Back strain? could progressively become worse?

Okay so just the other day, I was doing the pike stretch on the ground. And I was timing myself with my ipod touch for 3 minutes, and I was waiting for the ring. It was getting pretty painful so I look to my left side while still stretching and reach for my ipod to see how much time was left and in doing so, I strain my lower left back. I can still do the pike stretch but when I do the "half pike stretch" (is that what it's called? Basically I bring my opposite leg in, so it looks like a combination of a butterfly and pike stretch)

Anyway when I extend my right leg and keep the other leg tucked in a butterfly and stretch, there's a searing pain in my lower left backside. When I extend my left leg and tuck my right leg in, I feel just fine. The same problem occurred while doing the straddle stretch. Not while doing a pancake, but while in the straddle position, I tried stretching my right leg and I felt the same pain. Also, when I try kicking up to handstand, I feel like a pulling "popping." Since my right foot is dominant, I kick up with my left leg and that's when I feel the strain. It doesn't hurt but it does feel awkward and makes me lose focus on my handstand against the wall. Should I stop stretching for a while? And I feel fine while I do the bridge. It's just the stretches that isolate my right leg seem to cause the most pain on my lower left backside.

Thanks

And I also feel it when I arch my back down to pick something up or when I going down to place my hands on my paralettes

Ahhhhhhhhhhh..

I hope you can see a contradiction between this post and your previous one.

viewtopic.php?f=18&t=5331

I don't mean this in a disrespectful way, but as a warning.

How do you expect to do those skills when you have pain just kicking up into a handstand? These skills are developed over time, measured in years not months.

I suspect you have aggravated your psoas or quadratus lumboratum.

I also suspect this is in part due to always kicking up from the same side, this creates a muscle imbalance.

DO NOT push into this pain!!!!

I'm very busy right now, so can't advise further, in any case its difficult to do on an internet forum.

I will check in later and perhaps add more comments, if no one else has before then.

You need to give it

This problem NEVER occured until I did that unfortunate mistake of stretching and then turning to my left. I don't have a history of back pain. And kicking into a handstand has never been a problem for me. I've been practicing handstands against a wall for over a month now and have had no pain until now. I feel a jolt but it's not painful, more of a nuisance when I kick into a handstnad. Stretching into a half pike is diifcult

You shouldn't feel anything when you kick up to a handstand except for your body moving through space.

It sounds like you are trying to stretch muscles that have trigger points in them. I spent about an hour yesterday on my right shoulder again, and after two days... yes, just two days... my hands have come about 18 inches closer together during stick inlocates and exlocates. Hitting those trigger points and immediately stretching afterwards has given me gains in flexibility and mobility that I was not sure I would EVER be able to make. It is pretty hard to do this for the hamstrings and deeper in the quads, but shallow quads and everything else around the hips and back is pretty easily taken care of with a lacrosse ball and a foam roller. Well, you need a tolerance for pain as well, this does not feel good when you are digging into the trigger points.

The trigger point therapy workbook is a good place to start, and if you search for "trigger point" using the forum search tool on the upper right part of the page you will find a thread that has several good links for trigger point self-therapy. I would recommend doing what you can for yourself and then seeing a specialist and making SURE to stretch IMMEDIATELY after each muscle is worked through. If you don't stretch, things tighten right back up. That is very important and a lot of therapists don't do this for some reason. I have encountered this myself at home after stretching during one session and not stretching during another, and it really does make a huge difference.

All the stretching in the world isn't going to help you when a part of your muscle is permanently contracted. That's what a trigger point is, and they are not under voluntary control. If you see a specialist in this field you will probably have stunning results, and you may have stunning results at home for all I know.