How to Fix Lower Back Pain from Squats
Low back pain is one of the most common issues in the general population, accounting for at least $50 billion in annual healthcare costs, 264 million lost work days, and impacting over 80 percent of people at one time or another throughout their lives, according to the American Chiropractic Association.
While some causes of low back pain, like muscle weakness and a sedentary lifestyle, don’t impact CrossFit athletes, low back pain is still a prevalent problem within the CrossFit population, especially back pain with squatting.
Several issues can happen during squatting, leading to low back pain in CrossFit athletes. In this blog, learn how to fix lower back pain from squats by taking these actionable steps:
Find your optimal squat stance
Have a good bracing strategy
Learn how to control the bottom of the squat
Minimize side-to-side shifting
Try other squat variations
First off, let’s get something straight: this is not one of those “squatting is bad for your back, so you shouldn’t do it” articles. In fact, squatting can help strengthen your lower back, enhance your hip and pelvic function, improve your posture, increase mobility, and much more. However, that’s only when it’s done safely and sustainably in which the spine and other structures that support it are aligned, protected, and engaged.
You may also need some accessory work to improve your mobility, core and hip stability, and single-leg strength which you can find in my online training program, Back to Basics.
Let’s break down what can go wrong in your squat and how you can fix it.
Find Your Optimal Squat Stance
There are three main variables you can adjust in your squat so that it’s optimal for keeping your lower back in a good position:
stance width
toe angle (how much your feet are turned out)
torso angle
An optimal stance will allow you to get the best depth while maintaining a neutral spine. Over time, this will improve performance and decrease pain by decreasing movement compensations that could put your back in a compromised position.
The best squat stance will vary between athletes due to individual hip joint anatomy and the amount of hip mobility. The hip joint, consisting of the head of the femur/ball and acetabulum/hip socket can vary in length, size, angle, and torsion. These anatomical and mobility differences affect squat width and the amount of toed-out position. You can experiment by changing foot width and toe angle to find what feels the best and what provides the most controllable squat depth without low back compensations.
Torso angle will also vary depending on the length of your femur and the amount of hip and ankle mobility or due to a lack of motor control and core bracing.
Athletes with long femurs usually have a greater torso angle or a more forward lean. Different squat variations can also change the torso angle. For example, a low bar back squat will have a more forward torso angle than a front squat. We’ll explore more squat variations later in this post that you can try if you experience pain with a specific squat variation.
Another reason some people lean further forward is limited hip and ankle mobility. Wider stance width and increased toe angle can often help, as well as, lifting the heels with weightlifting shoes or putting change plates under your heels.
Lastly, increased forward torso lean could be because of a motor control issue, either decreased awareness that this is happening or a lack of core bracing. We’ll discuss bracing strategies next.
After you have determined the best squat stance FOR YOU then try assisted squats to dial in your positioning.
Fix your Bracing Strategy
When CrossFit athletes get back pain from squatting near max loads, it makes logical sense. After all, moving higher weight is bound to place more stress and compression on this area. On the other end of the scale, it might seem silly to have an issue with air squats as they’re just using bodyweight, but if you’re doing 300 of them, it’s the repetitive volume and speed that come into play.
Similarly, a typical metcon workout might involve 40 to 50 squats with around 30-50 percent of your one rep max. It might not feel like there’s a lot of load on the bar, but adding velocity and intensity into the mix as you try and complete your reps in the shortest amount of time possible can place stress on your low back.
Part of the problem with these lower and moderate weights is that they lull you into a false sense of security. Because you’re not at or near your max, you might mentally check out and not pay attention to form or bracing.
It’s important to apply the same principles to bodyweight and submaximal loads as you would when setting up for heavy squats. The aim of your bracing strategy should be to create stiffness in the spine and maintain a solid, neutral position throughout the entire range of motion. You will start to have issues when your spinal position changes while moving under load.
When bracing your core for a squat, take a diaphragm breath, AKA belly breath, and then contract your core 360 degrees as if you were about to sneeze. This will stabilize the middle and low back, so the spine stays stacked and neutral and creates a stronger position to lift more weight.
A lot of athletes use a Valsalva maneuver breath at the top of their squat and hold it throughout the exercise to create maximum intra-abdominal pressure. This works great except often I see athletes take a breath more through the chest, causing a lift of the chest and hyperextension of the low back. This places more load through a compressed spine and closes down the vertebrae. Furthermore, can lead to movement through the spine at the bottom of the squat as an athlete could start to round out.
The Valsalva maneuver is not a great option for sub-maximal loads or an air squat. You don’t need to create as much intraabdominal pressure and if doing these squats in a metcon, you’ll want to be able to breathe! You can still breathe in before you squat, hold tension in your core, and then exhale as you start to stand.
Try plate squats to feel your core engage through the entire movement.
Control Your Way Out of the Bottom
Loss of core bracing at the bottom of your squat can lead to a couple of compensatory strategies, the “good morning squat” and the “butt wink”. While neither necessarily leads to injury, over time these compensations can contribute to low back pain.
Good Morning Squat
hips shoot up first coming out of the bottom of the squat
rely on hamstrings and glutes
often occurs with quad weakness
can cause more load through the low back
The “good morning squat” changes the load position, often causing the weight to be more forward to your center of mass. Athletes may compensate with rounding of the spine as the loads increase or may try to hyperextension through the lower back to re-center the load.
Butt Wink
spinal flexion at the bottom of the squat
causes a change in spinal position under load
can be caused by limited hip and ankle mobility
can be caused by a lack of motor control or core bracing
The “butt wink” can be caused by mobility issues or a lack of motor control and core bracing at the bottom of the squat. As I mentioned earlier, if an athlete braces by chest breathing and arching through the lower back, then squats and has a more rounded position at the bottom, there is an increased risk of shearing and compressive forces through the spine due to the changes in spinal position while under load. Changes in spinal position under load can increase the likelihood of muscle strains and aches, or eventually a disc issue.
CrossFit athletes also usually bounce out of the bottom of the squat. Again, not always bad but can lead to compensations and low back issues. The “bouncing” relies on the stretch-shortening cycle which makes it easier to get out of the bottom position. However, with this, athletes have less control.
If you struggle with any of these compensations, here are a few things to try:
Wear a weightlifting belt
a belt can help provide feedback at the bottom of the squat and provide feedback for maintaining core bracing and intraabdominal pressure
Limit your squat depth
squatting to a box or bench will allow you to start in a range of motion you can control, and then increase it gradually until you have control over the full range of motion
Try sit squats
this exercise will help you develop control in the last couple inches of your squat. Similarly, with one and one-quarter squats, both work on keeping your core engaged and an upright torso position so that you maintain spinal position.
Add in tempo work
Moving slowly throughout the range of motion, even adding pauses, will keep you focused on your body’s position. If you tend to bounce out of the bottom, tempo squats are a good strength and accessory exercise to improve control.
Minimize Side-to-Side Shifting
Shifting side to side is common, especially with heavier, near-maximal squats. Most of the time, you probably don’t know you are doing it. This can be caused by motor control issues, side-to-side mobility or strength imbalances, or asymmetry from a previous injury to your hip, knee, or ankle.
When this shift occurs, it can change the spinal and/or pelvic position while under load. This is most common when one leg is stronger than the other or has more force production, but it can also result from a faulty motor pattern that’s become habitual over time.
Such a shift can cause sacroiliac or “SI” joint problems. It creates more compression on one side while lengthening the other, which can cause pain either on one side of the lower back or both. With submaximal loads or air squats, this can be a bigger issue because you may be making these compensations with a larger amount of volume and repetitions.
Fixing a weight shift can be corrected as easily as receiving a cue from your coach or by looking in a mirror and correcting it. If it continues, you can try working on isometric holds or pauses at different points within the squat. For example, pausing halfway, pausing just above the bottom position, and pausing again halfway up.
More in-depth assessments can be done by a physical therapist to find strength imbalances that may be contributing to a shift in your squat. If you want data, Force Plate Testing looks not only at asymmetries and weight distribution, but also velocity, force production, and power side to side. They can provide real-time feedback and allow you to see how corrective exercises, such as single-leg squats, lunges, and weighted step-ups, can help over time.
Try Other Squat Variations
If you have low back pain with squats, you don’t always need to stop squatting completely, you may just need to find a different squat variation that feels better right now. Different squat variations change the torso angle and load distribution.
Here’s a list of different squat varitions, in order of those with the most torso angle to the least:
Low bar back squat
High bar back squat
Front squat
Overhead squat
Other variations:
Goblet squat
Safety bar squat
Belt squat
Single leg squat
Lunge variations
When low back pain is an issue in one of these – such as the low bar back squat – you might be able to perform some of the other variations with no problems, such as a front squat that requires less of a torso angle. Or if you have pain with front squats, changing the load distribution, like to a back squat, can feel better.
While CrossFit, Olympic lifting, and powerlifting require you to do certain kinds of squats, trying something different for a four- or six-week cycle can help take the pressure off the low back. It will also improve your movement competence to get comfortable with all the different variations.
Remember, each individual athlete will have different preferences based on all the things mentioned in this blog. Changing your squat stance, improving core bracing, developing more control at the bottom of the squat, and fixing any strength imbalances will help avoid low back pain with squatting.
If you're looking to improve your squat or reduce low back pain and you're located in Seattle, WA I would love to help you. Feel free to book a free discovery call by clicking here.
You can also check out my comprehensive 8-week low back-specific accessory program for CrossFit athletes designed to improve mobility, decrease pain, and increase performance so you can keep getting after it in the gym.
