Mid-back strain / stiffness

[VinceS]

Hello,

I have been doing SS for some weeks, starting from zero, after years of poorly programmed weightlifting with little to no results. My current working sets are 190 lbs on the squat. I'm 5'9", 36 yo, 180 lbs.

Last week during a warm-up in the squat I felt a weird contraction in my left middle back on my way up (with 150 lbs or so). Some hours after it became painful and the area was swollen and the skin was hot. The pain is worse when I lean forward and stretch the back, it sometimes irradiates into headache on the right side of my head and neck stiffness on the right side. It is clearly not the usual soreness, and it's worse in the morning after waking up.

I have been struggling lately with golfer elbow on that side, fixing my grip and my left shoulder is quite weird : it's very hard for me to get to the squat grip with my left hand/wrist. I have been improving this a lot thanks to some of Starting Strength videos and my elbow pain is not really a problem anymore. I am also in a lot of stress for other reasons lately and I barely sleep 5 to 6 hours a night, not by choice.

Still, I was able to continue my progression as the pain goes away when I train.

I am trying to fix the sleep and recovery issue, cutting caffeine and stressors, with some success. However the pain and stiffness is still there, and the area is still swollen.

I don't want to see my doctor now because I know he will say something along "rest for some weeks and here are some painkillers".

Questions :
- Any exercise to help dealing with the pain ? Medication / Massage / PT ?
- Is it ok to continue training ? Should I deload ?

Foam rolling the area provides some relief but very temporary.

Being french, I am considering traveling to Brussels to check my technique with a SS Coach, as I am on my own here

Thanks !

[Robert Santana]

Travel to Brussels. You need to establish the correct motor pattern. The correct motor pattern is your PT.