Lower Back Sore After Deadlift

It's not typical to have your lower back sore after a deadlift - or for deadlifting to cause you to wake up with severe lower back discomfort or the inability to move your back or get out of bed. It's not typical, but thankfully it's probably not life-threatening.

The most frequent cause of lower back discomfort during a deadlifting workout is improper technique. However, a painful lower back does not have to be the price you pay for deadlifting.

In fact, several Physical Therapy professionals advocate for deadlifting as a treatment option for patients suffering from lower back discomfort.

Why is your Lower Back Sore After a Deadlift?

Have you ever put your upper body through a really strenuous workout session, one in which you performed a lot of repetitions while working on your chest or biceps? After that, throughout the subsequent several days, you were tormented by severe muscular discomfort, right?

You know, the sort that makes you feel accomplished while still letting you know that you worked hard? The stiffness that you feel 24-72 hours after your exercise and which you describe as "feeling the burn" is more properly referred to as Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS).

In most cases, it may be attributed to one of these two factors:

• The practice of doing workouts that involve loading a muscle in a stretched posture eccentrically and repeatedly (muscle damage due to overtraining).
• Trying out a new workout routine or physical action for the first time (novel stimulus).

That severe muscular pain is often brought on by exercises that include eccentric action. When doing an eccentric action, you will be applying stress to the muscle as it is lengthening (this is analogous to the "lowering" part of a biceps curl).

Muscle soreness may also be caused by repeated concentric action, albeit it is often not as severe as when the motion is eccentric. The "lifting" phase of a biceps curl is an example of the "lifting" phase of a movement that is considered to be a concentric movement.

In addition, an isometric contraction takes place when tension is supplied to a muscle, but there is no movement as a result of that stress (think of pushing or pulling against something that is immovable).

Isometric labor alone creates relatively minimal muscle pain, in contrast to the effects of concentric and eccentric motion, which both have the potential to cause muscular discomfort.

Why does a Deadlift Hurt your Lower Back?

When you deadlift, you put a tremendous amount of mechanical stress on the lumbar region of your spine, which leaves your lower back sore after the deadlift.

The lumbar region of the spine is between the pelvis and the bottom of your rib cage. If you are just starting out with deadlifts, you may feel some discomfort here after a workout.

Lower back soreness is common among even the most seasoned dead lifters if they don't pay close attention to their form with each and every repetition.

When you don't do something properly, your spinal extensor muscles (lumbar paraspinals) have to work more than they need to. These aid in keeping your body in place during a deadlift, but they can't take the place of your own strength. Your larger muscles, such as your glutes and hamstrings, should do the most of the effort.

When and How Might this Additional Stress be Avoided?

Try not to deadlift with a rounded back, and avoid overtraining! This is a very typical error that may lead to serious back discomfort. Maintain a straight spine posture while you work out. Many centers for physical therapy in Aurora, IL, such as Physical Therapy Advantage, can help you with the right posture.

3 Frequent Errors Made When Doing the Deadlift

Some of the most common errors during a deadlift workout include the following:

Not properly warming up

Warming up improperly is a typical error even before the deadlift is performed. Getting ready to deadlift requires more than just a few minutes of treadmill time. You should also undertake mobility exercises and muscle-activating drills to prepare for the deadlift.

Incorrect footing

The location of your feet is crucial to a proper deadlift. Many individuals have lower back discomfort while attempting to raise the bar off the ground because they are positioned too far back. So, put the front half of each foot beneath the bar so that you can fully extend the back.

Stooping over

Many people round their lower backs when they deadlift, generating a curvature that should be avoided at all costs and is known as the "rounding of the lumbar."

Put your hands on the barbell with your chest up and your back straight. This may seem awkward at first, particularly if you're just starting off, but it's really the optimal position to be in.

Also, remember that your legs, not your back, should be the primary source of power while raising the bar. If you need a mental nudge to utilize your legs more, try picturing that your feet are pressing down on the floor.

If you’re still unsure how to perform a deadlift, Physical Therapy Advantage in Aurora can walk you through it!

How to do a Deadlift without Causing Injury to your Lower Back?

It's a common misconception that the inevitable lower back soreness that follows a session of deadlifting is just part of the deal if you want to get the most out of this workout. That is just incorrect.

• The greatest technique to prevent discomfort in the lower back when training is to ensure that you maintain proper form during the whole action of the deadlift:
• Try not to glance up. When getting ready to do a deadlift, keep your head still in a neutral position and your chin tucked in. It is important that the rear of your head be in alignment with your back, which should be level and straight, as well as your spine.
• Make sure that your knees are coordinated with the center of your feet and that your shoulders are positioned above the bar as you lean down to grab the barbell.
• Before you lift anything, make sure you exhale completely so that your ribcage can drop and your abdominal muscles and obliques, often known as the anterior core, can get engaged.
• The deadlift is almost entirely performed by hinging at the hips. As you hoist the weights and rise, first shift your weight slightly to the rear, then to the front of your body.

Your lower back will feel less strain if you learn how to do a correct hip hinge, and you'll get better exercise for your glutes, hamstrings, and calves as a result.

How to Ease the Pain in Your Lower Back After Doing a Deadlift?

Even though you tried your best to ensure that you had flawless technique when deadlifting, your back is still bothering you. Don't be concerned! Chances are you're merely feeling muscular ache.

Time and relaxation are the most effective ingredients in any recipe for healing after a workout, but they are not a fast remedy. That implies you shouldn't do any more deadlifts until the soreness has subsided.

Even if you're only coping with a slight muscle strain, the pain in your body should go away on its own after a period of around a month and a half. Depending on how severe the damage is, the soreness may last for a further week or perhaps two.

Stretching and utilizing stretches following a workout is one key way to improve your overall fitness. Each day consider dedicating 10 minutes to stretch, focusing on your hamstrings, hip flexors, and low back muscle groups.

It is important not to stretch past the point of mild tension or pain - instead move slowly into a position that feels comfortable and hold for between 20-30 seconds. Repeat each stretch 2-3 times for each side of the body.

Be advised that as you begin to feel better, you shouldn't be frightened to start moving that body of yours. Being excessively careful might actually work against you by increasing the likelihood that your back discomfort will persist in the long term.

Instead, you should concentrate on refining the correct technique while using very little (or no) weight until you feel comfortable enough to increase the amount of work you are doing.

Take Away

The process of deadlifting may easily lead to injuries in the lower back, yet these injuries are entirely preventable. You can seek assistance from experts like Physical Therapy Advantage in Aurora.

Keeping a flat back and perfecting the hip-hinging action of the deadlift are two essential components of a proper deadlifting workout technique that may help you stay safe while doing the exercise.

Ice and rest are the greatest cures to use in the event that you do develop back discomfort after doing deadlifts. It takes many weeks for someone who has injured their lower back when deadlifting to fully recover. Let it recover - and avoid over-training.

During that time, they may work on strengthening the muscles that stabilize their body and prevent further injuries. However, if you are experiencing acute shooting pain in your back, you should see your physician as soon as possible.