. Since then Ive sent many of my students and teachers and all have never had further back issues. One of my teachers is more flexible then any ballerina , but also 265 pounds so flexibility was never an issue. Weak erectors
 
Big_paul

Big_paul

MuscleHead
May 14, 2014
667
99
Strengthen your core. I had back trouble for years, until i stopped using a belt. I don't lift crazy heavy anymore, but it has made a huge difference. Don't try lifting heavy without one. You have to drop the weight you are using and bring your core up slowly. I have been free of back pain for the last several years, after 20 years of misery.
 
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