Fighting this back pain... round 2. A little more to go on this time I think

[Kenso]

Ok guys... I tried to keep this short but I wasn't able to. If any of you will take the time to read this - I seriously fucking appreciate it. I've been trying to get back into training hard, I took most of your advices in the thread a few months back with no luck. I do have some more info this time though. Thank you.

Info:
Age 23, Male. 205 lbs.
(before injury
squat ~ 325x5
press ~ 165x3
Deadlift ~ 325x5
Bench ~ 220x5

I don't even have lifting numbers now because I haven't been able to get into that injury free groove for a long time now. I took a long long time off and I'm back at 215 for squats and the pain is coming back. I'll give you the story.

So several months back I injured my back - seemed like an injury that was sometimes acute if I bent over a lot but throbbed with a "deepness" to it throughout the day. I thought that I injured it through a poor deadlift... perhaps that was the last straw on the camels back but I don't think that my deadlift form was the leading factor. I actually don't know if it was form at all, perhaps it was, perhaps it wasn't. I really don't know man, I do know though that a few long days at work when I bent over to pick up something - an extremely painful jolt went up my back and I legitimately fell to the ground as a result. This isn't a regular occurence... as I am student - but If I have a long day's work, I HAVE to wear my weight belt otherwise I am fucked up by the end of it.

okay so trying to get to the point - I don't know for sure what caused my back pain but I have some information now. After trying all sorts of Ice rehab and lifting light, taking time off, etc - I went to a chiropractor. Among a bunch of worthless information, He told me that one of my legs was shorter than the other. this was pretty useful information - but the thing is, I'd been squatting into the 300s for quite some time now. If one leg was shorter than the other and led to injury - wouldn't this injury have been brought to light rather quickly? maybe not? I don't know.

The thing is, I don't know if my leg discrepancy was brought on by lifting, or if I had it to begin with. How do I find this out? How do I know if the leg discrepancy is even the issue. I've read that a tight psoas can cause pelvic tilting... not sure if that's what is going on with me. I can't afford to make a million doctor visits though. I don't have the "lordosis" posture either by the way.

let me tell you something else though, the other night my girlfriend was nice and decided to give me a massage. I was on my stomach and she put her hands right above my ass on the back of my pelvis. She proceeded to push a little on my right side and I guess my pelvis/hip just POPPED and it was sort of painful. The thing that freaked me out about it was that she was able to do it over and over again (like 5 times in 20 seconds) - she popped it a few more times and the pain started to grow exponentially. It was a loud pop too, very loud. My mid lower back on my right side had a deep, thudding pain to it the next day. I hadn't gotten any massages before my back pain... but I just have a tough time believing this "hip popping" existed before my troubles.


so anyway, I'm considering leveling my shoes out to where the length of the discrepancy is accounted for. That seems like the first logical step. but my questions to you knowledgeable folk are:

1. How can I tell if my leg discrepancy was brought upon by lifting, or that it was there before? How can I go about fixing this issue? I have found worthless shit online. It's all shit about "firing your glutes". I'd rather fix the issue as much as possible before just accepting it.

2. Can anyone provide any useful information about the "popping" in my hip. Bear in mind that by myself, I can very rarely replicate this popping, but someone pressing on my pelvis from behind can replicate it very easily, over and over - just like popping your ankle or knuckles - but increasingly painful and intense. just imagine someone on their stomach laying on the bed, and you put your hands on their waist - you barely push down on the right side - and a loud pop results. That's what goes on with me.

3. I've read about the psoas muscle - I don't know if it applies to me or not, but it seems like it is a possibility. How can I address the psoas and eliminate it as a possibility of causing all of this?

Thank you so much for reading this, if I can give ANY more info - let me know. I'm sorry about my post being a bunch of jumbled thoughts... I don't know what the best course of action is from here, but any additional information is wonderful. you don't even have to suggest something - just telling me more relevant information could go a long ways in getting me back training heavy again.

Josh