Happy Labor Day to my American readers. Happy Monday to everyone else. Today’s guest post comes from Shane McLean, a regular at TG.com. Many of us can relate to this familiar topic: back pain for serious lifters. We can lift with solid form, do our mobility work, and even add extra sets of dead bugs and bird dogs, yet a bout of back pain can still clothesline us. It’s frustrating, but it isn’t a death sentence.
THE HARD TRUTH ABOUT BACK PAIN
Google “back pain” and you’ll see about 1.5 billion results. There’s no shortage of information on symptoms, types, treatments, and prevention. When you’re in pain, this flood of data can be overwhelming. And because different treatments work for different people, what helps one person might not help another. Pain and healing are highly individual.
Back pain affects income, mobility, stress levels, medical bills, and employers’ costs due to sick leave and insurance. It’s a big deal. Even if you train well, eat right, and stay active, back pain can flare up without warning—whether you bend to pick something up or wrestle with your kids. There’s a view that back pain is preventable by strengthening the core, good posture, and not sitting or standing too long, but pain doesn’t always listen. You can control what you can control and accept the rest.
TRUTH ABOUT MY BACK PAIN
The truth about my back pain is that it was my fault. I love deadlifting, but I was doing it all wrong. Rounding my lower back while pulling from the floor isn’t good for the spine. Eventually something had to give. About nine years ago I felt a pop in my lower back and ignored it, hoping it would fade. The more I ignored it, the worse it became, until I couldn’t lift, couldn’t play with my kids, and couldn’t sleep. I ended up with three herniated disks. The disks have healed, but the pain hasn’t. More on that later.
WHEN YOU’RE IN PAIN
If you’ve ever hurt your back, you’re not alone. About 80% of the U.S. population will experience acute or chronic back pain at some point. Around 2% to 10% of people with low back pain develop chronic pain. Many opt for surgery based on doctor’s recommendations, but surgery doesn’t always help; plenty of people have had multiple back surgeries and still live with significant pain. Sometimes the solution creates new problems.
GET BACK ON THE HORSE
You’ve heard the idea of “getting back on the horse” after a setback. Stand up, dust yourself off, and try again. This is usually good advice, but back pain adds a twist. When I return to the deadlift after an injury, there’s real fear of re-injury. Focusing on correct form helps, but that fear doesn’t disappear. The fear can be a two-way street: it pushes me to do it right, which is good, but it can also undermine my confidence in my body. Injuries have both physical and psychological effects, and fear of re-injury is a common response.
ANOTHER ‘TRUTH’ ABOUT BACK PAIN
This is a one-person case study of me and my experience with back pain and coaching others with back pain. Once you’ve damaged your spine, like with herniated disks, the pain doesn’t magically vanish. The injury may heal, and the disk fluid may stop pressing on nerves, but the pain can linger. I’ve dealt with low-grade pain (about 1–2/10) and episodes of higher pain (5–7/10) almost every day for nine years. It isn’t the same as the initial flare, but it’s still there. Low-grade pain doesn’t stop me from training, but it makes me more mindful of setup, posture, and daily movements. Extreme pain can knock me to the floor. After surgery, rehab, physical therapy, or chiropractic care, the severe pain may ease, but the discomfort can linger like a ghost.
Wrapping Up
Back pain, in any form, is a tough opponent. It can shake your confidence in everyday movements and fuel the fear of re-injury. But it can also make you more aware of how to protect your back and take better care of it. If you don’t, your back will tell you—in no uncertain terms.
Note From TG
As a supplement to Shane’s words, I’d recommend reading a recent article I wrote on why training with pain present can be an important part of the healing process.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shane “Balance Guy” McLean is an ACE-certified personal trainer based in Louisiana, working with the gators.
REFERENCES
Chao-Jung Hsu et al. Fear of Reinjury in Athletes. Sports Health. 2017;9(2):162-167.
And a tongue-in-cheek note: searching for a line from Notting Hill about love may yield about 1,550,000,001 results.
