Lower Back Pain After Deadlifts: A Personal Message from the Table

 By Paulius Jurasius | JANMI Soft Tissue Therapy | Marylebone, London

 Let me speak to you directly.

If you’ve found yourself here because your lower back hurts after deadlifting, you’re not alone. It's a common issue that many of us face. In fact, it’s one of the most common things people come to see me about.

Whether it’s a small pull during warm-up, a sudden twinge during a working set, or a stiff ache that just won’t go away no matter how much you stretch—there’s something about deadlifts that seems to trigger pain for so many.

But here’s the truth: it’s usually not the deadlift that’s to blame.

It’s what your body brings to the deadlift that matters. And for most modern people, our bodies are showing up to the bar carrying all kinds of hidden tension, muscular imbalances, and myofascial dysfunctions.

That’s why I wrote this piece—not as a lecture, but as a message from someone who has spent over a decade listening to backs, learning their stories through touch, and helping people like you reset, rebuild, and return stronger.

Let’s dig into what’s really going on.

1. Why Deadlifts Expose Hidden Problems

    The deadlift is simple in theory—hinge, grip, lift, stand. It mirrors something we’ve done since the dawn of time: picking things up.

   
   

But most of us aren’t living in our natural bodies anymore. We’re sitting for 8+ hours a day. We’re working at desks, hunched over laptops, phones, steering wheels. Our glutes switch off. Our hip flexors shorten. Our core loses stability. Our fascia tightens like clingfilm around our spine and hips.

Then we step into the gym and try to lift 100kg off the ground.

The deadlift doesn’t cause the injury. It exposes the imbalance.

What I often see in clinic is this:

• Weak or sleepy glutes that don’t fire properly

• Locked up hip flexors that prevent proper extension

• Overused lumbar spine trying to do too much

• Trigger points in deep back and pelvic muscles

• Fascial tightness in the thoracolumbar region

• Shallow breathing and poor intra-abdominal pressure

• A pelvis tilted too far forward or stuck in rotation

This combination turns your back into a ticking time bomb. One heavy rep—and bang—the back takes the brunt of the load that should have been shared.

2. The Problem Isn’t Just in the Muscles

    We’re not made of parts. We’re wrapped in a web of fascia—connective tissue that links everything together.

   
   

When you sit too long, move poorly, or live in chronic stress (which so many of us do), that fascia loses its glide. It dries out, thickens, and locks movement patterns into place. And once that happens, even small movements can start pulling the wrong way.

Deadlifts done on top of fascial restriction are like trying to run through a swamp.

Add in trigger points—those tight little knots in muscles that cause referred pain—and now the whole system becomes reactive and painful.

In many of my clients, trigger points in the quadratus lumborum, glutes, deep spinal muscles, and hip rotators refer pain right into the lower back—even if the spine itself is structurally fine.

This is why traditional treatments—just stretching or doing some core exercises—don’t always help.

Because you haven’t released the deeper story the body is holding.

3. What I Do at JANMI

    When someone comes into the clinic with lower back pain after deadlifting, my job isn’t to just loosen the tight muscles. It’s to find out why they’re tight in the first place.

   
   

At JANMI, I use a unique hands-on approach combining three core therapies:

⚫ Sports Massage

 This helps improve blood flow, warms the tissues, and gets the surface tension to let go.

⚫ Trigger Point Therapy

 This is where the real work begins. I find the deep muscular knots that are often hidden and causing the referred pain. I hold, breathe, and wait for the body to release. It’s not always comfortable, but the relief is real.

⚫ Myofascial Release

 This is the glue that holds everything together. Using slow, deliberate techniques, I work through the fascial restrictions in the lower back, hips, pelvis, and even into the diaphragm and feet if needed. You’d be amazed how freeing the spine starts with unlocking the breath.

Each session is uniquely tailored to you. There’s no copy-paste. No “routine.” Just me, you, the table, and the story your body is telling.

4. You’ll Leave with More Than Relief

    My aim isn’t just to get you pain-free.

   
   

It’s to make sure you leave with knowledge and tools so it doesn’t come back. I want you to feel empowered and in control of your health.

After every session, I give clients a personalised set of exercises—usually a mix of:

• Glute activation drills

• Hip mobility flows

• Breathwork to stabilise the core

• Fascial stretch routines

• Strength-building movements once the pain subsides

You’ll also get digital materials—videos, anatomy guides, reminders—all based on your condition and progress.

This is how we build resilience. One step at a time.

One Client’s Story

 A man in his late 30s came to me recently—keen amateur powerlifter. Deadlifts were his passion. But every few months, he’d “tweak” his back and have to stop training for weeks.

The pattern repeated for years. He thought it was just bad luck or poor recovery.

What we found was this: his right glute was underactive, his QL was doing all the work, his diaphragm was rigid, and his fascia was thick and dry across the lower back.

Over five sessions, we:

• Released the stuck fascia around his hips and back

• Deactivated deep trigger points in QL, piriformis, and glutes

• Gave him breath-led core stability exercises

• Helped him reconnect with his glutes

• Built a new warm-up routine that changed everything

He’s now deadlifting heavier—with no fear. Not because of magic. But because his body is back online.

Final Thoughts: The Pain Is a Message

 If you’re reading this and your lower back hurts after deadlifting, I want you to know:

The pain isn’t punishment. It’s communication.

Your body isn’t broken. It’s trying to protect you.

At JANMI, I listen not just with my hands, but with empathy. Because I know what it’s like to feel betrayed by your own body.

But I also know how powerful the body can be when it’s given the right care and guidance.

So if you’re ready to get to the root of your lower back pain—not just manage it—come and see me. Let’s reset the patterns and get you back to doing what you love, stronger than before.

With care,

 Paulius Jurasius

 JANMI Soft Tissue Therapy | Marylebone, London