Squat scars

[THE KLASH]

Lately whenever i've been squatting i get really bad scarring and deep welts where the bar rests on my back.

It's getting to the point where my back isn't healing from workout to workout and the pain is really bad.

I took some pics after today's workout and this was after squatting 140kg for 2 sets of 5.

You can see the old scarring beneath the fresh one from a few weeks where I tried an ultra low bar position, but t has come back in the proper low bar position.

http://i732.photobucket.com/albums/w...1/IMG_0016.jpg

http://i732.photobucket.com/albums/w...1/IMG_0015.jpg

Any advice on how to fix this would be appreciated.

[Mark Rippetoe]

I don't think you understand the term "scar". Is English your native language?

[danimal1991]

In my experience with this, this only happens when the bar is allowed to move while on your back. I only have this happen if I'm doing an unusual amount of reps i.e. a 20RM, you are probably allowing the bar to move, however slightly while on your back. Make sure your keeping your elbows up when you squat and wearing a cotton tshirt, if you have chalk and someone useful around at squat time have them put chalk across where the bar rests.

[THE KLASH]

I don't think you understand the term "scar". Is English your native language?

Whatever you would you like me to call it, I think you get the gist. It's aggravated skin, which has formed a welt, which, if continually aggravated may cause a haemoatoma, which could lead to scarring as the lower line shows.

Do you have any advice on how to fix this, or is it a problem you have ever run into with your trainees?

[thersites]

Klash,

Many (most?) of us get marks on our backs from the bar doing squats after the weight gets up there. They aren't scars, as they would go away if you took a break. That said, here are some things that help reduce the amount of irritation. Just like you will probably always get some callousing on your hands, there may always be some irritation on your upper back from squats.

First, make sure you are wearing a cotton shirt, not synthetic. Synthetic allows slipping, which will give you a brush burn like effect with heavy enough weight as the knurling rubs. Make sure the cotton shirt is not really thin (I once lifted in an undershirt after work, and will never do that again).

Second, use chalk on your shirt where you will place the bar. Again, this can help keep the bar from moving, especially if you sweat a lot.

Third, make sure you are doing the necessary things to secure the bar on your back (like lifting your elbows, etc.).

[gman]

Are you by any chance relaxing your upper back once the loaded bar is in place?

[elVarouza]

There are three reasons why I've ever had pain from the bar when I squat. Note that I too have bruises on my back from the bar, but I don't ever have pain, unless at least one of the following three occur:

1. I haven't done squats in awhile. If I took a couple weeks off, for whatever reason, the first few workouts will leave some nasty bruises and the bar will hurt my back. But then it goes away after 2-3 workouts.

2. The bar is slipping around on my back. If the bar isn't held tight in the proper position and rolls around a bit it has the potential to hurt my back, shoulders, and elbows.

3. The bar is in the wrong position on my back. This doesn't happen anymore since I'm used to the correct position, but if the bar is too high, usually on top of the spine of scapula instead of below it, there can be a lot of pain, since the bar is essentially resting on a bone.

[tbennett]

For what it's worth, my wife was *horrified* at what developed on my back after a month of squatting - it actually did look like a scar, and it felt rough and nasty.

Fast forward to 4-5 months later, and it's *gone,* whatever it was - no callus, no discoloration, and certainly no pain. The body's ability to adapt never fails to amaze....

[celconicuzn]

Are you squatting shirtless or with one of those silky no-sweat underarmor-ish shirts?
Is the bar rotating in your hands while you squat?
I've never heard or seen anything this drastically bad. Even on my heaviest PR's. If you squat with a shirt on maybe try using some chalk on your shoulder blades where it rests..
Take a video with emphasis placed on the position the bar is on your back/shoulder blades.

[Mark Rippetoe]

It's aggravated skin, which has formed a welt, which, if continually aggravated may cause a haemoatoma, which could lead to scarring as the lower line shows.

Here at startingstrength.com we value precision of language, because if you haven't got precision, just exactly what the fuck do we have, hmm? A welt, in the sense you're using the term, is a surface contact irritation affecting the dermis in its upper layers. It is essentially an inflammatory condition, the result of changes in the skin that do not involve the gross disruption of the structures involved. A welt, even if continually aggravated, will not convert to a hematoma in the absence of enough trauma. A hematoma is a bruise, blood leaking from ruptured vessels of various diameters. The rupture would be caused by enough trauma to disrupt the gross structure of the vessels. This can cause scarring, which is a type of replacement tissue that does not function like the original tissue of the affected area. Scarring could be caused by both the initial trauma and the secondary trauma caused by the inflow of blood into interstitial areas and the resulting tissue disruption. But the scarring would be below the skin in the structures subjected to the hematoma, not on the irritated surface. If the trauma were severe enough to disrupt the dermis at the same time, the scarring might be present in these affected structures as well.

We don't have trouble with this here because the bar stays where it is placed. The advice above is good, so follow it.