Upper back pain after squats

[Sirakoz]

I was warming up for squats last workout, and as I put the wait back on the pins after the warmup set, I felt a sharp pain in my upper back, between my right should blade and my spine.

After, if I looked down, that same area would be painful. I iced it on that same day after the workout, and now, I do get some pain in that area when I look downwards.

I also get some pain when I turn my head to the right, but it goes away within a sec. Same thing happens when I turn my head to the left, but in that case, the pain is between my left should blade and spine.

Any ideas what this could be and how to take care of it?

I'm doing low bar squats btw, and I didn't feel any pain during the squat sets.

 

[rckvl]

Sounds like you just strained a muscle. Give it some rest for a few days, if it doesn't get better or gets worse, see a doctor.

 

[Devil's_Advocate]

One thing I noticed some beginners do is that when they return the bar to the pins, they walk the bar over and then twist to one side while turning their head to make sure the bar makes it over the pin then repeat the same thing for the other side. I am not saying this is what you do but just something to be cognizant of.

Make sure the bar is not sliding around on your back. You need to lock the bar in and hold it there.

Best way to see what you're doing wrong is to video tape yourself from multiple angles.

 

[SteveX]

One thing I noticed some beginners do is that when they return the bar to the pins, they walk the bar over and then twist to one side while turning their head to make sure the bar makes it over the pin then repeat the same thing for the other side. I am not saying this is what you do but just something to be cognizant of. .

I've seen this too. I think the problem is people trying to get the bar exactly on the pins. The goal should be to put the bar too high, hit the rack and then lower the bar down onto the pins.

 

[Sirakoz]

I do exactly what SteveX mentioned. I learned that a while ago from either the book or the video of starting strength.

It's very possible that the bar slid a bit on my back. I'm sure my squat form still needs a bunch of work.

 

[SteveX]

Obviously it's hard to judge what might have went wrong without having been there and seeing how you squat, but just a few things I would keep in mind once you heal up and start squatting again

1. grip the bar as narrow as your shoulder flexibility will allow. This will help keep your upper back tight
2. lift the elbows up and back and chest up to trap the bar between the hands and the upper back. this will put you and the bar in a more stable position
3. once the bar is on your back, don't look around. keep you focus straight forward, or up or, at a spot on the floor 6 ft ahead (whatever doesn't really matter...just don't look around).

If you're already doing those things then great, but I think they need repeating just in case. Just remember not to neglect it on warm-up sets, most people get hurt during light sets because they tend to forget proper technique.

 

[rckvl]

1. grip the bar as narrow as your shoulder flexibility will allow. This will help keep your upper back tight

I would have to take issue with this. The one time I tried narrowing my grip for this exact reason, I strained a muscle in a very similar fashion to the OP.

 

[SteveX]

I would have to take issue with this. The one time I tried narrowing my grip for this exact reason, I strained a muscle in a very similar fashion to the OP.

Is it possible that you weren't following my other two suggestions at the time? They all link together in keeping your upper back tight and stable.

Also I should emphasize the "as narrow as your shoulder flexibility will allow." Going so narrow that you feel discomfort for the sake of going narrower isn't the goal.

 

[rckvl]

Is it possible that you weren't following my other two suggestions at the time? They all link together in keeping your upper back tight and stable.

Also I should emphasize the "as narrow as your shoulder flexibility will allow" going so tight that you feel discomfort for the sake of going narrower isn't the goal.

That could be possible. I would agree overall. I guess my point is to be careful to not go as narrow as possible.

 

[Indivdude]

1. grip the bar as narrow as your shoulder flexibility will allow. This will help keep your upper back tight
2. lift the elbows up and back and chest up to trap the bar between the hands and the upper back. this will put you and the bar in a more stable position
3. once the bar is on your back, don't look around. keep you focus straight forward, or up or, at a spot on the floor 6 ft ahead (whatever doesn't really matter...just don't look around).

Hmm I actually don't do this, at least number 1 anyway. Good stuff Steve, thanks.

TS, I hope you're feeling better in a couple days. Just rest for a while and if it's still painful, see a doc about it. Doesn't seem like anything major but best to be sure if things don't get better soon.

 

[Devil's_Advocate]

Steve that's a pretty spot on advice and is pretty much what I do to lock in the bar.

 

[Sirakoz]

Obviously it's hard to judge what might have went wrong without having been there and seeing how you squat, but just a few things I would keep in mind once you heal up and start squatting again

1. grip the bar as narrow as your shoulder flexibility will allow. This will help keep your upper back tight
2. lift the elbows up and back and chest up to trap the bar between the hands and the upper back. this will put you and the bar in a more stable position
3. once the bar is on your back, don't look around. keep you focus straight forward, or up or, at a spot on the floor 6 ft ahead (whatever doesn't really matter...just don't look around).

If you're already doing those things then great, but I think they need repeating just in case. Just remember not to neglect it on warm-up sets, most people get hurt during light sets because they tend to forget proper technique.

After doing the first 2 steps and unracking the bar, I usually look down to position my feet and then look at where I usually look at. Could that be the cause?

If so, should I learn to position my feet by either looking in the mirror or just getting a feel for it?

 

[SteveX]

After doing the first 2 steps and unracking the bar, I usually look down to position my feet and then look at where I usually look at. Could that be the cause?

If so, should I learn to position my feet by either looking in the mirror or just getting a feel for it?

I can't say for sure if that caused your problem. However, I can say that I have also looked down at my feet before with no ill effects (not that that proves or disproves anything).

You should learn to get a feel for where your feet should be after unracking the bar. One thing that helps me is making sure I'm not walking the weight out too much. Just lift the bar off the pins, take step your feet back into position.

Going much further than being able to clear the pins is a waste of energy and tends to cause me to have to readjust to get into a proper stance (which means I have to look down to see where my feet are).

 

[Merrill]

1. grip the bar as narrow as your shoulder flexibility will allow. This will help keep your upper back tight
2. lift the elbows up and back and chest up to trap the bar between the hands and the upper back. this will put you and the bar in a more stable position
3. once the bar is on your back, don't look around. keep you focus straight forward, or up or, at a spot on the floor 6 ft ahead (whatever doesn't really matter...just don't look around).

Yes!

 

[flipspeed]

To the OP, how long did it take for it to go away? I am feeling the same exact thing, but it happened next day after my squatting session. It's been about 5 days for me so far, sucks..

 

[Modern Warrior1]

This happened to me to. How long did it take to heal.

 

[scoopj]

This happened to me to. How long did it take to heal.

8 years. And the clock starts over any time you look to the side.

 

[Sirakoz]

I was reading this thread and thinking "It sounds like the TS experienced the same problem as me", until I realized it was my thread from over a year ago.

To answer those who asked, I don't remember how long it took to go away, but it wasn't strictly due to squats. It seemed to be a combination of what devilsson said, working on a computer all day long, putting my neck in a screwed up position during the squat/racking, and problems caused by a screwed up overhead press form.

 

[Perfect Moo]

I grip the bar extremely close, almost touching my shoulders, and I've never had any shoulder pain whatsoever when squatting, even after I hurt my rotator cuff.

Highly recommend a close grip in the squat, helps with almost all aspects of my form.