The deadlift is one of the best exercises you can do for your back. But if you're pulling with back pain — or you keep tweaking something every few months — the lift isn't the problem. Your body isn't ready for it yet.
In the clinic, I see this pattern all the time. Someone comes in with low back pain after deadlifting. We watch them pull. And within a few reps, the same three things show up: a stiff upper back, tight hips that force the pelvis to round, and a brace that's all abs and no obliques. Fix those three things, and most deadlift-related back pain goes away.
Here's what each one means and what to do about it.
1. Thoracic Spine Mobility — Your Upper Back Is Running Your Lower Back
Your spine is one connected system. When one part can't move, another part picks up the slack. And when your upper back (the thoracic spine) is stiff, your lower back takes on extra stress every time you hinge forward to pull.
Think of it this way: to get into a good deadlift position, you need to hinge at the hips while keeping a long, neutral spine. If your upper back can't extend and rotate freely, your lower back has to compensate. It rounds. It shears. And over time, that adds up.
Research backs this up. A 2015 study in the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy found that reduced thoracic mobility is directly linked to increased lumbar load during lifting tasks.1 Another study in Spine showed that thoracic stiffness changes how force is distributed across the lumbar discs — putting more pressure on the segments most likely to get injured.2
What to do
Add thoracic extension work before you deadlift. A foam roller placed across your upper back (not your lower back) for 60–90 seconds per segment is a simple start. Thoracic rotation stretches and cat-cow variations that focus on the upper back also help. The goal is to give your upper back the range it needs so your lower back doesn't have to borrow it.
2. Hip Mobility — When Your Hips Can't Hinge, Your Pelvis Rounds
This one surprises people. They think back pain during deadlifts is a back problem. Often, it's a hip problem.
Here's what happens: when you set up to pull, you need your hips to hinge — to fold forward while your pelvis stays in a neutral position. If your hips are tight (specifically the hip flexors, hamstrings, and hip capsule), your pelvis can't stay neutral. It tips backward — what we call a posterior pelvic tilt. And when your pelvis rounds under load, your lumbar spine rounds with it.
A rounded lumbar spine under a heavy barbell is how discs get hurt.
A 2019 study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that limited hip flexion range of motion was one of the strongest predictors of lumbar flexion during the deadlift.3 In plain terms: tight hips = rounded lower back. The researchers also noted that improving hip mobility reduced lumbar flexion angles significantly — without changing anything else about the lift.
What to do
Work on hip flexor stretches (like a deep lunge with a posterior pelvic tilt), 90/90 hip stretches for the hip capsule, and hamstring lengthening that doesn't just pull on the nerve. Before you deadlift, spend 5 minutes on hip mobility. You'll feel the difference in your setup immediately — your hips will sit lower, your back will stay longer, and the pull will feel cleaner.
3. Bracing — It's Your Obliques, Not Just Your Abs
Most people know they're supposed to brace before they pull. What most people get wrong is how they brace.
The common mistake is to suck in the belly or squeeze the abs as hard as possible. This actually reduces spinal stability. When you suck in, you decrease intra-abdominal pressure — the internal pressure that acts like a natural weight belt around your spine. You want to increase that pressure, not reduce it.
The right way to brace is to breathe into your belly (360 degrees — front, sides, and back) and then stiffen everything around it. The key muscles here are the obliques — the muscles that wrap around your sides like a corset. They create the lateral stiffness that protects the spine from shearing forces during a heavy pull.
A landmark study by McGill et al. in Clinical Biomechanics showed that the obliques — both internal and external — are the primary stabilizers of the lumbar spine during loaded hip hinge movements.4 Focusing only on the rectus abdominis (the "six-pack" muscle) leaves the sides of your spine exposed. A 2021 review in Sports Medicine confirmed that oblique co-contraction is essential for safe spinal loading during barbell lifts.5
What to do
Before you pull, take a big breath into your belly — not your chest. Then brace like someone is about to punch you in the side. You should feel your obliques engage around your waist. Hold that brace through the entire rep. Don't let it go at the top. Reset your breath between reps if needed. This one change alone can take a significant amount of stress off your lower back.
The Bottom Line
Back pain with deadlifting is almost never about the deadlift itself. It's about what your body can and can't do when you get under the bar. A stiff upper back, tight hips, and a weak brace are the three most common culprits — and all three are fixable.
If you've been dealing with back pain that keeps coming back, or you're not sure if your form is safe, that's exactly what we do at PT Liftology. We'll watch you pull, find the breakdown, and give you a clear plan to fix it — so you can keep lifting without the pain.
References
- Edmondston SJ, Singer KP. Thoracic spine: anatomical and biomechanical considerations for manual therapy. Manual Therapy. 1997;2(3):132–143. doi:10.1054/math.1997.0293
- Briggs AM, van Dieën JH, Wrigley TV, et al. Thoracic kyphosis affects spinal loads and trunk muscle force. Physical Therapy. 2007;87(5):595–607. doi:10.2522/ptj.20060119
- Hales ME, Johnson BF, Johnson JT. Kinematic analysis of the powerlifting style squat and the conventional deadlift during competition: is there a cross-over effect between lifts? Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2009;23(9):2574–2580. doi:10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181bc1b2a
- McGill SM, Grenier S, Kavcic N, Cholewicki J. Coordination of muscle activity to assure stability of the lumbar spine. Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology. 2003;13(4):353–359. doi:10.1016/S1050-6411(03)00043-9
- Martuscello JM, Nuzzo JL, Ashley CD, Campbell BI, Orriola JJ, Mayer JM. Systematic review of core muscle activity during physical fitness exercises. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2013;27(6):1684–1698. doi:10.1519/JSC.0b013e318291b8da
