Every Time I Back Squat, My Back Hurts
Athlete: Every time I back squat, my back hurts.
Trainer/ Coach/ PT: What have you done about it?
Athlete: I stretch some but that doesn’t help.
Trainer/ Coach/ PT: Have you stopped squatting?
Athlete: No pain, no gain. I have to get stronger.
We have seen this time and time again - athletes pushing through pain. The real question is, when does the season of pushing through end and the season of restoration begin?
Let’s take back squat for example. Our athlete, Joe has been dealing with back pain off and on all last baseball season. Then, he trained in the weight room all off-season. He worked on his weaknesses and getting stronger and was in PAIN every time he performed back squat. In PAIN for at least 2-3 days out of each week.
Did this move him closer to his goals?
This is what we know about pain from all the best research!
Pain alters movement and body chemistry (inflammation, proprioception, body awareness, strength, etc.) in erratic, unpredictable ways. It screws up your response system but altering your brain and spinal cord then alter you chemically and physically!
STOP TRAINING ON TOP OF PAIN.
You are limiting your gains.
What to do Instead of Training in PAIN
IN THE GYM
Recently, Mike Boyles took back squat completely out of his gym, Body by Boyles, and only allows front squat and kettlebell Goblet squat. He also promotes single leg squatting activities like split squat or rear foot elevated squat. He does this because EVERY sport (except rowing) is a single leg dominated sport. He wants his athletes to convert from weight room to better sports performance seamlessly, therefore he trains single leg as often as possible. He has seen a dramatic 80% decrease in back pain in his training facility.
Get a movement analysis of your squat and a functional movement screen to determine what your individual warm up needs to contain to improve joint, muscle, and brain activation and relaxation for YOU individually. Everyone is different!
AT HOME
Mindset is important. Injuries cause chaos, inconsistency, and often poor future performance but not because of the physical limitations but also mental limitations. There are two main reasons:
Pain and injury takes sports specific tasks like running, lifting, throwing, etc and takes them from subconscious (i.e. motor control/ motor learning) to conscious. You have a fear of movement so you think about what you are doing. This makes you slower. Makes your movements awkward and guarded sometimes leading to more pain. It makes you second guess decisions, therefore making more errors.
You are separated from the team due to injuries. You are sidelined for practice and sometimes do not even attend practice. You are in the weight room observing or only upper body or only lower body. When you lose your confidence with the team it is hard to make a fluid comeback. Stay as involved as possible. Know your modifications before you arrive so you can perform sets with the rest of the team when possible. Call plays and better understand the logistics of the game. Help coach and correct other players and form, it has been shown for skills to have much better retention for you if you coach others. Stay involved. Stay strong. Stay confident. You will get through this.
MOTTO
“Today, my best is enough.”
Are you giving your best?
Are you using every resource you have available to you, today?
If so, then your best is enough. Stop comparing your best to someone else’s or even your best on a different day. If you never ________ (fill in the blank with your painful movement like back squat) again but you can move faster, jump higher, and set PRs (personal records) then does it matter? It is just AN exercise. It is not THE exercise.
Look at the goal and work backward, I know you can achieve it without pain!
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Nicole Woodard DPT, OCS, CFSC
Owner and Physical Therapist @ Mobility Physical Therapy and Wellness
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Website: https://mobilityphysicaltherapyllc.com
