I have been battling chronic lower back issues following an injury about 4 years ago now. While I have made significant progress and regained and surpassed most of my original strength, I still have twinges and setbacks that knock me back 50-75 lbs and a month or two. It is very discouraging and frustrating.

This is more just a vent than anything. I have a good chiropractor and stretching routine and had the presence of mind to stop lifting before things got tooo bad this morning, but it really takes the wind out of my sails.

You just do I guess.

I wadded my shoulder last summer working and couldn't do much horizontal pressing, and very little vertical pressing. I just kept it light and kept stretching and massaging it and eventually it started to get better.

Ironically, I bowled my highest game while injured, I couldn't put any muscle behind the ball so I had to focus a lot harder on aiming and form, if I deviated from proper form at all pain shot up my arm.

Once I got better my average started to rapidly slide back downhill.

Looking at about almost 2 months of rotator cuff/tendinitis rapidly followed by knee issues from "knees out" too much on squats.
My max bench is down almost 100 pounds from November and squat, who knows how bad that is now.
One of the few things I seem to be able to do is Echo Bike and not have either injury cause more issues.

Even if all I can do is get some rep work in I can always add more weight down the road.

If you've been dealing with the same "chronic" back injury for the last 4 years, it's time to change up your goals. Powerlifting (or trying to add more on the bar than your body can handle) might be a bad idea. How can you still be healthy and active without jacking up yourself?

What was the injury? What is it that irritates the injury?

My max squat is 200 lbs under what it was 3 years ago. But I'm bigger and leaner now than I was back then. Chasing numbers is a no go for me. I'm still lifting 4-5 nights a week. Still putting on muscle weight. I had to change up my goals, style, and refocus on a new objective.