Lower Back Pain When Running And How To Manage It

Are you a passionate runner suffering from lower back pain? You are not the first. Lower back pain is surprisingly common among joggers and runners. If you are unfortunate enough to experience pain anywhere in the back when running, there is help out there for you.

Carry on reading our mini-guide to exercising with back problems.

Make Sure You Are Wearing The Right Shoes

One of the first things you want to do, is to make sure you are wearing the right shoes. Far too many of us wear the same shoes for running as when we go to the gym.

To protect your feet, you do want to make sure that you wear the right kind of running shoe. Make sure that your shoe has a sole that protects you from the impact of running on your joints. Any hard impact will eventually work is way up your body and can cause back problems.

You should also make sure that your shoes support your foot. When your foot is not correctly supported, your posture is affected. As we all know, poor posture leads to a range of health problems.

Cooling Down

Are you remembering to stretch? Far too many runners forget to cool down and stretch. Instead, they kick their shoes off when they come home and jump straight in a hot shower.

The cool down is just as important as the warm-up. Once you have finished your running session make sure that you take the time to cool down and stretch.

Cooling down and stretching is pretty easy. Just take your time and make sure you work through every joint and muscle in the body. Yes, stretching your legs is important. However, running affects almost every joint and muscle in the body.

If a muscle or a tendon is out of line or not allowed to stretch after a workout, the end result is often pain in unexpected parts of the body.

Look After Your Mobility

Noticing back pain can be an indication that you are not looking after your mobility. What is mobility? It is linked to flexibility but means taking things that little bit further.

Flexibility is about letting your joints moving perhaps only in one direction. Mobility is about making sure that your joints can move in more than one direction. When it comes to running, looking after your joints in the lower region of the body.

 Yoga poses increases your mobility. 

Do I Need A Back Support?

When you do run or exercise, it is a good idea to wear a support. Wearing a support should never stop your muscles, tendons, and joints from moving especially when you run.

There are many different types, such as posture supports. It is important that you find the right one for your own personal needs. Of course, if you are a long-distance runner, your back support should be lightweight and flexible.

If you only run short distances, you may want to consider trying a sweat vest. It will give you very gentle support and help to keep your muscles warm at the same time.

Wearing a sweat vest is a great idea for wintertime training. During the winter, your muscles will take longer to warm up. Once you have got them warm, you want to make sure they stay warm and flexible. A sweat vest can help you to achieve that.

The alternative to a sweat vest is a back support. It is important to have a support that wraps around your waist and stays in place. Belts are great but there are also many other different options that you may want to check out.

Cold Water Bathing And Back Pain

New therapies are coming online all of the time. One therapy that never used to be thought of as mainstream is cold water bathing.

Is cold water bathing the same as open water swimming? It is not the same thing but many of the health benefits you can enjoy are the same.

One of the top benefits you will gain from cold water bathing is better circulation. For many back pain sufferers, better circulation is a real game-changer. Your recovery period speeds up and you will notice a reduction in pain.

Although it has never been scientifically proven, so little research has been done, it is believed that cold water bathing decreases the inflammatory response. When inflammation is removed, you will experience less pain.

Stretching and Olympic Bar Work Outs

Stretching reduces muscle pain as well. It does not work exactly the same way as cold water bathing but the principle is the same.

When we stretch, we elongate our muscles and tendons which in turn increases blood flow. Sadly, most runners ignore the benefits of stretching.

If you have not as yet tried stretching, you should add it to your routine. Stretching, doing yoga or pilates are three ways of exercising that is underrated. All three practises will help to improve both your flexibility and mobility.

Add an Olympic bar to your stretching workouts and you will start building muscle mass at the same time as your stretch.

Stay Moving And Focused

Never underestimate how important it is to stay moving. When we experience back pain, the first thing we do is to feel tempted to sit down or, even worse, lay down.

Not moving is not going to make your back pain any better at all. In fact, it is going to make it worse. Instead, focus on getting active and staying active. There is no reason why you should not carry on running when experiencing pain in your back.

In Conclusion

Running or jogging is a fantastic way to keep fit. To stay running for longer, make sure you add in other exercises. Don't be afraid to wear a support. Investing in good quality support and running shoes is very important when you want to stay fit.

Brought to you by Your Back Pain Relief