Summary
Eric Cressey of Cressey Sports Performance provides a tactical deep dive on back pain management, movement diagnosis, and training principles for athletes and everyday movers. The conversation covers developing mobility, building power, fascial manipulation techniques, and rules for athletes looking to train around or through pain. Cressey brings decades of experience working with professional athletes to offer practical frameworks for movement assessment and corrective exercise.
Key Points
- Tactical approach to diagnosing and treating back pain
- Training principles for developing mobility and building power
- Fascial manipulation as a tool for pain relief and movement quality
- Rules for athletes training around injuries
- Movement diagnosis frameworks for identifying dysfunction
Key Moments
Systemic issues like vitamin D affect back pain
Medications, nutrient deficiencies, and under-reported injuries often contribute to back pain more than structural issues on imaging.
"Do you know if this person is wildly deficient in vitamin D or they have adequate magnesium levels? There can be so many places where things go off the rails."
MRI findings often don't correlate with back pain
82% of asymptomatic people show disc abnormalities on MRI. Cressey emphasizes movement diagnosis over imaging alone.
"100% of our super high performing players would have something pathological on an MRI. Everybody's invincible until they're not."
Push-ups and landmine presses protect the spine
Cressey favors push-ups, cable presses, and landmine presses as spine-friendly alternatives to heavy barbell pressing.
"Whenever possible, I try to emphasize things like push-ups, cable presses. I love landmine presses."
Hinge patterns are safest for back pain rehab
Hinge-based movements like deadlift variations are generally safer for back pain than squats due to biomechanical advantages.
"Most people are going to be stronger in a hinge pattern than a squat pattern. It's probably the most biomechanically advantageous entry point."
How to find good orthopedic practitioners
Ask local sports teams for referrals to their preferred orthopedic specialists rather than searching blindly.
"If you're in any decent-sized city, you don't have to find someone from the Yankees. Any sports team can give you a referral to their favorite ortho."
