Back pain.

[dann]

Hi, I’m new to all this. It’s my first post.
I’ve recently started running again, although it isn’t over a great distance or in record breaking time yet, I get an aching pain in my lower back, confined to about the area of a closed fist, the day after I’ve run. Is this anything to worry about? or is it just because I’ve only recently started training again?

I’ve already searched this and got nothing, so any advice or help would be much appreciated, thank you.

dann

[marinewannabe]

couldn't really tell you mate, best bet to see a professional e.g. doctor or physio .

[Tartan_Terrier]

Hi Dann,
I have to agree with marinewannabe, get yourself down to the docs and see what he says.

One thing though, what kind of footwear are you wearing? Decent running shoes, or something else?

Regards
T_T

[jonno2006]

welcome to the forums dann,

ive had lower back pain in the past which was caused by me having a weak core.
as marinewannabe has recommended, id go see a doctor/physio first just to be sure but if it does turn out to be a weak core then you could try this... lie on your back with your hands by your sides and lift your left leg off the ground as high as possible, hold for 2 seconds, then back down. repeat with your right leg. do this 6 times per leg. then with both feet together to the same again, 6 times. remember to keep your back, head and arms in contact with the ground at all times, keep the legs straight and do the each movement s l o w l y! i do this exercise every day without fail and also throw in "the plank" every now and again - see below.


hope this helps mate. its been working wonders for me

jonno

[Stokey_14]

Definatly go see a profesional, also try looking at your running style/posture .Its only a wild gess as I'm no doctor but mabye if you lean back/ forward to much it might be puting added strain on the area. I hope it is just a niggleing little think that will be sorted out quickly and isn't anything serious. But getting it chequed out is better than letting the pain/injury progress.

All the best (im shure you'll be fine )

Stokey

[druadan]

Get it checked by a physio, it may just be using odd muscles that haven't been used for a while, but if it's a problem it may deteriorate over time. I almost got Huntered in training with a back problem that was caused because I ran with my hips slightly too far back (strict "keep your back straight" mother I think ); the remedial PTI looked at my gait on a treadmill, diagnosed the problem, gave me some weird exercises to strengthen the core muscles that pull your hips forward, problem solved and saved me being back-trooped.

[hobbsy]

Maybe you've trapped a nerve, painful but not serious. But like everyone else has said, definately go see the Doc or a physio.

[Felias]

Does the pain only happen when you run?? As jonno said it could well be a weak core. I had the same prob, pain in my mid back from an inbalance of muscle strength, it I trained my abs and neglected my back. You could try doing some floor dorsal raises?

[Ste Preece]

This sounds like a tight Quardratus Lumborum muscle. These are the lower back muscles either side of your spine, just above your pelvic girdle.

If it is this, it is quite common. Try kneeling on the ground on all fours, knees & hands, that is. Then raise your right arm out to the front and your left leg out straight to the rear. Hold this for ten seconds and then swap to the opposite limbs. (Yes, its a bit like a superman pose!!)

This will stretch, strengthen and loosen this muscle. Hope this helps.


Regards

Steve.

[ADDiction]

Have a word with JCAP about this.

[lodgi]

I used to get this sort of pain when running, especially up hills. It's gone now and Im guessing it's what other people have been saying, weak lower back muscles. I do dorsal raises in one of my circuits so I'm guessing this has helped me.

[chak]

i've bin gettin this and worried as hell with RT comin up.

cheerz for the exercises, tried googling, but only got junk websites back offering drugs

[_chris]

Around 70 per cent of all lower back pain is idiopathic in nature, which means it originates elsewhere in the body's multi-segmented system. The lower part of this system is called the locomotor unit and includes the pelvis. It carries the upper part of the body, which is called the passenger unit and includes the spine, upper body, arms and head. These two units meet in the lower lumbar spine.

Most injuries that are referred to as "simple back pain" are caused by strains and sprains. In our working lives, as well as our running lives, we can expose our backs to minor damage from poor posture, poor abdominal strength, too much bending forward or backward, repeated quick or strenuous muscle contractions, tightness in the gluteus and hamstring muscles and tight connective tissue in the lower back, all of which lead to over-use injuries.


Understanding your back and how it affects your running is key to avoiding over-use injuries. "Because runners hold a specific form, the body ends up getting very little variety. Weakness and imbalance can set in," say Jim and Phil Wharton in The Whartons' Back Book. This can lead to injury: "Runners hold the record for overuse injuries among athletes in all fields - a massive 70 per cent. Of all runners, 37 to 56 per cent get hurt every year," they add.

One of the key reasons for back injuries among runners is excessive training on hard surfaces, so try to avoid always running on roads or pavements. On these hard surfaces, any misalignment in your musculoskeletal system will be absorbed higher up in the body, creating instability in the pelvis and spine.

Wearing the right running shoes will help you to avoid injury, especially if you have low foot arches. Overpronation (excessive rolling in) of the feet leads to exaggerated internal rotation of the shin, which causes excessive internal rotation of the thigh. The result is pressure on the hip joint, which tilts the pelvis forward. "This increases the angle where the spine joins the pelvis and is a very common cause of lower back pain," says Clifton Bradeley, an authority on back care for runners and the Clinical Specialist to Sub-4 Ltd. This scenario is commonly coupled with any number of other excessive pronation injuries such as Achilles tendonitis; plantar fasciitis; runner's knee; shin splints and iliotibial band syndrome.

http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/news/arti ... 94&v=4&sp=

The article links to a couple of prevention pages at the bottom. Most is what already been said, check the shoes, do strengthening excercises.

You say your new back to running, how long has this been happening, if its only the first time its happened then just be careful and take it easy see what happens but more than a couple of weeks then go to a specialist. Nothing/no one on the internet will be able to say deffinantly what the problem is.

[ashley]

Go and see a physio, and a doctor and any other sort of profession if you plan on going down the path. Believe me.

I had a little niggle in my back from week 6 onward. Come the load carry back from Running Man, it was agony. I fell twice on the load carry, the second time I failed to stand properly. The following Tuesday I found myself moving into Normandy block whilst 904 was doing Baptist Run.

Needless to say, I took my chances and left Hunter a few weeks later, to save myself a possible MD.

So yeah, get it seen to as soon as you can.

(All that aside, I'm doing my PRMC for re-entry next week, and plan on nailing it.)

[dann]

Iv got pretty good running shoes so I'll get myself an appointment at the Doctors. (which is proving more difficult than it sounds haha.)

Thanks jonno thats a great help, Ill throw that into my routine and see what happens.

Yeh Felias, I only get the pain the day after I run.

Thanks very much for the advice everyone, much apreciated Ill just have to wait and see.

Regards, dann.