What did I injure and Why does it feeling better now?

Pain & Rehab Forum [Moderated]
1

Hi all,

A few months ago, I injured my low back while squatting. Symptoms ranged were numbness and stabbing pains in my low back and my posture was pulled slightly forward and down. These subsided over a few weeks with rest (I actually stopped training altogether out of an abundance of caution) but some discomfort still remains.

After watching a few YouTube videos I experimented with laying my upper body on top of my kitchen island with my lower-half (waist-down) dangling off the side. I felt immediate “pressure relief” in my low back in what felt like muscle tissues being pulled apart.

Another method I used was sitting down on the floor, scooting up against the wall, laying down, and letting my legs track up the wall. I immediately felt my lower back “pulling” as I tried to extend my legs/hamstrings fully - but it was a good sort of pain.

Knowing that these two movements/rehab/whatever helped, is it possible to determine what “injury” I actually sustained, why I’m doing what I’m doing is improving them, and most importantly, what I need to do strength-training wise to fortify these areas? In a previous thread I mentioned more RDLs, GMs, and ab training, but I just wanted to ensure I’m covering my bases here.

Thanks.

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Hey @akakios - I’m sorry to hear about the low back issue. I’ll preface this by saying we would need to do a consultation with you to provide individualized advice; you can find the intake form HERE. To your questions:

1. Is it possible to determine what “injury” I actually sustained?

That’s a difficult question to answer, largely because there is so much variability in how ‘injury’ is actually defined. I wrote a blog on this topic that you may find useful: Recovering From an Injury: Embrace the Process | Barbell Medicine

2. Why I’m doing what I’m doing is improving (symptoms)?

Symptom modification comes in many forms. Oftentimes when we’re experiencing symptoms, something as simple as getting up and moving around can help to decrease what we’re feeling in the short term. When it comes to making more lasting changes, the key is dosing in desired activities (like getting back to previous levels of performance with strength training) to tolerance.

3. What do I need to do strength-training wise to fortify these areas?

If you’ve not already, check out the article Pain in Training: What do? for general guidance on programming.

Hope that helps,

Charlie