Squat Back Pain; Leg Length Discrepancy or Wandering Knees?

[CamperJoe15]

tl;dr at bottom

Hello. This is my first time posting, so please let me know if I format something incorrectly.


I am having lower back pain after squatting, and I think it is caused by either:

A: A leg length discrepancy that causes unevenness in my hips.
or...
B: My knees not being pushed out far enough.
or...
C: An unevenness of leg length causing my knees to not be pushed out far enough.

I attended the August Squat and Deadlift training camp, where my issues did not seem as noticeable as they had been in previous training sessions. I did not notice any pain then, and Rip didn't say anything about my leg length. It frustrates me that I still am dealing with these problems, and I am not sure how to fix them. Here are two videos of my technique; one at 275 x 5, and one at 185 x 5 (with an emphasis on shoving knees out).

275 x 5: YouTube
185 x 5: YouTube

I am aware that there is an issue with knee placement, but I'm stuck as to how to go about fixing it or determining if it is caused by uneven leg length. Even after knocking down the weight and focusing on shoving my knees out I still find them caving in, causing a tilt in my hips resulting in back pain. If it is not Leg Length Discrepancy (LLD), should I knock the weight down even further? I tried narrowing my stance, should that help?

TL;DR - I think my knees are caving in (especially noticeable at 275 x 5) due to either poor technique or LLD. Even after knocking down the weight, I still struggle with pain and uneven hips. Thoughts?

I would really appreciate some feedback. Thanks!

[Pete Troupos]

Can you be more specific with "back pain"? Where exactly is it? Sharp pain that comes and goes, or dull pain that lingers? Both sides?

Is your stance deliberately staggered? Your right foot is offset back about an inch from the left. You don't seem to be trying to get your knees out at the start of 275, but 185 you're actively shoving them out. Your stance looks a bit wide too. Bring it in about a half inch on either side so your heels are under your shoulders.

[CamperJoe15]

Can you be more specific with "back pain"? Where exactly is it? Sharp pain that comes and goes, or dull pain that lingers? Both sides?

Is your stance deliberately staggered? Your right foot is offset back about an inch from the left. You don't seem to be trying to get your knees out at the start of 275, but 185 you're actively shoving them out. Your stance looks a bit wide too. Bring it in about a half inch on either side so your heels are under your shoulders.

Sorry, I guess I could be a little more specific: pain in my lumbar spine, more on the left side than the right (likely from a muscle imbalance causing one side to work harder and shift the spine). It is not a muscle ache pain, but a dull ache that lasts. It might be the camera angle, but I try to be careful with my foot stance. I'll try to bring my right foot a little more forward, and be more aware of my stance.

What concerns me (other than stance and knees out) is that, at 0:28 on the 185 x 5 video, my left knee seems to be slightly higher than my right. Maybe I'm just looking for something to blame other than my technique, but I'm also always afraid something is going to compromise my ability to lift. I'll try to go in and have a chiropractor (or someone) to look at leg length.

I'll definitely try to move my right foot up (slightly) and see if that fixes it. One of the things Nick caught when I was in Witchita Falls was that my left sole has a tendency to stick out further than my right, meaning that I may be prone to stance issues. I really appreciate the response and would love to hear if you have any more insights. Thanks!