Advice needed please :) - Lower back issue

Hello, I've got some lower back issues I could really use some advice on.  I'm a relative newbie at anything gymnastics related, but about 9 years ago I first came here and got some great help.

Anyway, I'll try to be brief but this might take a bit to write.  Really appreciate anyone who gets through it ...the "tldr" is the last sentence. 

Basically I had lower back issues all throughout my late 20's to mid 30's.  I didn't realize it was related to tight hamstrings until I found Gymnastic bodies.  Kind of crazy but I only did Crossfit, and never stretched, during those years, and in hindsight it's super obvious why I had back issues.

I started stretching regularly, and voila, no back issues whatsoever for probably 6 years.  

A couple years ago though, I was lifting some heavier weight over head, and tweaked my back.  It eventually healed, but it was pretty bad for a couple months.

Onto my current issue.  It feels like stretching actually aggravates my back.  I used to basically be able to tell, if I got tight enough I couldn't touch my toes, by back would be tight.  I would then stretch and it was fine. 

I recently was on a sailboat for a week, and going into it I was thinking 'this is not going to be good for my back'.  But I never felt better.  And only got 500 steps per day on that boat, and zero stretching. 

So now, if I go a week without stretching/working out, my back feels great.  But if I run/workout at all, my hamstrings get really tight, and then when I try to stretch it out I have back issues.  

Something just seems off/backwards about all this.

Anyway, any thoughts would be fantastic.  I try to do Jefferson curls, bridge exercises when I can, but could certainly be more religious about it.  Jefferson curls seem to help some but can't be 100% sure.  Also I do have some anterior pelvic tilt.  I've tried the psoright but haven't noticed much difference.  

Overall it's lower back nerve pain that feels like it's caused by muscle tightness pulling on the back nerves, except now, stretching seems to aggravate it instead of fixing it like it used to for years. 

Any thoughts would be very very much appreciated.  Thank you!

2 hours ago, Aaron Stahl said:

Hello, I've got some lower back issues I could really use some advice on.  I'm a relative newbie at anything gymnastics related, but about 9 years ago I first came here and got some great help.

Anyway, I'll try to be brief but this might take a bit to write.  Really appreciate anyone who gets through it ...the "tldr" is the last sentence. 

Basically I had lower back issues all throughout my late 20's to mid 30's.  I didn't realize it was related to tight hamstrings until I found Gymnastic bodies.  Kind of crazy but I only did Crossfit, and never stretched, during those years, and in hindsight it's super obvious why I had back issues.

I started stretching regularly, and voila, no back issues whatsoever for probably 6 years.  

A couple years ago though, I was lifting some heavier weight over head, and tweaked my back.  It eventually healed, but it was pretty bad for a couple months.

Onto my current issue.  It feels like stretching actually aggravates my back.  I used to basically be able to tell, if I got tight enough I couldn't touch my toes, by back would be tight.  I would then stretch and it was fine. 

I recently was on a sailboat for a week, and going into it I was thinking 'this is not going to be good for my back'.  But I never felt better.  And only got 500 steps per day on that boat, and zero stretching. 

So now, if I go a week without stretching/working out, my back feels great.  But if I run/workout at all, my hamstrings get really tight, and then when I try to stretch it out I have back issues.  

Something just seems off/backwards about all this.

Anyway, any thoughts would be fantastic.  I try to do Jefferson curls, bridge exercises when I can, but could certainly be more religious about it.  Jefferson curls seem to help some but can't be 100% sure.  Also I do have some anterior pelvic tilt.  I've tried the psoright but haven't noticed much difference.  

 

Overall it's lower back nerve pain that feels like it's caused by muscle tightness pulling on the back nerves, except now, stretching seems to aggravate it instead of fixing it like it used to for years. 

 

Any thoughts would be very very much appreciated.  Thank you!

Hi Aaron , if i'm not wrong  i can seee that if you bend you feel pain....now since the problem come out after a back squat , did you get an MRI after so many years?

and....

have you ever tried to stretch the hamstring without bending at all? like the pic below? the most impostant tip it is to hold the buttotck on the side your are stretching on the floor.