Deadlift – the most common injuries

If there’s one exercise that can help you build functional strength and greater muscle mass, it’s the deadlift. It engages almost every skeletal muscle, which sounds incredible, but it also carries certain risks. Of course, proper technique and sensible progression are key, but nobody is infallible and various types of injuries can occur. We’ll look at the most common injuries associated with incorrect execution of this exercise and how to minimise the risk.

1. What is a deadlift?
2. The most common injuries
3. Summary

What is a deadlift?

Before we get to the main topic, let’s take a look at what this exercise involves. The deadlift is a compound exercise, which means that it engages multiple muscle groups. It involves lifting a weighted barbell from the floor to hip height and then lowering it back down to the floor. The deadlift engages the posterior chain – the glutes, hamstrings and lower back muscles – but also the core, quadriceps and upper body muscles.

By performing the deadlift correctly, you can build incredible strength, including functional strength, which helps you perform everyday movements with greater efficiency. However, to do this, you need to be aware of the injuries that can occur during this exercise and how to prevent them.

The most common injuries

Lower back injuries

Although the deadlift engages many muscle groups, the most common injuries associated with this exercise affect the lower back. If you have ever neglected your technique whilst performing a deadlift, you may have experienced this pain yourself. If you’re lucky, the injury was just a back strain that went away quickly. In worse cases, you may experience more serious back injuries, including herniated discs.

What are the most common mistakes that lead to lower back strain?

• incorrect technique, particularly rounding the back when lifting the barbell off the floor
• performing the movement without consciously engaging the muscles
• over-straightening the back at the top of the movement
• increasing the load too quickly

Making these mistakes during the deadlift puts strain on the lower back muscles, which also affects the spine.

How to prevent it?

To prevent back injuries, start with lighter weights and focus on mastering the technique. Over time, you can increase the resistance, but remember to do so gradually to allow your nervous system to adapt. Concentrate on maintaining a neutral spine and engaging your core throughout the entire movement. Do not round your back, nor arch it the other way. Engaging your glutes and abdominal muscles will help you maintain the correct curvature. As you’ve probably guessed, it’s worth strengthening your abdominal muscles, as this will make it even easier to maintain correct posture.

Biceps tendon injury

When performing deadlifts, you can also injure your upper body. One of the painful injuries you can sustain due to poor technique is damage to the biceps tendons. This is a particularly painful and uncomfortable injury, as it can prevent you from training for a while. Therefore, it is best to avoid practices that put you at risk.

There are three main causes of biceps tendon injuries during deadlifts:

• overuse of the mixed grip (one hand overhand, the other underhand)
• attempting to increase the weight too early or too abruptly
• jerky movements

When you use a mixed grip, it stabilises the barbell, but at the same time causes uneven tension in the biceps tendon, which unfortunately increases the risk of a biceps tendon injury.

How to prevent this?

• don’t overdo the mixed grip
• engage your back and glutes to lift the weight (not your arms)
• increase the load gradually

Shoulder injuries

The shoulder joint is inherently unstable and prone to injury, and it takes a long time to heal. In this case, prevention is key:

• squeeze your shoulder blades together, move your shoulders away from your ears (lengthen your neck) and keep your shoulder girdle stable
• keep your grip slightly wider than hip-width
• move smoothly, avoiding sudden jerks
• do not bounce the barbell off the floor between each repetition.
• Keep the barbell close to your body throughout the exercise to ensure greater stability

Hamstring injuries

The hamstrings also play a role in the deadlift. Strong yet flexible, they help maintain balance and increase the range of motion during the exercise. If they are too tight, you will feel restricted in your movement, and worse still, you may strain or tear them whilst standing up if, for example, you jerk your body too sharply.

What causes hamstring injuries:

• inadequate warm-up
• overloading the working muscles
• poor flexibility
• unbalanced muscle development

How can you prevent injury?

The first thing to do is to work on improving the flexibility of your hamstrings, which will ensure a greater and more fluid range of motion, as well as performing weight-bearing exercises without straining your lower back.

To improve hamstring flexibility:

• always warm up thoroughly
• perform dynamic stretching exercises, such as leg swings and lunges
• also do Romanian deadlifts occasionally to activate the hamstrings
• loosen the hamstrings using a foam roller, if you have access to one
• to correct differences in flexibility between sides, also perform single-leg deadlifts
• perform static lower-body stretches after training and on rest days

By focusing on these aspects, you will improve your deadlift performance. Furthermore, you will reduce the risk of injury when performing this functional strength-building exercise. Remember that progress takes time, so be patient and consistent in your approach to hamstring flexibility and strength development.

Knee pain

Poor deadlift technique can also contribute to knee strain or exacerbate knee inflammation.

The most common mistakes causing knee pain include:

• hyperextending/locking the knees when standing up
• allowing the knees to cave inwards when lowering the bar
• holding the barbell too far from the shins

How to prevent

Prevention is always best practice, especially if it helps you avoid injury and get more out of your workouts. Protect your knees from injury by following these precautions:

• keep your knees in line with your toes throughout the movement
• do not fully extend your knees at the top of the movement
• keep the barbell close to your body
• do not forget to warm up properly and increase the load gradually

"Is the deadlift a good exercise for women? The deadlift will help you round out your glutes and lift them higher. It will also help increase your endurance and slim your figure. Remember, however, that this exercise is intended for intermediate-level athletes who are aware of their capabilities." Tomasz Maciołek – Physiotherapist and Trainer

Summary

The deadlift is a very versatile and excellent exercise. It engages many muscle groups and helps build strength and muscle. However, it is an exercise that requires humility, correct technique and a sensible approach to increasing the load. Otherwise, you could end up with a range of different injuries that might sideline you from training for a while. If you’re unsure whether you’re performing the deadlift correctly, speak to a personal trainer at your gym. You can also film yourself whilst exercising and take a look at your form yourself. Contrary to appearances, you can spot quite a few things.

Sources:

• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30057777/
• https://www.totalphysiosydney.com.au/blog/2019/9/4/deadlifting-tips-to-prevent-injury
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29785405/
• https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2016-096037
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34875981/