Thinking about temporarily dropping squats.. help?

[MrWest]

I'm starting to think I need to drop squats for a couple months to let a possible injury recover/be prevented.

After every workout I do atg squats a nerve next to my tailbone(I think my sciatic) has a radiating pain for a couple days.. some times it's dull, sometimes it's crippling. I haven't tried deloading since I've been able to add weight each workout, but I don't want this to become a long-term issue.
I don't understand why it is that squats seem to aggravate it, while deadlifts don't at all.

So I figure I should drop/switch the lift for a month+ till that pain is completely gone..

I don't want my quads/squatting weight to fall far behind so what exercise(s) would you choose to temporarily switch?
Hack squat sled or leg press or another?

 

[bobbythebody]

What ever doesn't hurt man. Sciatica can really suck, so don't let it get out of hand. Go get a deep tissue massage. You need to work the piriformis, gemellis superior and inferior, should help with the pain.

 

[MrWest]

What ever doesn't hurt man. Sciatica can really suck, so don't let it get out of hand. Go get a deep tissue massage. You need to work the piriformis, gemellis superior and inferior, should help with the pain.

So I've heard. As soon as I read about it I started taking some anti-inflammatories and have been rolling out the area with hard pressure from a tennis ball/pvc pipe
Thanks for the tips.

 

[diggydev]

So I've heard. As soon as I read about it I started taking some anti-inflammatories and have been rolling out the area with hard pressure from a tennis ball/pvc pipe
Thanks for the tips.

When i had the sciatic pain/piriformis pain goblet squats and lunges were pretty much pain free for me. My piriformis pain used to be unbearable (like drive off a bridge unbearable) I did have 2 epidural shots about 6 years ago...they seemed to help as well along with core/ab strengthening, and good stretching post workouts.

 

[DADAWG]

consider a trip to a GOOD chiropracter .

 

[portmax29]

Had the same problem, had my l5 and l6 out. What worked for me was spinal decompression. I started off with a inversion table I got from big 5 but didn't seem to do much. I ended up going to a chiro that had a inversion table and went 3 times a week for 2 months. Now I can do whatever I want with no pain. If you end up doing it, keep with it you won't see results right away.

 

[Natehayes]

I had really good luck with stretching when I had a similar problem.

Google "pigeon pose". That's the one that really fixed me up.

 

[MrWest]

consider a trip to a GOOD chiropracter .

I thought about doing so, but that's more of a last resort in my book.

Had the same problem, had my l5 and l6 out. What worked for me was spinal decompression. I started off with a inversion table I got from big 5 but didn't seem to do much. I ended up going to a chiro that had a inversion table and went 3 times a week for 2 months. Now I can do whatever I want with no pain. If you end up doing it, keep with it you won't see results right away.

Wouldn't doing exercises like weighted chins/dips have the same effect?(assuming the weight is roped around your hips pulling down..)

I had really good luck with stretching when I had a similar problem.

Google "pigeon pose". That's the one that really fixed me up.

I'm a big fan of that stretch, it feels great.


Thanks for all the replies.

 

[VirginMuscle]

I thought about doing so, but that's more of a last resort in my book.


Wouldn't doing exercises like weighted chins/dips have the same effect?(assuming the weight is roped around your hips pulling down..)

I'm a big fan of that stretch, it feels great.


Thanks for all the replies.

I wouldn't be so quick to write off a chiropractor. I had/have herniated discs in my neck and lower back from overseas. Even though I was strong on squats, I never realized my abs were as frail as a kitten, which probably contributed to the problem.

What worked for me (currently pain free):
1. Stopped all forms of deadlifting. Whatever hurts, don't do right?

2. Lots of heavy ab work. Ab wheel, weighted crunches, leg raises until I was strong enough to do hanging pikes, then ankle weights.

3. Lots of easy cardio. Walking every morning outside.

4. Stretching after every workout. The muscle is warm and primed for this.

What didn't work:
1. Trying to go back to deadlifts because I still love them. It's a love-hate relationship.

2. Back extensions. The inflammation and pump can become excruciating if hyper-extending for multiple repetitions.

3. Trying to "crack" my lower back. It never provided any pain relief so I don't know why I kept doing it.

What May Work for you:

Have you tried front squats? Maybe your lower back is just rounding in the hole due to weak abs or inflexibility.

 

[VirginMuscle]

Forgot to mention, a few trips to my chiropractor got me from military pressing just the 45lb barbell to over 225 in just a few visits. My disc was pinching my nerve and stopping it from firing. Find a good one and you won't regret it.

 

[ErectusMaximus]

This is making me wanna see the chiro. Yeah I would do dynamic stretching, like marching soldier ( frankenstiens) and w/e workout does not aggrivate the nerve for a while. I bet a few visits to the chiro and you would know if its for you or not too.