Sometimes Back Pain is Just a Weak Back
Deadlifts Ruin Your Back
In 2010 I started going to the gym. It ended up becoming a really fun hobby. I did a lot of things wrong, but I eventually found a strength training program that told me to do a lot of squats and deadlifts. I found strength progression way more fun than pursuing traditional beach body aesthetics, so I started powerlifting instead of bodybuilding.
Lower Back Pain
Due to being really tall, deadlifts put a lot of pressure on my lower back. Being 18 years old, I recklessly tried to lift way too much way too fast. I hurt my lower back. This was extremely debilitating and really conerning considering I was only 18 years old. I had to quit going to the gym and could barely walk without significant pain shooting down my leg and up my lower back. Anyone who has ever had a sciatica nerve issues understands this incredible pain.
My initial self-diagnosis was that I had a herniated disc. I tried the usual remedies: rest, massages, and acupuncture. Some people told me I needed surgery. Most doctors told me to stop exercising compltely and to take pain killers. I loved exercise so I rejected that option.
I tried yoga and eventually took an adult gymnastics class. Gymnastics is also a really hard sport for someone with long limbs, but it’s also incredibly fun. The pain faded as gymnastics forced me to strengthen the muscles around my lower back.
I also found out what the root cause of my lower back pain was.
Fixing the Problem
I did not have a herniated or bulging disc, nor did I have a muscular injury. I had piriformis syndrome and a weak lower back. This compounded into a the sciatica nerve in my lower back getting pinched by a tiny muscle called the piriformis. My piriformis had presumably become irritated from abusing my lower back with poor form. It didn’t help that I had a weak lower back with a lot of pressure on it. All I needed to fix most of the pain was a $5 lacrosse ball, a high pain tolerance, and a 2 minute YouTube video every morning. This routine massaged my tense piriformis and eventually it stopped pinching my nerve.
I was mostly pain free in a few weeks. Next, I rejoined my gym and started doing really light deadlifts and squats again. Instead of pushing the weights up as hard as I could, I started really light and focused on keeping my form as tight as possible. It turns out that deadlifting with good form is very effective in building up a strong and pain-free lower back.
Three years after being unable to walk, I am now completely pain free and stronger than ever before. There was no secret, I just needed to get stronger, more agile, and fix problem instead of avoiding it altogether.
I have had no lower back pain in over a year and finally hit my goal of squatting 315lbs this past September.
My form was not perfect, but I hit it and it felt fantastic. I also finally bench pressed 225lbs, deadlifted 380lbs, and had a great pretty decent overhead press as well:
Deadlifts Don’t Ruin Your Back, Bad Form Does
None of this would have been possible if I gave in to doctors’ orders and stopped exercising. My saving grace was my love for exercise. I had to unlearn bad form and stay disciplined to get past my athletic deficiencies and injuries, but ultimately it was worth it.
My lesson was to take on the problem instead of following standard procedure. If you Google “I have lower back pain” and most of the advice will be about rest, recovery, massages, accupuncture, and surgery. Nothing about turning the deficiency into a strength. That’s bad.
That’s not to say that some people don’t have serious disc issues that need surgery, but often times these pieces of advice are treating symptoms instead of solving the main issue: weakness and immobility.
Sometimes the cure is just to get stronger.
