Back pain for runners
May back hurts this week. I figured I’d talk about it.
Backs are a tricky bit of bone and meat because they have this big ole bundle of nerves that runs up the hollow bone in the middle. Any damage to that nerve bundle will have serious consequences.
Therefor, before we go any further, I am not a doctor. If your back hurts be very careful because you really need it to be healthy and there are so many things that can cause pain back there (see what I did?)
Bottom line, back pain can be very serious. Be careful.
Like our discussion about knee injuries last time the back is one of those places where the symptoms will manifest, but the problem very well might be elsewhere.
One common symptom is lower back pain in new runners or new exercisers in general. There are muscles back there that we seldom use if we are leading a chair-bound sedentary existence. And when you suddenly start using them they get sore.
It’s like when you go out and rake leaves or stack wood for the first time in months. Because we live a sedentary life those lower back support muscles get cranky and over worked.
Like any muscle they catch up quickly over time with consistent use. So if you’re a new runner or new exerciser and have that lower back muscle pain it’s quite normal and should sort itself out.
Some of the common exercises that people do can give you sore back if you haven’t been doing them a lot. For example sit-ups are a common offender, or crunches – anything that uses that lower back as a fulcrum.
As with any other injury or pain that questions you should ask first are, When did you notice this starting? What were you doing when it started? What were you doing differently?
With backs it’s usually very easy to trace back to something. Maybe it was an intense hill work. Maybe it was a weights workout. Maybe it was sleeping in an odd position or lifting something the wrong way.
Did you do something different? Run on a different terrain? Trails instead of your normal tarmac? Were you doing some stride variation drills? Maybe your training intensity was inappropriate for your core fitness? Did you throw in a sharp increase in mileage or intensity?
As with all things running, form is important for a strong back. A strong back enables a strong, upright, running form. An upright running form balances the stresses of running in your core and protects your back.
When you have someone check your form look at the line of your back. It should be straight and strong, not bent or slumped. Push those hips forward and pull those shoulders back.
Just like with the knee, the back needs to be supported by a web of interconnected muscles and fascia. Having a strong core will help with back injuries, both in prevention and relief. But if you have an imbalance in these muscles it can put stress on your back.
It’s a bit of an irony that the exact same exercises that build a strong core and back are the ones most likely to cause back pain. You need to be disciplined and intentional with that work.
Again – Be very careful with any back pain because you don’t want to mess with something serious like a disc or something spinal.
My recommendation for runners would be to work a few back routines into your base core work that you should be doing 2-3 times a week to keep those back muscles strong as part of your strong core.
You can self check the curve of your spine by standing against a wall and seeing where the bits touch.
Two more tips for backs.
First, I was never a big chiropractor believer. But later in life I did something to my back shoveling snow and went to a local guy who specializes in runners. I couldn’t even stand up straight. It hurt like crazy.
I went to this guy and he did some poking and prodding and crack, crack, crack – it was like a miracle – he put his hands on me and I could walk again! Since then I use him, not so much for treatment, but for assessment when I have some sort of odd back pain or anything else.
The tip is, find a chiro or a PT you trust who works on athletes and use them to help you understand and treat any suspicious back pain. It pays to understand what’s going on.
Second and final tip is that I find there are some outstanding yoga poses for back stretching. Simple, easy stuff like mountain pose where you can really focus on straightening and stretching that back and they feel great after a day spent hunched over a keyboard.
That’s it. Take car of your backs. Be careful with them. Understand what’s going on and keep them strong and fit to carry your through your adventures.