Lower back squatting injury question

[nmsk80066]

long story short failed a squat and my lower back rounded bad i guess as i was trying to set it on a safety catch i made

kindof felt a crackly-pop (makes it sound worse than it is) and couldn't lift anything off the floor without pain or move in certain ways (tie shoes especially)

rested for 10 days and made great improvements and tryed to squat, went up to 175x2 and it was too painful so i stopped before i reinjured myself. about 7 days earlier i squatted 45 (yes 45) for 5 with about the same pain, maybe slightly less.

i've been to the docs i think 2 days after it happened and he just said rest/icyhot and he gave me muscle relaxers but i stopped taking them after two days or so (i think they are just if i can't bear it)

i don't feel pain when i move anymore and my last warmup of 155x1 yesterday was not really painful at all, just slightly uncomfortable kinda an achy feeling.

yeah so anyone have an idea what it could be? is it more serious than i think? squatting to depth is the main problem, i'm going to try again in 6 days on sunday with 175 hopefully no pain or very little. i'm going to try to DL in three, thursday.

very anxious to get back at it, i can't do half of what i love to and normally do..lift.

Just made this thread in the injury recovery and prevention section but had no replies so hopefully here.

all input is appreciated thanks!!
-nick.

[nmsk80066]

bump, anyone out there with some good advice/knowledge?

[Germinator2000]

u don't even specyfy WHERE is the pain. center? to one side? low? high? how much weight and how many reps when u got injured? did u warm up? u mention 155x1 warmup, why are u doing SINGLES for a warmup when u have an injury?

my advise: if u still have "achy feeling" when u squat, do NOT add weight. either stop squatting or keep weight the same until u have NO ache. or drop weight and do more reps. u'r just inviting more injury, possibly more serious. what i'd do: leg press & leg curl, stay out of squat, deadlift, weighted lunges, standing military press and other stuff involving ur back until u'r 100 % injury free. and when u get back to it, make sure u learn proper form.

oh, and please don't bump ur thread after TWENTY minutes. jeez.

[Trevor.English]

u don't even specyfy WHERE is the pain. center? to one side? low? high? how much weight and how many reps when u got injured? did u warm up? u mention 155x1 warmup, why are u doing SINGLES for a warmup when u have an injury?

my advise: if u still have "achy feeling" when u squat, do NOT add weight. either stop squatting or keep weight the same until u have NO ache. or drop weight and do more reps. u'r just inviting more injury, possibly more serious. what i'd do: leg press & leg curl, stay out of squat, deadlift, weighted lunges, standing military press and other stuff involving ur back until u'r 100 % injury free. and when u get back to it, make sure u learn proper form.

oh, and please don't bump ur thread after TWENTY minutes. jeez.

Wow alot of hate in that post, a simple answer for the guy would of taken a lot less energey.

[nmsk80066]

thanks guys, the pain is all across the lower back but i's say mainly the right, it's hard to tell since i don't feel it day to day anymore.

i was doing 200x1 for sets, it was my third and my head wasn't in the game. i couldn't get it back up.

i did warm up thoroughly

on sunday when i tryed to squat again my last warmup was 155x1 yes but that was after other sets, some were singles but that's what i always do i thought i was fine, but appearantly not fully recovered.

i do use proper form for all lifts

i can standing MP without pain, it's mainly squatting that bothers it i feel.

thanks for your time

[crupiea]

I am a hell of alot older then you so i get all sorts of aches and pains all the time.

I had this same thing related to squats and deads.

It was actually my form that was causing the problem. I oddly was putting too much arch in my lower back which was causing a weak point. Every time I squatted I would try to get even more arch and would injure it again. It was especially recurring after I really hurt it the first time as i was tryting to overcompensate. I guess I just have more of a natural arch then i thought.

Obviously you want some arch but really you should try to focus on keeping a natural arch and keeping it very tight. Once I figured this out it is now fine.

[Germinator2000]

his form is probly fine since he got injured trying to dump the bar.

from now on, squat in a power rack and set of safety pins right so u can dump the bar easily without injury. practise dumping the bar with low weight.

dont do singles for a while, do more reps with less weight until ur fine

given that ur pain is all over, i would guess u just pulled or strained a muscle, if so should heal right back up if u give it enough rest

[Iceman85]

My money is on a slipped disc. The "cracky-pop" is exactly how I would describe one when I've had one. When you slip a disc, the fluid that is in the spine in that area is absorbed by surrounding muscles. This is where the pain/tightness comes from. IMO, you didn't injure a muscle in your lower back.

I'm very susceptible to these, bad back genetics, and have given up squatting all together. Not that you should. But what you described sounds eerily familiar. Let it completely heal before you begin squatting again. This is a structural injury, not a muscular injury that you can ease back into. It's not a serious injury, but any back injury shouldn't be messed around with. I am not a doctor, just speaking from a history of back injuries.

[nmsk80066]

I am a hell of alot older then you so i get all sorts of aches and pains all the time.

I had this same thing related to squats and deads.

It was actually my form that was causing the problem. I oddly was putting too much arch in my lower back which was causing a weak point. Every time I squatted I would try to get even more arch and would injure it again. It was especially recurring after I really hurt it the first time as i was tryting to overcompensate. I guess I just have more of a natural arch then i thought.

Obviously you want some arch but really you should try to focus on keeping a natural arch and keeping it very tight. Once I figured this out it is now fine.

good advice, thank you!

his form is probly fine since he got injured trying to dump the bar.

from now on, squat in a power rack and set of safety pins right so u can dump the bar easily without injury. practise dumping the bar with low weight.

dont do singles for a while, do more reps with less weight until ur fine

given that ur pain is all over, i would guess u just pulled or strained a muscle, if so should heal right back up if u give it enough rest

yes, i'm using safety stands now. and hopefully it is just a muscle strain, i don't want to be out of a lot of lifting for a while

My money is on a slipped disc. The "cracky-pop" is exactly how I would describe one when I've had one. When you slip a disc, the fluid that is in the spine in that area is absorbed by surrounding muscles. This is where the pain/tightness comes from. IMO, you didn't injure a muscle in your lower back.

I'm very susceptible to these, bad back genetics, and have given up squatting all together. Not that you should. But what you described sounds eerily familiar. Let it completely heal before you begin squatting again. This is a structural injury, not a muscular injury that you can ease back into. It's not a serious injury, but any back injury shouldn't be messed around with. I am not a doctor, just speaking from a history of back injuries.

would there be pain when i apply pressure to the area if it's a slipped disk? there's no pain when i touch it, and really it's not there (ever so faintly) when i do any sort of bodyweight movement.

how long would i be out of squatting if it were a slipped disk? the doc didn't say anything like this

[Iceman85]

would there be pain when i apply pressure to the area if it's a slipped disk? there's no pain when i touch it, and really it's not there (ever so faintly) when i do any sort of bodyweight movement.

how long would i be out of squatting if it were a slipped disk? the doc didn't say anything like this

I've generally only had pain when moving, not touching. It's usually a 2-2.5 week injury for me. The fact that you gave it 10 days to heal and saw substantial improvement sounds right to me. Usually, I see little to no improvement in the first 2-3 days, substantial improvement during days 4-7, and slow gradual improvement over the next week or so.

[Germinator2000]

would there be pain when i apply pressure to the area if it's a slipped disk? there's no pain when i touch it, and really it's not there (ever so faintly) when i do any sort of bodyweight movement.

how long would i be out of squatting if it were a slipped disk? the doc didn't say anything like this

iceman could be right, it could be a slipped disk. but the symptom also correspond with strained muscle. u really need to ask ur doctor. did u ever have pain down one of ur legs? if its the disk, its more seriuos and u should stay off squatting for longer. but the fact that ur doctor tell u to do ice + muscle relaxant and didnt mention the disk indicate to me that he thinks its a strained muscle.

why are u so eager to go back to squatting anyway? u know u can go a long way with leg press and curl. if u haven't done it before, all the more reason to do so now, just for a few weeks to let things heal proper.

[Iceman85]

iceman could be right, it could be a slipped disk. but the symptom also correspond with strained muscle. u really need to ask ur doctor. did u ever have pain down one of ur legs? if its the disk, its more seriuos and u should stay off squatting for longer. but the fact that ur doctor tell u to do ice + muscle relaxant and didnt mention the disk indicate to me that he thinks its a strained muscle.

why are u so eager to go back to squatting anyway? u know u can go a long way with leg press and curl. if u haven't done it before, all the more reason to do so now, just for a few weeks to let things heal proper.

Yeah, regardless if you slipped a disc or strained a muscle, the treatment is pretty much the same. Ice, rest, Ibuprofen/musc. relaxers, and stay away from how you got injured.

[Antonio519]

I think this happend to me before man, I couldn't even sleep right, I took a break from lifting for a week, and then started again but didn't deatlift or squat for another week or two, took it slow. Right now I back to normal, just take it easy for a bit longer.

[ltbs]

My money is on a slipped disc..

Highly dangerous assumption. My understanding of a disc problem would be pain radiating through glutes/down the leg because the disc would be pressing on nerves, which hasn't been mentioned. If not a disc problem then most likely muscular. Trigger point therapy with a tennis ball and foam roller with mobility work and dynamic stretches.

[nmsk80066]

I've generally only had pain when moving, not touching. It's usually a 2-2.5 week injury for me. The fact that you gave it 10 days to heal and saw substantial improvement sounds right to me. Usually, I see little to no improvement in the first 2-3 days, substantial improvement during days 4-7, and slow gradual improvement over the next week or so.

yeah that's exectly it! well good to know only 2-2.5 weeks. thanks a lot for your advice, really appreciate it

iceman could be right, it could be a slipped disk. but the symptom also correspond with strained muscle. u really need to ask ur doctor. did u ever have pain down one of ur legs? if its the disk, its more seriuos and u should stay off squatting for longer. but the fact that ur doctor tell u to do ice + muscle relaxant and didnt mention the disk indicate to me that he thinks its a strained muscle.

why are u so eager to go back to squatting anyway? u know u can go a long way with leg press and curl. if u haven't done it before, all the more reason to do so now, just for a few weeks to let things heal proper.

never had any shooting pains or anything

well i like PLing more than BB, and obviously you neeed to squat to PL and i love it anyway. just a fun movement for me.

you're right about the leg press / curl, thanks again

Yeah, regardless if you slipped a disc or strained a muscle, the treatment is pretty much the same. Ice, rest, Ibuprofen/musc. relaxers, and stay away from how you got injured.

will do!

I think this happend to me before man, I couldn't even sleep right, I took a break from lifting for a week, and then started again but didn't deatlift or squat for another week or two, took it slow. Right now I back to normal, just take it easy for a bit longer.

thanks for the advice, sounds like what i'll be doing

Highly dangerous assumption. My understanding of a disc problem would be pain radiating through glutes/down the leg because the disc would be pressing on nerves, which hasn't been mentioned. If not a disc problem then most likely muscular. Trigger point therapy with a tennis ball and foam roller with mobility work and dynamic stretches.

no pain radiating down glutes/leg at all, i believe it is muscular. great idea with the tennis ball, i'll certainly be doing that.


thanks everyone

[Iceman85]

My understanding of a disc problem would be pain radiating through glutes/down the leg because the disc would be pressing on nerves, which hasn't been mentioned.

That can happen, but does not happen all the time. Depends on how far the disc slips, in what direction, etc.

[ltbs]

tennis ball work --> http://laurensfitness.com/ to the right and down the page

[srvince]

OP - you ok? How long was the recovery process?

[Alekss1990]

Hi, sorry to hear this happened to you. The same thing has happened to me. I was squatting my third set 185lb and on my last rep when I was coming up I heard a pop on my lower back between my spine and hip. I was able to rack the weight and left home. I laid down for the rest of the day and had serious pain and stiffness in that isolated area. The enxt day i felt discomfort but it was getting better. By the 3rd day I was able to get off bed normally but still felt discomfort and random pain depending on my movement. I was scared to do full stretches and move around freely... its been 7 days and im feeling way better but I still feel some discomfort but now im moving around alot more but have yet to return to the gym.

Do you ever recooperate fully?
Are u squatting?
How long before you started feel 100%