How to Train Around Back/Knee Pain
Disclaimer: The following article is not to be taken as medical advice. Pain can be more complex in some cases and if you do not have any experience around pain or are unsure what the cause of your pain in, I recommend that you absolutely get assessed by a Physical Therapist/Physio, Chiropractor. If local to the Lehigh Valley, reach out to Jesse Dugan at Pain 2 Performance | United States (pain2performancechiro.com)
Pain SUCKS. We know it and no one wants to be in pain. but the reality is that sometimes we are going to feel aches and pain as we age, whether we train or not. It is part of the human condition. Especially if you are training hard. We aren’t perfect and sometimes have technique faults.
Sometimes the pains are acutely related to an exercise technique breakdown, and sometimes you just go on a long hike or play a new sport and you roll an ankle which somehow creates back pain later down the line.
Pain is a check engine light most of the time, not blown motor.
People tend to think of pain as a broken motor when it is usually a sign that they just need to change the oil and do basic maintenance.
It also could be a sign that your technique on a particular exercise was off and needs work.
My Story with Pain
I've dealt with different aches and pains in the past.
One of the most impactful was a disc herniation that was caused by ego-lifting with poor technique in around 2014. I deadlifted 400 pounds for the first time in a CrossFit gym and my technique was absolute dogshit. The following day, I proceeded to do some bent over rows at a local Gold's Gym and I felt a pop.
This led to me dealing with the worst back pain I had experienced, sciatic pain shooting to my right foot and got me to the point that I was laying on the ground and had to go to the emergency room for pain medication.
I also had absolutely no experience with physical therapy, restorative exercise or injuries as I didn't have much of a chance to play sports in high school and deal with sports related injuries.
In hindsight, this was an experience that catapulted me into researching corrective exercise and proper training technique so I could avoid ever having to experience that kind of pain again.
I have dealt with small injuries on and off since then, especially since I was continuing to train hard and got into Powerlifting and competing, but I have learned a great deal since after a lot of self education from great resources like Pre-Script, Squat University, Renaissance Periodization and Hybrid Performance Method on the topics of Joint pains and safe training around them. I also have learned a lot from physical therapists and chiros that I have met in the gym setting and even gotten services from.
So What Should I do if I get Injured Training?
Let’s say you have something similar to my story above and you tweak your lower back while training or wake up one day feeling Back Pain. Here are my top recommendations.
DON’T FREAK OUT.
The world is in fact not ending. All progress is not out the window. and you are not going to lose 30lbs of muscle mass because you have to step back for a little bit.
When you opened up this article, you saw the disclaimer at the top. I DO believe it is important for you to get assessed, especially if you aren’t confident to do any movements without hurting yourself more.
Now with that out of the way, most Physios and Chiros worth their salt will agree with me that it is important to stay positive and that more movement, especially regressed movements, is better for you than sulking and staying still.
Articles like this are not meant to diagnose your pain, but more so to give you hope.
GET MOVING
In most mild cases of back/knee pain, there are some ranges of motion that are less painful than others or completely pain free. WORK IN THOSE RANGES OF MOTION.
If your knees hurt beyond a certain range of motion in squats, then use an adjustable stool, box or bench to sit down to as you squat in the pain-free range of motion. Consider looking at ankle mobility and hip mobility. You can also go through a test in this short video i made to assess squat depth: SQUAT DEPTH STRUGGLES?? Try this test! - YouTube. If pain persists after resting it then consider reaching out to a physical therapist/chiro for assessment.
If your back hurts when bending past a certain point, grab a broom handle and perform some weightless RDLS (Use this as reference) to slowly build back some range of motion. There almost ALWAYS some kind of regressed exercise that you can do to get feeling better and nbuild back range of Motion.
This YouTube Short shows an example of some movements I used after waking up with some bad SI joint pain one day after some plyometric and boxing workouts seemingly randomly. SI JOINT PAIN RECOVERY - YouTube
ENSURE YOU INCLUDE CORE STABILITY EXERCISES
Core stability exercises like the Bird Dog, Dead Bug and Side Plank (shown in this video: Pain 2 Performance Mobility Program - YouTube) are great for back pain because they are regressed exercises to work on core stabilization of the spine in all angles, front back and side.
ASSESS PROGRESS
Chances are that Movement and good regressed exercises/stretches made you feel better. Great!
Just know that it is going to take some time to see significant reduction in pain. If you had an acute injury today and you went searching for articles, chances are that you are going to feel stiff and in pain in the morning. Go back to step 1 and DON’T FREAK OUT. This is because your body tightens up due to lack of movement when sleeping, so you are going to back to get back to it.
Do this for a few days and you should note some progress.
If not then at this point you should be reaching out for an assessment with a physical therapist or Chiro because there may be something underlying that they can catch and assess you for.
DON’T LOSE HOPE!
I had an SI-Joint injury a few weeks back waking up with an 8/10 pain seemingly out of nowhere, and I immediately went into my plan noted above. It only took be a few days to get back to deadlifting over 300 again pain-free.
Pain can be frustrating, but don’t let it defeat you!
Pain is part of the human condition regardless of your training age. The most important thing to remember is that when you have the tools and knowledge to manage it and correct the things that may have caused it, pain will never define you or control you again. You will just say “Challenge Accepted.”
If you end up seeing a physical therapist or a chiro, take it as a class and LEARN about your symptoms and potential causes so you can improve, prevent it from happening again, and move forward stronger!
If you have made it this far, Thank you for checking out some of my writing! I hope you enjoyed some of my random meals pictured throughout!
I hope you find it useful and have some takeaways!
If you are STRUGGLING with constantly being in and out of a fitness routine or Nutrition plan, you aren’t alone. The information is out there. We know what we need to do (for the most part). But still most people struggle and cannot keep it up for a long-period of time.
If this sounds familiar, let me help you create a long-term relationship with fitness with my Online Coaching or In-Person Coaching. Fill out a Contact Form and I will get right to you!
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