A “Pop” in Your Low Back During a Squat Might Be More Than a Strain

Have you ever been deep in a squat or pulling a heavy deadlift and felt a pop in your low back? Not necessarily painful — just *different*. Not the satisfying crack of popping your knuckles, but something that made you pause and think, “that wasn’t normal.”

Maybe you racked the weight, gave your body a minute, and it felt okay — so you got back to your workout.

If that’s happened to you, you’re not alone. I’m Dr. Garst with The Well Chiropractic Clinic, and I’ve seen this exact scenario play out with hundreds of clients — and I’ve experienced it myself. What you do in the next 24 to 48 hours after that pop can shape the quality of the next 2 to 6 months of your life.

## What That Pop Might Actually Be

When you’re in the hole on a squat, or deep into a deadlift, and you feel that unfamiliar pop, it could be a disc herniation or disc bulge. This happens when the soft, jelly-like center of a spinal disc pushes through the tougher outer layer surrounding it. When that happens, it can start to compress a nearby spinal nerve.

## Why It Doesn’t Hurt Right Away

One of the most important — and most misleading — parts of this injury is that it often doesn’t hurt immediately. That’s because the inflammation around the affected nerve root hasn’t built up yet.

Here’s the anatomy behind it: the space where a spinal nerve exits the spine, called the intervertebral foramen, is already tight. When disc material pushes into that space, it narrows even further. As inflammation develops around the nerve over the following hours, symptoms can start to appear, including:

– Radiating pain down the leg
– Numbness or tingling
– Muscle weakness or loss of motor function

Right after the pop happens, that inflammation hasn’t built up yet, so the nerve may not be compromised — at least not yet. But if you keep training without knowing what’s going on, you can continue to irritate the area and turn a short recovery into a much longer one.

## What to Do If This Happens to You

If you’re squatting or deadlifting and feel a pop in your low back that feels different from anything you’ve felt before, take it seriously — even if it’s not painful in the moment.

– Stop and reevaluate before continuing your workout.
– Light stretching or mobility work may be fine.
– Pushing through and finishing the workout can make the area significantly worse.
– Get evaluated as soon as possible.

## Why Early Evaluation Matters

As chiropractors, we work with disc injuries like this on a regular basis, and one thing is consistent: getting evaluated and starting treatment sooner rather than later typically leads to better outcomes, both in the short term and the long term.

If you’ve felt a pop like this — or you’re dealing with symptoms now — we’d love to help you get back to training safely and effectively.

**Questions about disc injuries or a pop you felt while lifting? Reach out to us.**