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Are Deadlifts Bad for Your Back?
What you must know before getting behind a barbell.
Like squats, deadlifts have been met with a flurry of criticism due to health and safety concerns. I’ve been told multiple times by both doctors and chiropractors that I shouldn’t deadlift because of one injury or another. At the time, I believed every word they said and avoided rounding my back at all costs. I was convinced this was the only way to expedite recovery and avoid flare-ups.
Looking back years later, now as a trainer and kinesiologist, I realize that ‘health advice’ like this does more damage than I could have ever imagined.
In my line of work, I see fear-avoidance behavior around bending the back daily. This is directly associated with what we’ve heard from health providers. In the case of the deadlift, spinal flexion has been so criminalized that it’s elevating pain experience based on fear. I can’t count the amount of back and hip pain patients I’ve worked with who are practically frozen because they’ve been fed a narrative that they can’t move without getting hurt. It breaks my heart.
Let this be heard loud and clear. Not only are deadlifts safe, but they’re an essential movement pattern for everyday life. Whether it’s picking your child off the floor or bringing the groceries into the house, it’s virtually…
