Why Does my Back Ache even though it is strong?

[ricepower]

I started stronglifts (my first ever training of any kind) beginning of 09. One of my main aims was to correct chronic ailments I have with my body which I came to realise were probably due to weakness/lack of muscle.

I had for a number of years had back ache when on feet for a while. I felt generally weak and fragile all over, while at the same time feeling heavy & sluggish (being generally poor at sports because of these many issues)

Weightlifting quickly fixed posture and developed lots of strength & stability in core. Back ache when standing quickly dissapeared and I was standing taller & straighter. I went from having difficulty deadlifting an empty bar (im not lying) to 105kg at the moment. (68kg BW) Squat is lagging a bit at 82.5kg but I have progressed a lot for sure.

My torso looks completely different and feels better, I can hold planks/prone bridges for 100 seconds.

However, as stable and sturdy my spine/back feels most of the time I have an issue which continually surprises me;

I still get incredible lower back pain when doing things like mopping! Just a short time of being bent over (try to bend at the hips minimising spinal flexion) Yet it is so incredibly achy moving around being bent over. I get similar issues for sweeping too and probably more I cant think of.

I was just wondering why I feel such a great ache on lower back (erectors?) when doing such basic activity? Is there anything I can do to solve it?

[maroon]

Hey man!

First of all grats on all your progress, you seem to have gained a lot of benefits by strength training

I won't even go anywhere near trying to recommend anything for your back problems - but have you seeked professional assistance?

Describe the problems to them in a detailed manner and see if they have any input. It sounds like something that can't simply be solved by forum advice!

[holvoetn]

I still get incredible lower back pain when doing things like mopping! Just a short time of being bent over (try to bend at the hips minimising spinal flexion) Yet it is so incredibly achy moving around being bent over. I get similar issues for sweeping too and probably more I cant think of.

I was just wondering why I feel such a great ache on lower back (erectors?) when doing such basic activity? Is there anything I can do to solve it?

Try a longer stick.
It is quite common for people to get pain in the back when mopping or sweeping the floor with a too short stick.
A longer stick will allow you to stay more upright.

I have the same problem when doing the dishes in a sink which is too low. It's my eternal excuse to escape from doing it

[ricepower]

Try a longer stick.
It is quite common for people to get pain in the back when mopping or sweeping the floor with a too short stick.
A longer stick will allow you to stay more upright.

I have the same problem when doing the dishes in a sink which is too low. It's my eternal excuse to escape from doing it

Well the thing is I am not a tall person, and everyone else gets along just fine with a regular stick. I just cant understand why I am able to max out on squats & deadlifts with no lower back soreness at all. Yet I due the most gentle thing which requires being slighty bent over and it creates so much aching very rapidly.

[Shoke]

Try a longer stick.
It is quite common for people to get pain in the back when mopping or sweeping the floor with a too short stick.
A longer stick will allow you to stay more upright.

I have the same problem when doing the dishes in a sink which is too low. It's my eternal excuse to escape from doing it

Well the thing is I am not a tall person, and everyone else gets along just fine with a regular stick. I just cant understand why I am able to max out on squats & deadlifts with no lower back soreness at all. Yet I due the most gentle thing which requires being slighty bent over and it creates so much aching very rapidly.

I agree with maroon and suggest you seek a professional. THere's absolutely no point in being able to deadlift and squat big if you can't even do simple household tasks without pain ........btw, are you mopping the floor the day after heavy deadlifts, since in that case, it's different

[cripmeister]

I get pain in my back too doing the same things. I feel I'm always leaning my upper body to the right (I'm right handed) when I'm doing these things. I try to switch to a left handed grip every once in a while just to mix things up a bit, I think it works. Do you sit in front of the computer a lot (at work, at home)? If so, never sit for more than 30 minutes without doing some stretching or something.

/Chris

[atypical1]

Think about it for a minute. When you squat and deadlift you're protecting your back and making sure that your posture and form is correct. Now, when you're mopping are you doing the same thing? How's your form look then? People say "do the most gentle things" but our bodies (our backs) aren't mean to be bent over like that. What you're suffering is quite common and it's because you're doing an unnatural motion.

I tend to mop on my hands and knees to keep me from having to be bent over. In fact I do what I can to not bend over, twist, etc.

james

[eLvarouza]

Think about it for a minute. When you squat and deadlift you're protecting your back and making sure that your posture and form is correct. Now, when you're mopping are you doing the same thing? How's your form look then? People say "do the most gentle things" but our bodies (our backs) aren't mean to be bent over like that. What you're suffering is quite common and it's because you're doing an unnatural motion.

Still, it seems unusual for mopping to be causing such a great deal of pain. While our spines are safest and strongest in their natural lordotic curves, there shouldn't be huge amounts of pain when flexing the spine under normal (read: unweighted) circumstances for a healthy individual. I'd recommend getting it checked out.

[ricepower]

It not really a 'huge pain' but more like a very significant ache. Imagine a really old person with arthritis getting a sore achy back after picking something up. Its a bit like that.

When sweeping/mopping/digging I have always focused on posture and body movement. I tend to move in smooth gliding motion from legs & hips avoiding bending or twisting spine. But I still develop an ache very quickly.

[sjl]

I don't know what arthritus feels like.

But, I've had two types of back pain. One in the low back muscles from carrying heavy stuff like a furniture mover and walkig forward and backward in that loaded position (back horizontal).
The other is when I got around 70-LBS. on OHP and my low back started flip-flopping like a fish. I was still only at about 100LBS. on DL and squats, so my back was not that strong, yet. And I could tell it was in the vertabrae/ligaments. And that went away in a day or two.

When I had the muscle pain from bent over lifts that lasted weeks, it would hurt to twist my torso like mopping would.

[Shoke]

try bending your legs into a lunge when you mop the floor? =)

[Rockfella]

I think its your incorrect posture. (I am no doctor) Try keeping your back straight while mopping, it it doensot help seek professional advice asap.

[DeadStrength]

The other thing is to try to extend your hips back to get your lower back arched when you mop or sweep. As atypical was saying, you're protecting your back when you squat or deadlift. But when you bend over to mop or sweep, if you have a problem that should be checked by a medical professional, which you might, and you are rounding your lower back, which you likely are, then you will have pain.

[portmaster1000]

Check out the techniques in this book - http://www.amazon.com/Steps-Pain-Free-Back-Solutions-Shoulder/dp/0979303605/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1257875550&sr=8-1

They have done wonders for my lower back.