If you’ve ever felt a sharp ache or lingering tightness in your low back after doing squats or Romanian deadlifts (RDLs), you’re not alone. Many patients in Olathe tell me the same thing—they want to stay active and strong, but their low back pain keeps flaring up during workouts. As a chiropractor in Olathe, I often see this pattern linked to irritation of the lumbar facet joints, not a “slipped disc.” Understanding why this pain happens—and how the right chiropractic approach helps—can get you lifting confidently again.
Lumbar facet pain occurs when the small stabilizing joints in the back of the spine become irritated, inflamed, or enlarged from repetitive stress. These joints are designed to guide movement, not absorb heavy compression or rotation, which is why exercises like squats and RDLs can aggravate them when form breaks down or the joints have already thickened due to overuse.
Why this problem happens: Your lumbar facet joints connect one vertebra to the next and control extension and rotation. When the cartilage wears down or the joints enlarge (lumbar facet hypertrophy), movements like arching backward, rotating, or loading the spine under a barbell create painful compression. Squats increase spinal load through the hips and low back, especially if you arch at the top. RDLs place tension across the low back during the hip hinge, and even slight extension or rotation under load can irritate inflamed facet joints. Over time, this becomes a cycle of stiffness, pinching, and difficulty standing upright after lifting.
Patients often notice common symptoms such as: sharp low back pinching during squats or RDLs, tightness when standing up straight, pain that stays in the low back instead of shooting down the leg, discomfort when arching backward, soreness after a workout even with good form, stiffness after sitting, pain in the hips or buttocks without true sciatica, and tight muscles that “lock up” to guard the irritated joints. These patterns are different from disc-related pain and are some of the most frequent issues I see in the office.
Clinical patterns I see in the office include patients who feel fine during warm-up but experience a sharp catch at the bottom of a squat, individuals who feel a painful pinch when they hinge into an RDL, people who arch their back at the top of the lift and immediately irritate their facets, and patients who feel tightness that spreads across the beltline after deadlifts or hip thrusts. Many report stiffness after sitting, relief when walking, pain when lying on their stomach, or discomfort with rotation-based movements. These are classic indicators of facet joint involvement rather than disc pressure or nerve irritation.
How chiropractic helps: When lumbar facet joints are irritated, the goal is to reduce inflammation, restore healthy motion, and offload pressure from the spine. Gentle chiropractic adjustments help realign and mobilize the joints so they move without grinding or catching. Spinal decompression reduces pressure on both discs and facet joints, allowing irritated tissues to calm down. Hydromassage therapy relaxes the protective muscle spasms that form around inflamed facets. Targeted strengthening and mobility work from our exercise & stretch routine program improves mechanics for squats and RDLs so the stress is absorbed through the hips and core instead of the low back.
Our treatment approach at Woodroof Chiropractic includes lumbar and thoracic chiropractic adjustments, spinal/vertebral decompression, hydromassage therapy, hip mobility and core stabilization training, corrective exercise for proper squat and RDL mechanics, ergonomic and lifting form coaching, and guidance on posture and sleep positions to avoid extension-based irritation. We tailor each plan to the patient’s specific movement patterns, workout routine, and exam findings. Most patients begin noticing improvement within the first few visits.
Frequently asked questions include:
• Why does my low back hurt more after squats or RDLs? Because the facet joints compress under load, especially if the back arches or rotates slightly.
• Should I see a chiropractor for this? Yes—facet pain responds extremely well to chiropractic adjustments, decompression, and corrective exercise.
• Is this the same as a disc injury? Not usually. Facet pain stays in the low back and doesn’t typically travel down the leg.
• How long until I feel better? Many patients feel relief within a few visits once the joint motion is restored and irritation decreases.
• Will I be able to lift again? Yes—most patients return to squats and RDLs with improved form and less pain after treatment and movement retraining.
• Does insurance cover this? Most plans do, and patients can check coverage on our insurance page.
If you’re dealing with low back pain during squats, RDLs, or other lifting movements, we can help. Call our Olathe chiropractic office today at 913-735-6351 or click Schedule Your Visit to get started.
Dr. Ike Woodroof
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