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My lower back has been sore for a few weeks. I think I hurt it bringing the weight too low on the incline leg press (with a little too much weight on it), but I'm not 100% sure.

I was wondering if it would help in the long run if I started doing lower back exercises - such as this lower back extension machine:

http://www.muscleandstrength.com/exercises/lower-back-machine-extension.html

it should help but if you've had pain this long, you should check with a trainer or a doctor before starting anything that concentrates on that region.

The leg press can aggravate back pain, although I wonder what else you are doing. Having recovered from a broken L5 vertebra I have a bit of experience with low back pain. For me the answer was not doing the low back stuff particularly. I focused on standing exercises that worked core and low back muscles indirectly. By doing this for a few months and avoiding isolating those muscles at first I was able to gain the necessary strength to work those areas specifically. If you choose to target these areas specifically at first I would recommend that you learn some bodyweight/yoga strenghtening exercises and start with those and only move to the weighted stuff when you are able to do those without aggravating your back, and once the back pain has initially resolved.

Be really, really careful about continuing without being evaluated by a doctor. For example, a common cause of lifting related back pain can be a bulging disk. Often times with rest these resolve in a matter of weeks without further trouble. However, continually aggravated and not given rest they can develop into a ruptured disk in which case you might well be headed for spine surgery. Let's see rest versus surgery...hmmm thats not a difficult choice in my book. So do consider taking it easy for awhile and seeking out medical advice from a competent physician.

On top of all of the above good advice, I would advise seeing a chiropractor. The back is one of their specialties.

okay, i just got scared, ive been having lower back pain everytime i bend over past a certain angle, and im wondering if its because i dont focus enough on lifting with my legs instead of my back. Bulged disk? -I hope not. Can I run? Can i still do weights? Can i do back exericises? HELP!!!

Thanks to YngHungSFSD and everyone else for the advice!

I think it's safe to say your lower back pain is NOT because of weak abs. Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamn!

A lot of back pain is due to hip disfunction; pelvic imbalance, piriformis, and psoas muscles.

In other words, your back hurts because your hip flexors, lower abs, glutes, groin, etc. are putting too much pressure on your lower back.

I find many men with lower back problems also have a leg length discrepancy. If you do sit-ups, you probably have a tight psoas muscle on one side pulling up the hip. The psoas starts on your mid back spine; comes from the back to the front of your body and hooks onto your hip.

go see a good massage therapist!

OK, so I decided to just avoid leg press exercises for the last two weeks - and NOT to keep using the lower back extension machine - and my back is starting to feel better. Thanks again for the advice...

Pain when bending at certain angles can definitely be indicative of disc problems. Think of the disc as a fluid filled cushion like a water bed. When you apply pressure to one side by bending, you force fluid to the other side, just like if you sit on one side of a water bed the other side gets more water.

It can also be indicative of spinal ligament problems resulting in some degree of spinal instability. Now in all fairness it can also be just a pissed off muscle.

I would suggest that you see a doctor and have a flexion/extension study done to make sure you are having excessive movement of the vertebra and or disc issues. The flexion/extension study is a series of x rays taken while you are bending at certain angles. It's cheaper then a MRI, can detect structural issues that occur from bending and can be a good indicator of whether or not an MRI is necessary. The doctor may see a narrowed disc space which can indicate the need to look further. Or they may see that everything looks really good and can save the expense of an MRI, in which case you simply need rest.

Keep in mind that most disc problems can resolve on their own with a lengthy period of rest, and a carefully designed program when you start to train again.

None of this is meant to scare you, but the back is a dangerous thing to leave unchecked as it is fundamental to every movement and position of the entire body.

If this hasn't resolved in ten days I would definitely have things checked out.

Oh, I've the same problem. My coach said that 'tis usual problem and 'tis caused of wrong doing. The bottom must be parallel to floor when it lowered and the back must be straight. If I feel pain in the back, I usually strech it. It always helps.

Most lower back pain is caused by muscle spasms
usually brought on by overworking the muscle or muscle imbalance

if this happens to you
the best way to work thru it is work the back muscles Very lightly.... little to no weight - stretching to break up the spasm and not make it any worse

I think you may have a posterior pelvic tilt.
Are your hamstrings tight?

Wow...I generally attribute back pain to lack of core strength but you are way ripped down there. I do supermans..to make sure my lower abs and back muscles are balanced. I do twists too and I stretch out the back of the legs every other day. Lots of times back pain is really a low grade kidney problem. Kidneys can stress from too much sex. Try cutting down on sex for two weeks ( that means no jackin off too) ...Also try a kidney flush ( no sugar cranberry juice is one way) ...and try a lymphatic massage . I used to have huge debilitating back problems when i was young. My back is great now. I hit the back problem from many angles.

RealMasc saidI think you may have a posterior pelvic tilt.
Are your hamstrings tight?

No. I never actually went to have my back checked out - I think it could re-injure pretty easily, but I've tried to stay away from exercises like the incline leg press. Should still see a doctor I guess...

Is the pain centered in miidle of back about 2 inches above your glutes. It could be a sacatica Nerve problem Does the pain some time radiate down the leg? I know I misspelled Nerve but you know what I mean. Nice warm soaking and treat yourself to a massage might help

YngHungSFSD said Having recovered from a broken L5 vertebra I have a bit of experience with low back pain.

Wow, me too. I had two hairline fractures in two separate lubar vertebra years ago. I wasn't sure what was wrong because other muscles were over compensating and I had problems with my hips, gluteals as well as lower back.

I went to a physical therapist and was taught how to do a lot of core stabilizing exercises. This was years before I became a personal trainer.

Luckily that only happened once. In my case I got it from over-training and my job that instigated poor body mechanics/posture.

To the poster of this site. I recommend making sure you know what the problem is by seeking out a professional. They may recommend X-rays and then a protocol to work that's specifically designed to meet your needs.

I had no idea I had two hairline fractures in my lumbar vertebra. I could have really caused some serious permanent damage.

Good luck.

DC you def have strong abs which should help reduce the buden on your back. I have read so many articles that talk about strengthening abs after a back injury is healed. Looks like your abs r in great shape. Give it time to HEAL!! Have you ever tried yoga?? Or heated whirlpool therapy?

thesportjocdoc saidA lot of back pain is due to hip disfunction; pelvic imbalance, piriformis, and psoas muscles.

In other words, your back hurts because your hip flexors, lower abs, glutes, groin, etc. are putting too much pressure on your lower back.

I find many men with lower back problems also have a leg length discrepancy. If you do sit-ups, you probably have a tight psoas muscle on one side pulling up the hip. The psoas starts on your mid back spine; comes from the back to the front of your body and hooks onto your hip.

go see a good massage therapist!

I remember about ten years ago -- when I first started exercising regularly -- sit-ups were a big part of my routine.
I eventually switched to crunches.
Last summer, I decided to return to sit-ups, and within hours my back was killing me!
I've heard over the years that sit-ups are very bad for the back. Ten years ago, that wasn't an issue -- but I'll probably never do them again.
Is stretching a good way to overcome this?

DC guy it does look like you have some killer abs and strengthening your core muscles may still help with your lower back pain, but flexibility training should also really help. If you do see a physiotherapist/massage therapist or trainer make sure to ask them about stretches for your lower back and hamstrings.

For anyone else experiencing lower back pain try doing sit up with a swiss ball, I've found it has helped me and my clients gain strength and reduce lower back pain immensely and there are a ton of variations you can do with the swiss ball.



Sam