If a lift hurts, the answer is almost never to stop lifting. I find which lift and which position is the problem, change what needs to change, and keep the bar in your hands while you heal.
Free ConsultationWeightlifting and powerlifting physical therapy is rehab built around the barbell: the squat, the bench, the deadlift, and the olympic lifts, tested under load rather than at bodyweight. At Fortitude & Freedom Performance Therapy in Waukee, Iowa, Jake Pawol, PT, DPT, OCS treats low back, knee, shoulder, elbow, and hip pain in lifters one on one in a fully equipped gym, and keeps you training with a variation you can load while the injured tissue heals. Iowa allows direct access, so no physician referral is required.
A lot of lifters have heard the same advice from a provider who does not lift: stop deadlifting, stop squatting, rest it. That advice treats the barbell as the problem. It almost never is.
Pain in a lift usually comes from one position, one range, or one jump in volume or intensity. The useful work is finding that piece. I watch you lift. Then I test the position at load, because a lot of problems only show up when the weight is real.
From there we change the variable that is causing the pain, not the whole program. A different stance, a tempo, a range limit, a different bar. You keep lifting, the tissue recovers, and we build the lift back to where it was.
Each lift loads the body in its own way, so each lift tends to produce its own injuries.
Back pain after a heavy pull is the most common reason lifters come in. Most of it is a strained muscle or an irritated joint, and most of it settles fast with the right loading.
We find the hinge variation and the load you can tolerate this week, then rebuild the deadlift from there.
Pain at the front of the knee in the bottom of a squat, or patellar tendon pain after a heavy block.
Tendons and knees respond to the right load, not to no load. We change depth, tempo, or stance for a while, and build the tendon back up.
A pinch at the front of the shoulder at the bottom of the bench, or an ache that lingers after pressing days.
Grip width, bar path, and range are usually the first changes. Then rotator cuff and upper back strength, so the shoulder can take the full press again.
Pain on the inside or outside of the elbow from heavy pulling, low-bar squats, or a lot of grip work.
The tendon needs a staged loading plan. Rest alone lets the pain fade, then the first heavy session brings it back.
A pinch at the front of the hip at depth, or deep glute pain that limits the squat and the pull.
Stance and depth changes usually make the squat tolerable within a session. Then we build hip strength and range so the full squat comes back.
The clean and the jerk put the wrist and the elbow in positions that few other lifts ask for. The front rack is often where it hurts.
We look at mobility, grip, and the catch position, and keep the rest of your training going while we fix it.
One on one with me for the full session, in a gym with racks, bars, and plates. Bring your lifting shoes.
The first visit looks at the lift that hurts, at load when it is safe to do so. I want to know your program, your numbers, and your next meet if you have one.
Manual therapy, dry needling, and mobility work are used when they open a door. They are never the whole session.
Every session includes loading. We find the version of the lift you can train this week, and progress it back toward the full lift.
The rehab runs alongside your training block. You know what to change, what to keep, and what number we are working toward.
My sessions run inside Sisu Strength Academy, so the equipment you train with is in the room.
Jake is the real deal! Healed after months of limitation. I had been fighting tendon pain for nearly a year and was limited in movement, capacity and ability in several lifts. What I thought was a shoulder injury actually turned out to be a bicep tendon. Jake found the culprit immediately through diagnosis and assessment. He showed me a variety of exercises to strengthen the area and I was back to full capacity.
I took a chance on Jake to help with nagging low back pain and a tendon injury in my ankle that seemed to never go away, despite resting it for months like the doctor said. 6 appointments in, the ankle pain is greatly reduced and the back pain is more easily handled. I can deadlift again and be on my feet all day without much pain.
What barbell athletes need that a general clinic often misses.
Read MoreWhy it happens, and how to keep lifting while it settles.
Read MoreHow to tell normal soreness from an injury.
Read MoreAlmost never. In nearly every case we find a variation of the lift you can keep loading while the injured tissue heals. Full rest takes away strength you will need to rebuild later, and losing a training block usually costs more than the injury did.
Some muscle soreness after a hard pull is normal. Sharp pain, pain that lasts more than a few days, or pain that runs down a leg is not, and it is worth getting looked at. Most deadlift back pain settles quickly with the right changes to load and technique.
Yes. I watch the lift as part of every evaluation. I am not here to rebuild your technique from scratch. I am looking for the position or the range that is causing the pain, so we change the smallest thing that fixes it.
Yes, and with lifters who never plan to compete. If you have a meet date, we plan the rehab around it. The standard is the same either way: the lift has to hold up at real loads.
No. Iowa has had unrestricted direct access to physical therapy since 1988. You can book without seeing a physician first. Call or use the contact page and our team will get you scheduled.
Yes, in many cases. Fortitude & Freedom is a hybrid practice. We accept Blue Cross Blue Shield and TRICARE, and we offer a cash option for everyone else. Either way you get the full session with me. Use the contact page and our team will confirm your coverage before you book anything.
This content is for general education and is not medical advice. It does not replace an evaluation by a licensed clinician, and reading it does not create a patient relationship. Talk to a qualified health professional about your own symptoms before you act on anything here. If you have severe, sudden, or worsening symptoms, seek medical care right away.
Book a one-on-one evaluation in Waukee and find out which lift is the problem, and what you can keep training while it heals.
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