Physically Active Adults with Low Back Pain do not Demonstrate Altered Deadlift Mechanics: A Novel Application of Myotonometry to Estimate Inter-Muscular Load Sharing.
Jared M McGowen, Stephanie R Albin, Carrie W Hoppes and 3 others
PMID 38179583WHAT IT FOUND
Physically active adults with low back pain showed no significant differences in muscle stiffness during standing or deadlift positions compared to healthy controls.
The study found no evidence that pain alters inter-muscular load sharing or mechanics during this movement.
Key findings
01There were no significant differences in absolute muscle stiffness between groups for any muscle in the lying, standing, or deadlift positions.
02While the control group showed greater percent-stiffness increases in the thigh muscles during the deadlift, these differences were modest and within measurement error.
03There were no significant differences in trunk angles or stance widths between the groups during standing or deadlifting.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study only included young, physically active adults (mean age ~21) with mild-to-moderate pain (mean NPRS 4/10). Results may not apply to older adults, sedentary populations, or those with severe pain or high disability. The deadlift was performed with minimal load (body weight only) and held statically. This does not reflect the mechanics of lifting heavy external weights or dynamic movement, where compensatory strategies might emerge. The MyotonPRO device can be affected by subcutaneous fat, and the study excluded participants with BMI >30, limiting generalizability to overweight populations. Only 32% of participants with pain reported increased pain during the test, suggesting the task may not have been provocative enough to trigger motor control changes in most participants.
Declared interests
The authors report no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the null finding as proof that deadlifts are universally safe for all patients with low back pain. The study used only body weight, excluded obese and older adults, and found no differences in a young, active cohort with mild pain. It does not rule out altered mechanics under heavy loads or in more disabled populations.