Lower back pain. Advice?

[leonp1981]

I've started this thread here to hopefully get more replies.

I've had quite a lot of pain in my lower back recently which doesn't seem to be going away.

I finished a job in July which was 8 hour shifts on my feet, moving about, and started a job with 4-5 hour shifts stood at a work station, not much moving about.  I started getting twinges in my back, so I took about 4 weeks off from the gym.  Started back training but avoided deads and squats, just to be on the safe side. 
When it felt a bit better I started squats and deads again, it still hurt a little but not much. 
But this past week it has been constant pain, I went to the gym today, started with deads.  I did a few warmups, then stuck 225 on, and couldn't even move it.  Even dumbell rows and barbell curls were painful!

Anyone have any good advice, maybe some physio type stuff, stretches, etc.?  I'm reluctant to go to my doc, cos a) he'll just tell me to stop training, which I've tried, and b) he's useless!

Any help would be greatly appreciated. 

[_bruce_]

Strange - after I started doing deads, my back pain went away.
Try hanging from a bar a few times a day - eases the compression of the disks in your back.

[Swedish Viking]

I have more experience with lower back pain than I would wish on anyone else.  Started out as very minor, just barely noticeable, my friend.  Current status is so far from that it's no where near funny.  Get it diagnosed, even if you don't think you need to, get it diagnosed.  Then go to a physical therapist.  That simple.  Just do it. 

[pumpster]

There are many possibilities. In some cases no one will have an answer as to what it is.

Based on what you're saying it sounds like what i have, which means that certain exercises that hit the lower back like deads are part of the problem after a certain age. Lay off them for a while and see if it goes away. If it does stay away from problem-causing exercises like deads and if you have to do lower-back exercises, try alternatives like hypers or rack pulls and see if the problem returns. Also keep the reps higher and the weight lower.

Stretching, physio and massage can help alleviate the resulting symptoms but in the end you have to find and remove the cause or it will return.

[leonp1981]

Cheers for the replies guys.