Right hip CAM deformity + disc bulge (left).GP: “Stop weightlifting”. Drop Low?

Dealing with periodic flare-ups of lumbar disc bulge, first experienced during a deadlift 1 year ago, with concurrent, intermittent right lateral hip pain + stiffness commensurate with lumbar pain.

Lumbar pain mostly dissipated after several months, and after substituting low-bar for high-bar back squat; hip pain became less severe, although slightly irritated after high bar squats.

During recent training block incorporating low bar squats (Powerbuilding II), back pain flared up again during warm-up DL set. Since I have been DL pain-free for months at heavier weights, the flare-up seems to correlate more strongly with return to low-bar squats, rather than deadlifting.

During recent consultation with consultant following hip X-ray and MRI of Lumbar spine and SI joint, which respectively revealed right hip CAM deformity and an left-side disc bulge (I was not informed between which vertebrae), physio and complete cessation of weightlifting was recommended, warning that compressive forces on the spine could exacerbate both conditions, particularly due to how right hip impingement may be affecting movement mechanics and placing uneven stress upon the spine.

In light of the above;

  1. Should I disregard the medical advice and continue to lift?
    1b) If yes, is it prudent to simply omit low-bar squats altogether and perform high bar squat variations only, if historically these allow me to train consistently with less pain?
    1c) If I am not competing, nor plan to compete, will my general strength and hypertrophy goals suffer significantly for never using the low-bar squat?

Many thanks in advance.

  1. We cannot tell people to disregard medical advice from other professionals with whom you have consulted. However, we would likely approach this situation very differently if we had been consulting on your case. Neither a disc bulge nor CAM morphology require the cessation of weight lifting, in general.

We have an article discussing the approach to this here: Training With Hip Pain Part IV: Femoroacetabular Impingement Syndrome | Barbell Medicine

We can’t predict whether you will be better off with any particular exercise variation. However, your strength and hypertrophy will not be affected by not using the low bar squat. It provides no unique benefits in this regard, save for making you better at the low bar squat.

If you are interested in further individualized guidance, a consult with our rehab team (available via the website) would be your best bet. We’ve worked with lots of folks with these issues and they generally do quite well.