Chiro Says, "No One Should Do Squats! They are Too Dangerous!" Is He Right?

[Griz1]

I have a serious lower back issue. I've discussed it extensively with a physiotherapist, a chiro, and a kinesiologist.

They all came to the same conclusion.

If you are currently in pain, don't do them.

If you have a predisposition to hurting your back, you probabbly shouldn't do them.

If you have occasional pain, start squatting with lighter weight to "test" your capabilities there. And slowly and CARFULLY move your weight up while monitoring any discomfort, pain, etc.

With any kind of serious back injury, you will likely never be vein-popping again with squats unless you like playing russian roulette with your back. Squatting is O.K. just not so intense. Instead balance your lessened intensity with other excersises.

If you've never had back problems, squat til you shit yourself.

 

[b fold the truth]

I believe that Louie Simmons broke his back. He also came back to squat to squat over 800, pull over 700, and all at age 50+.

Chuck V has had a back surgery or two and has squatted over 1,000 and pulled over 800 at a body weight of 242 or less.

B True

 

[Bearcub]

I ruptured the S1/L5 disk in my lower back doing box squats. My DC said stop doing squats. I went to my MD and he said stop doing them heavy for six to eight weeks while my back was healing and then start moving the weight up as my recovery progressed.

 

[wnt2bBeast]

I believe that Louie Simmons broke his back. He also came back to squat to squat over 800, pull over 700, and all at age 50+.

Chuck V has had a back surgery or two and has squatted over 1,000 and pulled over 800 at a body weight of 242 or less.

B True

werd!!!!!!

one thing i dont understand about these so called experts???
lets say you have a low back or a back problem tey all come up with tese crazy stupid ass exercise that are supposed to take place of squats????

heres a novel idea WHY NOT STRENGTHEN THE LOWER BACK AND ABS?????
im not proposing one do goodmornings starting at 400 with herniated discs..but why cant reverse hypers light GM's or something of that nature be used to stregnthen the back so that one dau you can actually squat again..Im sure thats exactly what Louie and chuck have done???

 

[Griz1]

Ok despite all that, the bottom line is that to generalize about this topic is to say the least, dangerous.

It depends on the back injury (or surgery) and whether or not you can actually bring it back to full function. No matter how bad you want it, depending on the injury, you just might not be able to get it, and wind up making it worse. The ONLY way to ascertain this is through consult with qualified professionals.

I've brought my back a long way from where it was over the years. But I will never be able to max out my squat. I can put myself in bed for a week by loading up what should be a mere "respectable lift". I still squat but modestly and very carefully.

To advise someone with a back injury to work on their lifts, without knowing what exactly their injury entails, is IMO just bad advice and foolish. What runs through the spine again? There's a reason old people toast to good health and no lower back pain.

Pulling some muscles in your back vs. damaging the actual vertabrae, tissue, or cord are two VERY drastically different things that can impose significantly different lifetime limits to what you can and can't do. Sometimes surgery can do wonders, sometimes it can't.

 

[JohnRobHolmes]

are we talking about squats for strength or squats for looks? if its only looks, then sure you could replace squats with more isolation type movements. if its for power, then i am at a loss for any replacement unless it is front squats or deads. there just isnt any better motion (except front squats and deads) for building up a strong base to support the upper body.

 

[blut wump]

My chiro told me not to do squats, never, not ever. After I started to work them back into my workouts and my back started to improve he asked what I'd been doing recently because "whatever it is, it's working". I haven't yet mentioned the deadlifts

 

[H_T_]

dunno, but since i started doing SQ and DL's, i have yet to have any back problems. or knee.

 

[wnt2bBeast]

Ok despite all that, the bottom line is that to generalize about this topic is to say the least, dangerous.

It depends on the back injury (or surgery) and whether or not you can actually bring it back to full function. No matter how bad you want it, depending on the injury, you just might not be able to get it, and wind up making it worse. The ONLY way to ascertain this is through consult with qualified professionals.

I've brought my back a long way from where it was over the years. But I will never be able to max out my squat. I can put myself in bed for a week by loading up what should be a mere "respectable lift". I still squat but modestly and very carefully.

To advise someone with a back injury to work on their lifts, without knowing what exactly their injury entails, is IMO just bad advice and foolish. What runs through the spine again? There's a reason old people toast to good health and no lower back pain.

Pulling some muscles in your back vs. damaging the actual vertabrae, tissue, or cord are two VERY drastically different things that can impose significantly different lifetime limits to what you can and can't do. Sometimes surgery can do wonders, sometimes it can't.

i was not giving rehab advice nor was i giving a routine for someone with a back problem to follow..my point was that area should be strengthened under a Dr's supervision..

 

[curgeo]

Has anybody read my article yet?

When I was a bodybuilder, it was like clockwork......every six months I would hurt my lower back. My upper back and lats were good size, my legs and everything else were.....but I always put off my lower back and abs for last.....that usually consisted of a couple unweighted crunches and two sets of hypers. I always seemed to injure myself on deadlifts or front squats.

I started to read on powerlifting and got interested in it. Fifteen years of being a bodybuilder was too much, I needed something new. I have not had a back problem since. Due to all the "core" work and posterior chain work we do, I have strengthend my back and made it strong.....no back problems.....my old problems were because my lower back and abs were weak. I also had supertight hamstrings which were also pulling on my back.

Whatever injury you might have should be checked out by a Doctor. Chiro's are useful I feel, but you need to find somebody that understands sports medicine. I actually went to a Doctor that asked me if I was on steroids. I told him no. He told me that they were the reason Walter Payton had a high voice. Huh? He didn't know anything about sports medicine.....I changed Doctors that day.

My point is: I want to go to somebody that can relate to my activity level. If my Doctor now told me that I would injure my spine doing squats I would listen.....she has squatted 315 for 10 reps at 115 bodyweight so she knows about what she is talking about as far as my training.

Abs and lower back should always be made stronger to help alleviate back pain and problems. When doing a heavy lift, your abdominals if strong can take up to 40 percent of the load off your back due to intra abdominal pressure if they are strong. They work together.

Again, Wnt2 was not diagnosing a problem, he was just telling you that the core is important and not to be neglected. Dave Tate talks in his seminar video about sizing up his competition during a meet. He says the guys with the big biceps, huge pecs and wide shoulders he doesn't worry about. He looks at the traps, lower back, glutes and hamstrings (posterior chain). If they look strong, he says it's going to be a long day.