Your situation is unfortunate, and I realize in a lot of ways I'm spoiled, I grew up in a fitness family and started learning lifts when I was a teenager so I am a bit privileged in that way.

Deadlifts are a tricky one, maybe work on general accessory back work when you are able again, get your stabilizers to a place of confidence, and approach deadlift again when you feel ready.

Alternatively, you can pass on deadlift and learn 'good mornings' or hyperextensions which both touch on similar muscle groups.

When it comes to fitness, there are so many alternative lifts for different physiology. Me for example, I have to take caution with barbell overhead press because for whatever reason my shoulders sometimes pinch a nerve in my neck, so I do dumbbell instead. It takes time to learn your body.

Use this website to find alternative workouts for the muscle group in question, it's one if the best.

https://exrx.net/

Back exercises listed by muscle group

Are you sure it was skeletal pain and not muscular? I decided on a whim to go for a PR on deadlift after slacking off from the gym for ~2 weeks. It aged my back by 30 years for a week before the stiffness went away.

I'm personally a big fan of Barbell Medicine and the biopsychosocial model they're pushing. A point Dr. Feigenbaum had made is that if you're capable of performing the barbell movements without load, there isn't really any reason for why the movement should cause harm. If it causes pain, you're loading up too much weight before your body has adapted to it.

I can relate, there have been times in my life when I was going to community college and working at night (and various other life situations, including just plain old depression) that I had to temporarily quit the gym. During those times I was usually making some huge leap or working through personal stuff so it was worth it.

At the very least I tried to walk a lot.

Luckily though, muscles are pretty good at picking up where you left of, and from the age of 10 to 40s (now) about half of that time I was in the gym which I feel is pretty solid.

It's discouraging going from strong to weak, but the biggest thing that keeps me going is remembering the only person I'm competing with is me from yesterday.

Honest question, is there no dead time during the work schedule to do at least a little bit? There's a lot of exercises that don't need any equipment. You might look like a bit of a weirdo to your colleagues, but health > social awkwardness imho

Rest was standard of care 30-40 years ago. We stopped doing that because inactivity leads to muscle atrophy and further spinal stabilizer muscle atrophy, thus greater spinal instability.

It sounds weird, but the best I've found is running. When I'm in running season, I tend not to get back spasms, and if I do they are mild and only last a day or two. In the winter when I don't run, a back spasm hurts like hell for a week or longer. I'm guessing it's my shoulders moving up and down with each stride? I don't know, but something about it helps immensely.

Boop beep I got delete.

Sir, this is a Wendy's