Why do Back Hurt After Squats? (2023)

Back Pain After Squats

Squatting can be demanding, especially if someone doesn’t have good technique, flexibility or muscle strength. Further squat training can cause few complications with our body, and one of them is back pain.

As a person who likes to train legs with squats and is a physical therapist, I want to explain how squats can cause back pain and how to deal with it.

Squats can cause back pain, both in the upper, middle or lower part. Most common is lower back pain and it is usually a result of improper squatting techniques, such as loss of neutral curve of the spine during the squat movement.

Other factors that may provoke back pain during squats are bar position, reduced mobility and/or stability in joints, inadequate breathing technique.

Even though squatting is the primary exercise for the legs, the upper back can be affected after squatting.

The most common weak spots are the neck area and the area between the shoulder blades. Bar placement plays a huge role in stressing the upper body with squatting.

Squatting under heavy loads can impact form and cause ‘morning squat position’, which isn’t desirable for middle back muscles.

It puts a lot of pressure on them and can further damage the muscles (muscle strains and spasms).

The lower back is the first part of the spine that suffers from poor squatting technique.

Because of that, there are the highest chances of experiencing muscle pain in the lower back after squats.

The main reason for back pain after squatting is poor squatting technique. That doesn’t mean it’s the only reason.

Other things can cause back pain after squatting. See the entire list:

1. Poor squatting technique/Rounding of the back
2. ‘Butt wink’
3. Weak knee extensors/m.quadriceps
4. Weak core muscles
5. Poor ankle mobility
6. Poor hip mobility and stability
7. Forcing the back squats
8. Adding weight to poor squatting form
9. Bar placement
10. Breathing exercises

Loss of natural curve of the lumbar spine and rounding of the back happens very often when people start with squat training.

People don’t know how much is beneficial to hold the torso upright and combat the loss of the lumbar curve during the squat. That way avoids unnecessary pressure on the lower back and muscle strains.

If squatting becomes too hard and you make a tiny pause in the lifting phase, often are knee extensors too weak for training challenges.

That results in increased lumbar spine extension with putting extra stress on it.

For spine to be stable, core muscles need to be strong and provide spine protection during the squat movement. How to know if you have weak core muscles?

Simply. If you can’t control your trunk during the squat, you should consider training core stabilizers before squatting.

Reduced ankle dorsiflexion will restrict knees from moving forward, and the trunk will compensate with flexing forward. That means only more pressure for the spine and surrounding muscles.

Read simple instructions that I use for avoiding back pain with squat training. Here is my routine in order:

• Use a foam roller for the back and legs
• Warm-up gluteal and abdominal muscle group
• Add mobility exercises for hips and ankle
• Place bar just above the shoulder blades (apply for back squat)
• Breath in – hold breath as going down – breath out as you go up
• Maintain torso straight during the squat
• Find the proper squat depth before ‘butt wink’
• Rotate squat variations weekly
• Follow the intensity and volume, and increase only one per week. Intensity: max 5% increase in weights weekly. With 100kg squat in week one, increase the weight to 105kg for the following week.
• Use a lifting belt if needed.
• Use heal lift if needed (when ankle dorsiflexion is greatly reduced)

Massage treatments, acupuncture or fascial stretching therapy is also a good way to ‘reset’ the muscle tension and avoid overtraining injuries.

If you already have back pain caused by squatting, I highly suggest you consult your physical therapist. It is the easiest way to exclude any serious injuries and start with needed treatments.

1. Never start squatting heavy without warm-up– Use at least 10-15 min to prepare your body for training. Jogging or riding a bike is an easy way to prepare your body for strength training.
2. Always have a training plan and training journal– If you end up with low back pain after squat and doesn’t have a training plan and journal, you would never be able to find the source of the problem.
3. Quality before quantity– Learn the ‘perfect’ squatting form first, and then add weights.
4. Do at least three squat variations.
5. Don’t forget aerobic physical activity– Light physical activity supports strength training and increases the regeneration rate in muscles and joints, which means you recover faster after squatting.

Squatting with acute lower back pain is not recommended because the lower back is a complex and sensitive area, and further squatting can damage the spine even more.

Finding out what is causing the pain and relieving it should be a top priority.

With different squat variations, you can easily create training programs for weight loss. One of the best methods is HIIT (high-intensity interval training), which you can use to `burn` many calories and lose fat tissue.

Being able to squat in a good way is beneficial for the function of the lower body because you will train legs in a way that you use them every day.

All activities such as squatting, bending the spine, or going up or downstairs will be easier for you to perform.

The deep squat is the best way to increase the size and muscle strength of gluteal muscles. On the other hand, this position makes the lower back prone to injuries such as muscle strain.

Because of that, you should be very careful when adding deep squat variations.

I recommend you always check that spine is in the correct position, as well as there is no ‘butt wink’.

The best squat variation that doesn’t stress the lower back is the front squat. With front squats, you need to activate abdominal muscles to maintain an upright torso.

Lifting the heels by about 5cm when squatting will reduce the press on the lower back even more. It will also increase the activation of m.quadriceps.

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• Lower back spasm and loss of mobility– Read more about how you can react when dealing with painful spasms in the lower back and restricted mobility. Few exercises included.
• Tight glutes causing lower back pain – How can glutes influence lower back health and what to do in order to reduce the pain/discomfort in the lower back.
• Hip flexors and back pain –How hip flexor muscle group is causing constant pressure in the lower back and few examples of proven exercises for improving the function of the hip flexors.
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