Why low back strength doesn’t stop pain: 2 real-life cases

When I was a teenager, I injured my lower back.

Not in the gym. Not lifting something heavy. But playing skittles - a game, here in the UK, that’s similar to ten pin bowling.

My job was to reset the pins at the end of the alley - a repetitive task that involved bending down, again and again.

The load wasn’t heavy, but the repetitive flexion of my spine several nights a week eventually led to injury. I didn’t know what was wrong. The pain would come and go.

I wasn’t training, I didn’t have a strong back, and gym culture for teenagers wasn’t really a thing at the time.

Would having a stronger back have helped prevent this injury?

People all over social media will tell you, "Strengthen your lower back and it will fix your pain."

They’ll tell you back extensions, deadlifts, core work will all work to solve your problem.

But I’m not so sure.

I’m here to explore the idea that low back strength is not the answer. At least, not the full answer.

Let’s look at another example - this time from someone who undisputedly has a strong back.

Brian Carroll, is a world-record-holding powerlifter, and co-author of The Gift of Injury. He suffered severe back injuries: disc bulges, crushed vertebrae, bone oedema, and even a sacral fracture.

His injuries weren’t caused by repeated flexion like mine. They were due to compressive load - years of heavy lifting with extreme spinal forces crushing down through the vertebrae.

It wasn’t one specific lift that caused them. They built up slowly over time.

Despite having one of the strongest backs in the world, he broke down.

The common thread: load vs. capacity

Even though our injuries were very different, there’s one crucial similarity.

In both cases, the load exceeded the capacity of the spine - and it did so over a prolonged period of time.

That’s the real key. Whether it’s flexion, compression, or something else, if your spine is asked to do more than it can recover from - consistently - injury becomes inevitable.

So, then, it’s not about how strong your back is. It’s about whether the demand you’re placing on it exceeds its ability to tolerate that demand.

That’s why simply ‘getting stronger’ doesn’t guarantee you’ll be pain free. Brian Carroll had elite-level strength and still got injured. I didn’t lift a single barbell and I still got injured.

Why back extensions aren’t the solution to a pain-free low back

You’ll see back extensions recommended all the time.

The theory is simple. If you strengthen the muscles around the spine - the erector spinae, you’ll bulletproof your back.

But here’s the problem:

• Back extensions train the muscles - but they don’t teach you how to manage load.
• They don’t change your movement patterns, posture, or habits.
• They don’t teach you when and how much load is appropriate, or how to recognise when you're pushing your back too far.

Strength can actually increase risk if you don’t understand how to use it.

Strong people can lift more, do more, push harder  - and sometimes, go beyond what their tissues can handle.

Just like Brian Carroll did. And just like I did.

Albeit in a different way.

What should you do instead?

Strength is part of the puzzle - but it’s not the whole picture.

Here’s what you really need to do to overcome lower back pain:

1. Understand your injury mechanism
   Is it flexion-based? Compression? Instability? Knowing this will shape how you move, train and recover.
2. Control the load
   Learn how much your back can tolerate right now - and how to slowly increase that capacity over time without overreaching.
3. Master movement quality
   It's not just about lifting more, but lifting better. This includes bracing, hinging, breathing, and understanding spinal alignment during daily tasks.
4. Train smart, not just hard
   Exercise should build capacity - not test it every session. Programming matters. Recovery matters.

Why low back strength isn’t the magic answer to pain management

Yes, strengthening your back can help. But it’s not a silver bullet. Strength without strategy can be a trap. What really matters is respecting the balance between load and capacity.

Whether you're a teenager picking up skittles or a world-class powerlifter chasing records, your back has limits. Respect them, train intelligently, and you'll move towards lasting relief - not just temporary gains.

Need help figuring out your next step?
I offer coaching and consultations for people trying to navigate persistent lower back pain.

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