Lower Back Pain From Squats and Deadlifts
Lower back pain after deadlifts or squats is one of the most common reasons lifters book with us. It often follows a heavy single, a high-volume day or a small change in setup. At ELATE in North Park, San Diego, Dr. Ashley Aguero, DC, works as a weightlifting chiropractor with weightlifters, powerlifters and CrossFit athletes. She looks at your setup, your movement and your program, then builds a plan to keep you under the bar where possible.
What often drives it
Load or volume jumps: a new max, a new program or a high-rep day
Fatigue: the last sets of a hard session, or poor sleep
Setup: bar position, stance, hip height at the start of the pull
Bracing under load
Hip and ankle mobility, which affect how deep you can squat and how you hinge
What we look at
Your squat and hinge, unloaded and with load (training video helps)
Hip and ankle mobility
Trunk control
Your program and recent changes
How we help
Hands-on care, including adjustments and Sports Myofascial Therapy
Lift changes while we work: tempo, pauses, block pulls, box squats or a different bar
Volume and intensity changes
Clear steps back to heavy lifting, as in our return-to-sport pathway
We reinforce care with movement and training so the progress holds.
Working around it this week
Drop the load and keep the pattern in a range that feels fine
Swap to variations that feel better, such as box squats or block pulls
Keep the rest of your training going
Deciding whether to train through it? Read lifters' lower back pain: when to train through, when to stop. Keeps coming back? Read what an assessment looks at for recurring low back pain.
When to get checked sooner
Seek urgent medical care if you have:
Numbness in the groin or inner thighs
New bladder or bowel changes
Leg weakness that's getting worse
Get assessed promptly if you have pain after a fall, pain with fever, pain at night, or numbness or tingling down the leg.
Questions we get
Do you work with other weightlifting injuries?
Yes. Along with low back pain, we often see shoulder pain when lifting and hip pain when squatting.
Should I stop deadlifting?
Not always. This framework walks through the decision.
Is it a disc?
We can't tell that from a description. We'll tell you what we find, and refer you if a medical exam or imaging makes sense.
Should I wear a belt?
A belt can help some lifters brace. It isn't a fix on its own.
How do I get back to heavy lifting?
Step by step, with clear markers for each stage.