Lower back injury rehab

[Brutorious]

Hi,

Long time reader/follower of your books and teaching, would like to thank you for your influence on my own training and life. Just wanted to get that out of the way.

I injured my lower back on a few occasions before, twice with squats, one with football. The football and one of the squats, I heard a snap/pop type sound, immediate pain but the next day it was nearly better and slowly after that the pain subsided all together. I kept lifting extremely light and eventually I got back to form in a few weeks.

This latest time happened after I tore my Achilles and had a severe sprained ankle, I couldn't squat or deadlift for awhile but stayed in the gym doing thing's I could tolerate and pressing/pulling movements, after about 4 weeks I could stand to put extra weight on it I started to squat/clean/deadlift again, lightly and slowly.

about 2 months goes by I was warming up front squating 135, cleaning the bar up to the rack position and on the 3rd rep I felt a similar pain to the previous injuries when I bottomed out. I didn't hear anything this time, but the pain didn't go away as quickly.

Now I can barely low bar squat 225+ for reps without pain, and deadlifting anything close to 3 plates gives me pain as well.

I have stayed in the gym, opting for different exercises instead of just taking time off. I have been doing weighted barbell lunges and SLDL, in hopes of helping my lower back recover.

I mean im no competitive athlete anymore, but I was squating 4 plates and deadlifting 5...and I would eventually like to get back to that.

My question is, am I doing the right thing just staying in the gym and trying to rehab my back that way? or should I bite the bullet and give myself 2-4 weeks of rest and come back and I guess start low and micro load back up, making sure to watch my form. I have been training nearly non-stop besides deloading periods for the better part of 6-7 years now, so taking week's off completely is an idea that hilariously frightens me. But I realize it may be what I have to do, I just want to start squating and deadlifting again.

Just a note, but I lack health insurance, just got out of college and havent found a job yet to allow for the income to go get an MRI done. I'm hoping it's just a muscular injury, but I know a herniated disk isn't out of the question. I haven't ever had any tingly/numb feelings in my back or down my legs, so I'm hoping for the best.

[Brutorious]

I was thinking about it and I thought in hopes of a possible recommendation, I should list some more information on my injury.

- It seems to alleviate some pain when I stretch my hamstrings, my glutes hammy's and calves have been extra tight the past few months.
- I can clean still, oddly enough it doesn't seem to bother it
- Heavy Row's also doesn't bother it

- If I lay on my stomach for an extended period of time, it will start to hurt badly.

I know this may sound weird but every once in awhile when the pain is bad usually after a lot of stress put on my lower back, my spine looks like it's got a kink to one side, usually pulling to the left side. Someone told me this is musculature, and I strained a tiny muscle near the lower back, but I don't know how true that is.

The "kink" goes away after about 1 day, usually after sleeping, so does the pain.

[Gina]

I was looking for similar information and because this query and others like it are in the Repetitive Inquiries section I ran a search through Google using this

search site:startingstrength.com "lower back injury"

and read the results that it lists (currently 210). I found some helpful pointers there - I don't know if the same might be true for you?

[madmaxaus]

Have you seen anyone for a diagnosis? I know MRI's are expensive but you should see a chiro/pt/dr whichever you prefer.