Stretching the lower back

METS 1B

hi all, bit of a generic question here:

I recently slightly strained my lower back (right hand side, above the hip bone) while doing single leg squats with dumbbells. I was leaning slightly forward towards the end of the set and just tweaked my back somewhat. I've taken some time off from single leg squats (two weeks) and I'm stretching before and after every session I do in the gym.

My problem is I'm finding it hard to get a good stretch on the lower back (I have always found it hard to do this). It's the only muscle group I've tried stretching without success.

So far I've tried these 4 stretches:









I also go down on all fours and arch my back like a cat and stick my stomach out in the same position and try to hold it while breathing deeply and also holding my breath. I also do a dead hang from a chin up bar and raise my knees to my chest.

My flexibility isn't anything to celebrate but I'm learning and working on it. Just wondering if anyone knows a particularly good back stretch. My form for my lifts is generally good, and I'm disappointed that I injured myself

Thanks.

Hanley

Your don't particularly want to stretch your lower back tbh.

The cat/camel stuff's good but probably not a potent injury preventer.

Anything bad happening there is usually a sign of a problem up or down the chain (hip/throacic mobility, hip flexor/hamstring length, glute activation).

METS 1B

Hanley wrote: »

Your don't particularly want to stretch your lower back tbh.

The cat/camel stuff's good but probably not a potent injury preventer.

Anything bad happening there is usually a sign of a problem up or down the chain (hip/throacic mobility, hip flexor/hamstring length, glute activation).

The stretched don't feel natural (except rhe cat/camel ones). The only time I like twisting my torso is when I'm doing abs or core work and those stretches aren't working.

I'd hope I can prevent future injury by paying more attention to my form rather than making sure I'm more resistant to bad technique :P

My entire body is probably like a tree trunk with knots all over the place. I foam roll for 5-10 minutes before my session and about 20 minutes afterwards. I'm working on my mobility by using the mobilityWOD stuff. Regards squats I find after foam rolling etc I'm able to lift a lot more, though that's standard with any warmup I'm assuming.

Should I keep working on the mobility or is there something else I should be doing?

Thanks for the reply.

Doug Cartel

You really don't want to feel the stretch in your back for this one - it'll wreck you. This stretch should be for the hips, keep your back straight and your chest forward when you do it.

METS 1B

Doug Cartel wrote: »

You really don't want to feel the stretch in your back for this one - it'll wreck you. This stretch should be for the hips, keep your back straight and your chest forward when you do it.

I was just trying to simulate what my back does when I deadlift, ie it's not rounded and I'm not trying to fold myself in half.

Doug Cartel

METS 1B wrote: »

I was just trying to simulate what my back does when I deadlift, ie it's not rounded and I'm not trying to fold myself in half.

I'll leave this for someone who knows better, but this does not sound good.

EDIT: actually I might just be misreading you.

METS 1B

Doug Cartel wrote: »

I'll leave this for someone who knows better, but this does not sound good.

Haha ok :P

What I meant was I wasn't going beyond what felt like a normal range of motion for that body part.

Anyway I don't believe I'm doing anything bad for myself when I stretch, just that it doesn't seem to work for me because I'm doing the wrong stuff or I'm doing it wrong.

What would be ideal is if someone could tell me how they warm up their back for squats (indirectly used?), deadlifts (where the back is directly used), overhead press (indirectly used?), anything where the lower back would be used (to any extent)

Doug Cartel

METS 1B wrote: »

Haha ok :P

What I meant was I wasn't going beyond what felt like a normal range of motion for that body part.

When I do that stretch I actually brace my back quite hard so that it curves forward as little as possible, same with the DL. In my mind's eye at least my back stays arched slightly backwards the whole time, but in reality my technique probably isn't that good.

What would be ideal is if someone could tell me how they warm up their back for squats (indirectly used?), deadlifts (where the back is directly used), overhead press (indirectly used?), anything where the lower back would be used (to any extent)

I don't do static stretches before any exercise, and for deadlifts or squats I would warm up with a short run, then a few rounds of lunges, leg swings to the front and side, airplanes and un-weighted squats.

METS 1B

Doug Cartel wrote: »

When I do that stretch I actually brace my back quite hard so that it curves forward as little as possible, same with the DL. In my mind's eye at least my back stays arched slightly backwards the whole time, but in reality my technique probably isn't that good.



I don't do static stretches before any exercise, and for deadlifts or squats I would warm up with a short run, then a few rounds of lunges, leg swings to the front and side, airplanes and un-weighted squats.

I'll give it a go, only cardio today so I'll have plenty of time to stretch.

I'd +1 your post but it wont let me (yet) :P

Thanks.

Barry.Oglesby

If your having trouble stretching that may actually be a good thing .

Did you get any sort of diagnosis of what you strained? Is if a strain or is it just tight? Have you had any sort of movement analysis done?

METS 1B

Barry.Oglesby wrote: »

If your having trouble stretching that may actually be a good thing .

Did you get any sort of diagnosis of what you strained? Is if a strain or is it just tight? Have you had any sort of movement analysis done?

I don't have any (any!) trouble stretching anything else so I doubt it's my elastic steel flexibility at work :P

No I haven't asked anyone other than yourselves. I took two ibuprofen a few hours ago and it's still sore :P

I think I'll give it a few days rest and see if it recovers. Supposed to do a back session tomorrow but I'd say it would only antagonise it.

Brian?

METS 1B wrote: »

I don't have any (any!) trouble stretching anything else so I doubt it's my elastic steel flexibility at work :P

No I haven't asked anyone other than yourselves. I took two ibuprofen a few hours ago and it's still sore :P

I think I'll give it a few days rest and see if it recovers. Supposed to do a back session tomorrow but I'd say it would only antagonise it.

You don't seem to be taking the main point on board here: you don't want a flexible lower back, therefore you don't want to stretch it.

METS 1B

briankeating wrote: »

You don't seem to be taking the main point on board here: you don't want a flexible lower back, therefore you don't want to stretch it.

I see. if you have a tightness/soreness in the muscle (injured, not exercised) then is stretching it not a good thing to relieve the pain?

Doug Cartel

METS 1B wrote: »

I see. if you have a tightness/soreness in the muscle (injured, not exercised) then is stretching it not a good thing to relieve the pain?

No one can diagnose you over the internet, but it's likely your back is sore because you're bending it. Bending it more isn't likely to relieve the pain. Stop bending it, and see how things go.

METS 1B

Doug Cartel wrote: »

No one can diagnose you over the internet, but it's likely your back is sore because you're bending it. Bending it more isn't likely to relieve the pain. Stop bending it, and see how things go.

Thanks

Brian?

METS 1B wrote: »

I see. if you have a tightness/soreness in the muscle (injured, not exercised) then is stretching it not a good thing to relieve the pain?

Nobody can answer that here, any injury should be assessed and treated by a medical professional.

If you want medical advice I am going to have to lock the thread.


I am leaving it open though because there is a point to made here about lower back flexibility, i.e. you don't want a flexible lower back. You want a strong lower back that resists rotation and flexion.

You want flexibility in your hamstrings and glutes, and you you want mobility in your hips and upper back.

METS 1B

briankeating wrote: »

Nobody can answer that here, any injury should be assessed and treated by a medical professional.

If you want medical advice I am going to have to lock the thread.


I am leaving it open though because there is a point to made here about lower back flexibility, i.e. you don't want a flexible lower back. You want a strong lower back that resists rotation and flexion.

You want flexibility in your hamstrings and glutes, and you you want mobility in your hips and upper back.

No problem. I asked for stretching advice and advice about preventing lower back injuries. I didn't ask for medical advice.

Thanks for the help guys.

Hanley

METS 1B wrote: »

No problem. I asked for stretching advice and advice about preventing lower back injuries. I didn't ask for medical advice.

Thanks for the help guys.

You kinda moved on from talking about prevention to treatment to be fair!

If there's a tighetness/soreness in a muscle, after seeking the advice of an injury professional, I'd usually work on icing, letting it heal up and then fixing the problem that caused it in the first place.

Pretty obvious right? But you'd be amazed the amount of people who don't do that!

Mellor

As others have said you don't want a flexible lower back. Lower back issues are caused by issues up or down the chain. I kniw this was already stated by Hanley in first reply but im just repeating it as it sounded like you glazed over it a little.
Those stretch images you posted aren't lower back stretches but hip mobility, t-spine rotation etc. if you are feeling them in lower back you could be compensating for an issue elsewhere.

METS 1B

Mellor wrote: »

As others have said you don't want a flexible lower back. Lower back issues are caused by issues up or down the chain. I kniw this was already stated by Hanley in first reply but im just repeating it as it sounded like you glazed over it a little.
Those stretch images you posted aren't lower back stretches but hip mobility, t-spine rotation etc. if you are feeling them in lower back you could be compensating for an issue elsewhere.

Thanks for the advice folks. I'll keep working on my mobility and flexibility.