How to eliminate severe lower back pain after squats
“If you don’t squat, you ain’t squat”
Unfortunately, squatting has been known to cause unwanted lower back pain. While squatting will work the lower back muscles, if the lower back becomes the most targeted area during squats, chronic soreness and overuse injury can occur.
To prevent lower back pain after a squat exercise, and to continue to increase the benefits you can experience with squats, keep the following key considerations in mind.
Ways to prevent lower back pain after squats
- Specify your style
First understand a safe and effective squatting technique. In a squatting position, you want to sit up and down – which results in movement from the hips and knees, not lower back.
If your hips move under you and your back runs, you are placing your lower back in a position that is more vulnerable to injury. The higher your back, the greater the shearing force on the spine, which is dangerous.
Likewise, if you are shaving your lower back, when your hips curve forward and stick out your butt, you are not only pressing the parts of the spine, but using the lower back muscles to prevent the spine from rounding forward. While preventing the spine from rounding is fine, doing so by using the muscles of the lower back will tire those muscles and cause soreness and potential injury. You can tell this happens when you complete the squat and your lower back feels tired and cramped.
- Strengthen your core
Your core is another muscle group that has a major influence on the position of your hips and spine. When core muscles – particularly the abdominal fronts, hips, and lower back – are strong and work in unison, they help stabilize the pelvis and spine. This reduces the demand on the lower back muscles, and thus prevents them from overworking.
Some exercises that help to strengthen the core and encourage it to hold your back in a safe position are planks, side planks, and anti-rotation presses. Add it to your regular exercise routine to help prevent lower back pain after a squat exercise, such as:
1. The plank
Planking is a great exercise that targets the front or front of your heart.
How: Lie on your stomach first on a mat. Stretch your toes and rise to your forearms. Use your abdominal muscles to lift your hips off the ground, making sure your lower back is flat and not rolled up or round. Feel the action happening in your stomach, not your lower back.
2. Side plank transport
The side plank targets the lateral or lateral core, enhancing your ability to inhibit lateral movement.
How: From a side position beside the forearm on the floor, the elbow directly under the shoulders and legs straight with the feet stacking on top of each other, attach the hips up towards the ceiling. Stop when there is a straight line from shoulders to feet. Maintain the abdominal muscles to prevent the lower back from compensating.
3. Anti-rotation press
The anti-roll press challenges your ability to prevent rotation around the hips and spine. Use exercise to increase implantation of a steady heart.
How: Standing vertically (sideways) on a secure cable pole or tape, take an athletic stance: Engage your abdominal muscles and push your hips back slightly with soft knees. Squeeze the cable or tape directly from the chest, do not allow the hips to rotate or the lower back to arch. Return the cable to the chest and repeat the push-up motion for the desired rep.
References:
Permar, G. (2021, January 1). Lower Back Pain After Squats, Fix It Today. Crush Back Pain. https://crushbackpain.com/lower-back-pain-after-squats/
