wtf? in all my years of squatting...

[IronFist]

I've never had even one injury, and then today with a warmup set that I'm only doing 2 reps with at the bottom I feel the arch in my back "collapse" for an instant (like my back rounded; I lost the arch) and then I get a fairly scary pain in the middle of my back. Now I always thought that most squatting injuries were to the lower back, but this is the height of the bottom of my pecs, which is definately not lower back.

Fortunately the weight was pretty light (185) so I just tightened my abs HARD which will contract the back as well under these circumstances and stood back up.

I did some stretches and stuff but it still felt funky.

Then I did the stupid thing and went on with my workout. I did some weightless reps first to make sure I was ok. Since I'm starting a new cycle today and I was only doing 2 sets of 5, and my weights were pretty light, I wasn't too concerned. I just made VERY sure that I had a tight arch in my back and that my abs were contracted as hard as I could while I was squatting.

Now I'm back home and it is a nagging soreness. It hurts if I bend the wrong way.

I have no idea what happened. I always try to have perfect form. I'm just glad that it was on a warmup rep and not with some really heavy weights.

[inic]

welcome to my world!
fragile bodies of the world, UNITE!

[Vash]

Sounds like what I did to myself doing bent-over rows one time. My back rounded, got a pain right where you described.

Had muscle cramps/general back pain for about 4 years afterword.

Then, go to the chiropractor after a few more back problems, shows me my spine is all twisty right at the first thorasic vertebrae. I need cracking about once a week minimum, still.

Hope that's not your case.

[Toby]

Did the same thing as you, Iron, except while doing good mornings. My back was collapsing with squats and DL and IIRC Ford told me to try GM's ala Westside's advice to concentrate on lower back strength. 1st one (ever, probably) I loaded up too much (132lb) and one rep was all it did. My back hurt for months afterwards, but being an ego-driven male I didn't rest or get a diagnosis. Now, I'm happy to say it's gone and my lower back is pretty schmick at the moment. My pain was a bit lower than you, probably 1/3 the way up my spine. It never really affected my lifts in terms of amount of weight, but it was an uncomfortable dull ache that made sitting/sleeping etc a pain in the ass.

Hope it recovers promptly. One problem I found was a lack of effective pain relieving stretches. All I could do was twists, which hurt, yoga-style squats, which were pretty ineffective, or lying on my back and curling up in a ball and rolling back and forth, which was the best but equally ineffective IMO.

[Sumatie]

I did the same thing falling off a jet ski at full tilt. I landed on my side and forced my ribs into my spine then about a week later it all let go. I still have pain today though it doesn't hold back my training to much. A couple of chiros told me that I a curvature in spine probably there since I was a kid the fall just loosened it up, very common I'm told. Before that I never had a back pain of any kind. I'd say get it checked pronto, and make sure you stretch and strenghten the back and hips.

[FooFighter]

Iron:

It happens to the worst and best of us. Knock on wood. I have never been hurt in the gym only in the kwoon. I still under the school of no warming up before lifting. I can understand the idea of physical preparation. However, for me it is a waste of energy and time. We had a discourse about this subject on Ford's tread in the past and I agreed there are definitely times when we should warm up.

I hope you will recover as soon as possible. Please rest as much as possible (stay away from working out), ice it, stretch it, and if possible seek out medical attention quickly without delay. Perhaps, massage therapy is a good idea if it is not too serious. Besides, I think massage therapy is a great thing to do twice a month if you are a serious athelete. I wish I do more, but my budget doesnt allow it. I have been lucky to have found a really excellent Chinese Tui Na (professional and not sexual) center in Chinatown that charges 45 dollars an hour including tips.