Lower back pain is a common issue that every athlete or fitness enthusiast experiences once in their lifetime, especially after performing squats. According to data 84% of the adults have lower back pain from squats which occurs when they perform their exercise incorrectly or when they lift weights more than their capacity. (source- Fitness Volt) In fact, lower back pain is the only reason powerlifters or athletes struggle to train for a long-term and fail to continue their progress in the gym.
The importance of a correct form and technique during the time of squats cannot be underestimated. We know that squats are a complex exercise that needs a combination of skills, coordination, strength, muscle connection and stability with different joints in our body. Squats are most commonly known for strengthening our lower back, core and overall fitness but it can only be beneficial to us when performed correctly.
Your only chance to reach your fitness goal is to stick to an easy peasy workout routine. Because if you will not give priority to your body then not only with squats but you can also face lower back pain from running, sleeping, sitting and even standing.
Common reasons behind Lower back Pain during Squats
Here is the list of the common issues that can contribute towards lower back pain during squats and the ways through which you can treat them.
1. Improper Squatting Technique
The main reason for you facing lower back pain after your leg workout is due to not following a proper form during your squats which can give your body unnecessary strain on the muscles and the joints of the lower back. To save yourself from this you can learn and consistently practice the correct form to avoid injury. The proper form of a squat is:
Keeping your chest up.
Back straight.
Pushing your hips up and down as you are sitting in a chair.
2. Lifting Excessive Weights
Lifting weights more than your body can handle leads you towards suboptimal positions which makes you compromise your form and give you a potential injury. To actually see some changes in your body you should do squats with appropriate weights which will allow you to maintain a good form throughout your exercise. And, remember the mantra to stay consistent depends upon how well you can lift instead of how much you lift.
3. Poor Mobility of your Ankle
At the time of performing squats your ankle mobility plays an important role to maintain an accurate form during your squats. When you do limited ankle mobility during your squats then there is a chance that it can put additional stress on your lower back.
To save yourself from further injuries you can do exercises like:
Calf raises : To do calf raises, stand on the edge of a stepper and rise onto your toes then lower your heels below the stepper.
Ankle circles: Rotate your ankles clockwise and anti clockwise to perform this exercise.
Heel-elevated squats- For elevated squats, place a small plate of weight beneath your heels and do squats.
4. Weak Core Muscles
The core muscles are the muscles which are wrapped around your midsection such as your abs, obliques and lower back. They are responsible for stabilizing your body by maintaining your balance.
You should know that a weak core means that the abdominal muscles aren’t strong as they should, which can give you several issues because during exercises like squats you need a lot of core strength.
5. Insufficient Warm Up
One of the biggest causes of spinal or lower back injury comes up when you are not following a good warm up routine. A good warm up of your body will increase your blood flow, warm up your muscles and improve flexibility that will prevent you from certain lower back pain during squats.
The most effective warm up routines include light cardio, dynamic stretching and performing light weight exercises to learn the form.
Top 3 Prevention Strategies and Solutions for Lower Back Pain
Given below is the list of some preventions that you can take to improve your lower back pain that is caused by squats:
1. Slow Weight Progression
Start by focusing on quality over quantity which means that you should do progressive overload. Progressive overload is a term given to gradually increasing your weight to lift. You should begin by lifting weight that challenges you but gives you a proper form and as you get comfortable with that weight, do small increments to maintain a steady progress.
2. Do Mobility Exercises
Mobility exercises are really crucial to give your body flexibility and when you limit your mobility it increases the risks to your injury.
To increase your hip and ankle mobility at the day of lifting squats do exercises like leg swings, pigeon stretches, calf raises and ankle circles.
3. Take Rest and do Recovery
Your muscles need time to repair and grow stronger, therefore it is important to plan rest days between your intense workout sessions.
On rest days you can engage yourself in light activities like walking, swimming or yoga which will promote blood flow in your body and will reduce soreness. With this also try prioritizing quality sleep because at this time your body repairs and gets revived.
Conclusion
Lifting weighted squats is not difficult and with wrong workout techniques you can get yourself different injuries like muscle strains or herniated disks. You should work on your most common issues by following the above mentioned solutions and it will be your golden ticket to get saved from any further injuries.
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