Back Pain? Are You a Shaker or Compressor? Why You Need to Know.

Back Pain? Are You a Shaker or Compressor?

Back pain can often be grouped into four types: flexor, extender, shaker, or compressor. We covered flexors and extenders in our last video, but what if your pain doesn’t fit those categories?

Are You a Shaker?

A shaker has spinal instability, meaning small movements between the vertebrae may trigger pain.

Common signs include:

• Your back suddenly feels like it’s giving way

• Sharp pain or muscle spasms

• Catching or locking when rolling or twisting

• Pain during movements like rolling in bed or standing up

Try the Log Roll Test

When rolling in bed, tighten your abdominal muscles first and roll your body as one unit. If this reduces your pain, spinal instability may be contributing to your symptoms.

Are You a Compressor?

A compressor experiences back pain when pressure or weight is placed on the spine—often during lifting.

Common signs include:

• Pain primarily when lifting

• Pain when arching your back while carrying weight

• Little discomfort during normal activities but increased pain with heavier loads

Try lifting a light weight while your back is rounded, arched, and neutral. If pain occurs mainly when your back is extended under load, you may be a compressor.

What Can Help?

For compressors, focus on keeping your spine neutral while lifting, avoid excessive arching, and brace your core.

There’s more to identifying and treating each type, so watch the full video above for additional tests, explanations, and exercises.

Then visit our free Back Pain Program, including videos and printable exercise PDFs.

This is Part 2 of our back pain classification series. Check out Part 1 on flexors and extenders for the full picture.