Let’s say your lower back starts lighting up. Sharp, stabbing, burning—whatever the flavor is, you know something’s off. Maybe it runs down your leg, maybe it stays local. Most people’s first instinct? Start stretching like crazy.
Bend forward. Twist. Pull the leg across the body. Roll around on the floor like a pretzel hoping the nerve gods show mercy.
But here’s the truth: nerve pain doesn’t play by the same rules as muscle tightness. And stretching usually makes it worse.
Lower back nerve pain often comes from some kind of compression or irritation. Could be from a disc pushing on a nerve, a joint getting inflamed, or tissues around the nerve getting locked up.
Now here’s the tricky part: when nerves are irritated, they get sensitized. That means even movements or positions that didn’t used to hurt can now send pain signals. And the more you stretch or poke at it, the more agitated the nerve becomes.
You’re not “breaking up” scar tissue. You’re just keeping the nerve aggravated.
Imagine someone just got sunburned and you keep rubbing their back trying to help. Good intentions—but you're making it worse.
It’s psychological.
You feel pain, so your brain looks for something to do. Stretching feels active. It gives a sense of control. You get a temporary feeling of relief—and that tricks you into thinking it's working.
But relief isn’t the same as healing.
The problem? You’re not calming the system down. You’re feeding it more noise.
The goal isn’t to “fix” the nerve directly. It’s to calm the whole nervous system down so your body has a shot at healing.
This is where your mindset matters. If you keep obsessing over every little twinge, constantly adjusting your posture, testing your pain...you’re keeping your body in fight-or-flight. The exact opposite of what you want.
Your nervous system needs a break.
Here’s how to give it one:
Trying to fix your own back pain with YouTube stretches and foam rolling is like trying to fix a car with duct tape. You need a plan built around you, not random hacks.
At Hardbat Athletics, we help people in Newark, Delaware, get strong, move pain-free, and build habits that stick. You don’t need to figure this out alone—and you definitely don’t need to live in fear of your back acting up.
Come talk to a coach. We’ll walk you through what’s actually going on, help you calm the system down, and build a strength and movement plan that makes pain the exception—not the rule.
Book a free No-Sweat Intro here. We’ll meet, talk about your goals, and map out your next steps.
.png)
.png)
.png)
