Deadlifts for Back Pain
Deadlifts just as good as traditional physiotherapy exercises for back pain.
Deadlifts just as good as traditional physiotherapy exercises for back pain.
The deadlift is a hip dominant, hinge movement used to lift a stationary (dead) weight from the floor. It is one of the three primary lifts in Powerlifting and a component of both the Olympic lifts. It is also one of the most functional movement patterns for our activities of daily living.
Unfortunately, this movement pattern is thought to cause low back pain because the back and hips are emphasized more. As a result, people are often told to “use your legs” when lifting objects with the intent of taking pressure off the back. But is that really the best answer or is it to better correctly train the movement? Is it possible the deadlift may be a solution to back pain?
According to research, the answer is yes! Several studies have compared deadlifts (and traditional strength training exercises) using progressive loading with traditional physiotherapy and their effect on low back pain.
The results show between a 48-86% improvement for self-reported pain intensity, disability, and health-related quality at the 2- and 12-month follow up period, and over a 50% improvement at the 24-month follow up period. There was no difference between the two styles of training
Recent research has also shown that deadlifts are just as effective as traditional physiotherapy for increasing thickness (hypertrophy) and symmetry of the lumbar multifidus – deep stabilising muscles of the low back. The deadlift places a large emphasis on muscles of the trunk and low back to stabilise the spine in order to stand up with the weight being lifted, so this makes sense. It's important to note that many of these studies also involved behavioral pain education as well as sound coaching techniques and progressive programming strategies for the deadlifts (and strength training routines).
References
Berglund, L., Aasa, B., Michaelson, P., & Aasa, U. (2017). Effects of Low-Load Motor Control Exercises and a High-Load Lifting Exercise on Lumbar Multifidus Thickness. Spine, 42(15), E876–E882. https://doi.org/10.1097/brs.0000000000001989
Michaelson, P., Holmberg, D., Aasa, B., & Aasa, U. (2016). High load lifting exercise and low load motor control exercises as interventions for patients with mechanical low back pain: A randomized controlled trial with 24-month follow-up. Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine,?48(5), 456–463. https://doi.org/10.2340/16501977-2091
Tagliaferri, S. D., Miller, C. T., Ford, J. J., Hahne, A. J., Main, L. C., Rantalainen, T., Connell, D. A., Simson, K. J., Owen, P. J., & Belavy, D. L. (2020). Randomized Trial of General Strength and Conditioning Versus Motor Control and Manual Therapy for Chronic Low Back Pain on Physical and Self-Report Outcomes. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 9(6), 1726. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm9061726