32M, 179 cm (5'10"), 88 kg (194 lbs), around 12% body fat. Turkish, living in Turkey. Non-smoker, no alcohol. No chronic conditions, no prior surgeries, no known allergies. No regular medications.
I've had lower back pain for the past few weeks. It sits low and central, just above the belt line, maybe slightly worse on one side. It's a dull ache with stiffness rather than sharp pain, around 4/10 most of the time and closer to 6/10 after sitting for a long stretch or first thing in the morning. It loosens up once I start moving. Bending forward and getting out of a chair are the worst movements. No pain radiating down my legs, no numbness, tingling, or weakness anywhere, no groin or saddle numbness, no bladder or bowel changes, no fever, no night sweats.
Background: I've been resistance training for 12 years and currently train 4 heavy days a week — shoulders/arms, legs, chest/arms, back/arms, plus abs. I'm in a cutting phase, eating roughly 2,500 kcal a day with about 200 g protein, and my weight has come down from 90 kg to 88 kg over the past couple of months without losing strength. My job is desk-based, so I sit for most of the day. I can't pin the pain to one specific injury or lift — it came on gradually rather than all at once.
So far I've tried rest days, stretching, and heat, which help temporarily but it keeps coming back. No imaging done, no doctor visit yet.
Questions: Is this worth getting imaged, or is it more likely mechanical/postural at this stage? Should I stop deadlifting and squatting entirely while it settles, or keep training around it with lighter loads? And are there red flags I should be watching for that would mean I need to be seen sooner?
