Most back injuries occur after a simple little bend or twist that the injured person had done thousands of times before without consequences. But some strong, active, young people injure their backs while lifting heavy weights.

On one end of the strength spectrum are very strong individuals who lift a lot of weight. Most do not experience persistent back pain. In one study, only 23% of elite male weightlifters REPORTED low back pain over a 6 year period. I emphasize reported since it very well could be that some suffer in silence to prevent being cut from a team or competition.

In this week's podcast, I speak with a former military service member who injured his back while weightlifting. Specifically, he was doing squats but it's interesting to note that he was not lifting at his maximal capacity. As he says, "We were goofing off at the time."

He adds that, although he was well conditioned by the military, little attention was paid to core strength and flexibility.

It's also interesting to note that many injured weightlifters return to full function. Our interviewee did not..."It derailed me from weightlifting."