tired of my lower back hurting

Ever since i tried to teach myself to squat about a year and a half my back has been hurting. I’ve tried alot of different things to fix. First i made sure my squat form was right, and several people said it was. I would stop squatting for a while, and even stopped lifting for two monthes so see if the pain would go away. No luck. After reading Ian King’s “The pelvis has left the building” aticle i started thinking about it somemore. Usually after standing up for about an hour is when my lower back really starts to hurt. My lower abs seem to want to push themselves, either that or the curvature in my lower back(lumber curve?) seems to want to exaggerate itself. I don’t know if my problem is that my pelvis is not verticle due to some lower back/ab/glute imbalance, or if this is just a plain lower back injury. In his article King to keep the pelvis verticle by keeping the hip flexors long and the abs and glutes tight. I assume this would mean stretching the hip flexors and working the abs and glutes. I’m seriously thinking about going to see an ART specialist in my area if i can find one. Any advice on my problem would be greatly appreciated. The pain isn’t incappacitating, but its bad enough to make standing up for a while a pain in the ass.

anton

Anton, You’re answering your own questions! Is the pain relieved by sitting? Do you know how to perform the glute and abdomianl exercises? How about the hip flexor stretches? I have some unique ones. Definitely get the ART done. Get back to me. I’m happy to help.

I’ve experienced similar discomfort in my lower back. A physical therapist recommended streches for hamstrings, glutes and back. I received the most benefit from the upper leg streches.

The most significant improvements were realized
when I tried orthotics. I know others who have had similar results from the orthotics. Custom ones are expensive. I recommend you talk to someone that’s an authority on the subject (podiatry / skeletal alignment) before you buy.

Bro just get a hip squat belt…FOR REAL, I just got mine and have done 2 legs workouts since I got it, and there really is no strain at all on your back…It’s the shit, I was skeptical at first but I think that it is great for people w/lower back pain.

Bring on thehipflexor stretches! I find them to be the hardest area to stretch.

For stretching the hip flexors i was just planning to use some of the stuff that Ian King talked about in one of his articles. I know plenty of ab excercises, and for glutes i was just thinking glute/ham raises. Should i do good mornings too, or is that to much of hamstring excercise. If you have any suggestions on hip flexor stretches that would be cool.

anton

Sorry for the delay boys. Try these stretches for the hip flexors:

  1. To stretch the right hip kneel on the right knee, like a close stance lunge. You can use a thin mat or a folded towel under your knee. You’re going to be kneeling for a while. Your left foot flat on the floor. The instep of your right foot flat on the floor with the lower leg externally rotated slightly with the medial ankle bone close to the floor. In other words, dorsi flexed and everted.

  2. Rotate your right foot counter clockwise about 20-30 degrees. In other words, if your left foot is pointing at 12 o’clock, your right foot will point at 4 or 5 o’clock.

  3. Next, slightly adduct your right leg by leaning your hip slightly to the right. Your right knee should be closer to the midline of your body.

  4. Posterior rotate your pelvis with a strong contraction of your abdominals and glutes. In other words, shorten the distance between your pubic bone and sternum. This is the most important part of the stretch! Your spine should be flat. No lumber curve. You should be feeling this in your anterior hip/lumbar region.

If you have read my deadlift technique post a while back (author search), I emphasize “connecting” the upper body to the pelvis with strong glute and abdominal contractions. The upper body and pelvis should be braced together as one. I want you to do the same here.

If you have a hard time getting into this postion, your rectus femoris may be tight. You may have to decrease the distance between your right knee and left foot.

  1. Extend your right arm out in front of you, elbow straight, with your palm up, parallel to the floor.

  2. Extend your wrist and fingers back as far as they will go.

  3. Cross your right arm across your body and slowly, rotate your trunck counter clockwise.

  4. Reach back with the left hand with the elbow straight, palm up, wrist and fingers extended.

  5. Push your head to the sky. In other words, lengthen your spine.

  6. Hold for 7 minutes. After each minute, if you’re brave, try to move the hip slightly, 1 degree of ROM, into further extension by leaning forward.

This is the best hip flexor fascial stretch that you can do by yourself.

I will post another stretch later on tonight.