Squats for aching lower back

Squats for aching lower back What squat variations are good for people with lower back pain? Note the goal is not to treat the pain but rather to keep strengthening my quads pain-free (I'll deal with the back separately, gotta see a doctor). LLMs confuse me and contradict one another. Gemini said Smith machine squats with a vertical back are good. But Gemma said it's dangerous. I tried the exercise, have ambivalent feelings. It's definitely not Bulgarian split squats. They actually made it worse (at least, with relatively heavy dumbbells they do). Isolated quad exercises (leg extensions) may be an option but I generally prefer compound exercises. Goblet squats – I'm not sure. You can't load them much, besides your back is still going to lean forward (which is exactly what causes me pain). I hate leg press (just as Jeff Cavaliere does). Way too much room for cheating, can round my spine. I never got V squats. They make you squat up and forward instead of just up. They butcher the standard squat path of motion, making your body move in a clumsy, unnatural way. I may try it but I have been looking down on it. We don't have a belt squat machine in my gym, sadly. No hack squat machine too. Backstory. I wrecked my lower back back in February on deadlifts. It's the most dangerous exercise by far in my experience: I watched my form, did warm-up sets, didn't go crazy with the weight, still got hurt. I visited a doctor who prescribed etoricoxib and electrotherapy. At some point my back got better, but it never healed completely. Recently, Bulgarians erased all the progress (32 kg dumbbells, I weigh 69 kg). Even hyperextension hurts now, never had any problems with it.