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Summary
On episode 384 of 40+ Fitness, Coach Allan sits down with Dr. Sebastian Gonzales, a chiropractor in Huntington Beach, California, and author of I Will Beat Back Pain.
Sebastian argues that most of what people believe about back pain is wrong: that deadlifts are dangerous, that tightness should always be stretched out, and that pain past 40 just means you are getting older. He walks through the real myths, explains the role pain actually plays as a warning signal, and makes the case that patient buy-in matters more than any exercise prescription.
The conversation also covers his own two back injuries, sixteen years apart, and how working with a trusted clinician and a strength coach got him back to playing baseball pain free.
Links
- https://p2sportscare.com
Key Takeaways
- Back pain hits almost everyone, and the usual 80% stat may understate it. Sebastian notes many people never report their chronic tightness as a back issue, so the real number is likely higher.
- Deadlifts are not inherently bad for your back. The common advice to avoid them is a myth; done with good form, deadlifting strengthens the posterior chain rather than damaging it.
- Tightness is often protective, not a defect to stretch away. If bending forward hurt you before, the body tightens the backside muscles to stop you from repeating that motion for a while.
- Back pain is not mainly an aging problem. Sebastian says the peak incidence of back pain actually falls in people's 30s, so blaming pain in your 40s and 50s purely on age is misleading.
- Arthritis and MRI findings do not have to hurt. He compares them to water stains from an old leak: evidence something happened, not proof it is still causing pain today.
- Ask patients what they believe is true about their pain before treating it. Their answer reveals the beliefs that need to be confirmed or gently disproven, because without buy-in they will not follow through on the plan.
- Recovery moves through phases: scab picking, first aid, support, and loading. People who keep pushing through minor flare-ups are often easier to help than those who become fearful of all movement and loading.
- Pain is an alarm, not a punishment. Framed correctly, pain is useful information that helps you find and fix a faulty movement pattern before it causes real damage.
- Sebastian's three strategies to get and stay well: keep moving in small ways every day rather than chasing extremes; set a real goal and know your actual why for pursuing fitness; and just chill, since not every workout or day needs to be pushed at full intensity.
“Pain is your alarm. Pain protects you, right?”
Dr. Sebastian Gonzales
