Powerlifting and gym injuries
Backs, shoulders, hips and knees under the bar. Keep training where you can while it's sorted.
- No referral needed
- Book directly. Claim on the spot with eligible private health extras.
- Open six days
- Monday to Friday 8am–7pm, Saturday 8am–2pm.
- First visit
- Allow 45 minutes to an hour. Wear shorts and a loose top.
- Rear entrance
- 92 Parsons Street, Kensington, inside Renegade BJJ.
Most lifting injuries are about load, not form
Technique matters, but most lifting pain comes from load climbing faster than the body has adapted: a big jump in weight, extra volume, a new programme, poor sleep, or a stressful stretch of life.
Luke has a strength and powerlifting background as well as combat sports, so treatment fits around your programme. Most lifters keep training while things settle, with the range, load or exercise adjusted for a while.
What we see most
Lower back pain
Tweaks on deadlifts, squats and cleans. Lower back pain under the barbell covers the first 48 hours.
Bench and pressing shoulders
Pain at the bottom of the bench, a pinch at the front of the shoulder, or rotator cuff pain from pressing volume.
Hip pain in the squat
Pinching at the front of the hip in deep squats, and outer hip pain.
Knee pain
Patellar tendon and kneecap pain from squat volume.
Elbow and wrist pain
Inner and outer elbow pain from low-bar squats, pulling and gripping, and wrist pain in the front rack.
Neck and upper back
Stiffness from heavy carries, shrugs and bracing.
Getting back to your working weights
Driven by how the area feels the next morning, not by the calendar.
Keep what you can
Train everything that doesn't flare it. Most lifters can keep a large part of their programme.
Modify the problem lift
Change range, stance, grip, tempo or variation, for example pulls from blocks or a pause bench.
Build load back
Add weight steadily while the area stays settled the next day. If exercises will help, we take you through them in the session and you film them on your phone, so you know exactly how they go at home or in the gym.
Return to the main lift
Back to the competition lift at reduced load, then building toward previous working weights.
When to see a doctor first
Call 000 or go to an emergency department if you have:
- Numbness around the groin or buttocks, or new bladder or bowel problems with back pain
- Leg weakness that is getting worse
- Chest pain, breathlessness or a sudden severe headache during or after lifting
See your GP first if:
- Back pain with pain below the knee that isn't settling
- A sudden loss of strength in the arm after a pressing or pulling injury
- A visible change in the shape of the biceps or chest muscle after a lift
If anything in your assessment points to a doctor, we'll tell you and explain why, rather than treat.
Questions people ask
Should I stop lifting if I hurt my back?
Usually not completely. Keep moving, avoid heavy hinging for a few days, and build back with lighter variations as it settles. Some warning signs need a doctor first.
Was it my technique?
Sometimes, but more often load climbed faster than the body adapted. Technique is worth reviewing, but it is rarely the whole story.
Can I keep training for a meet with an injury?
Often, with the programme adjusted around it. The earlier it is assessed in a prep, the more options there are.
Do you know powerlifting?
Yes. Luke has a strength and powerlifting background, so treatment and advice fit around how you actually train.
Something sore under the bar?
Book an assessment in Kensington. No referral needed.