I'm training for my first half marathon which is at the end of March. As part of my training plan I run 3 - 5 miles on Tuesday and Thursday, cross train on Wednesday for 30 - 40 minutes, long run on Saturday and 3 miles recovery run on Sunday. I ran 7 miles on Saturday (yesterday) which is the longest I've ran so far with this plan. The run went well. I've noticed for a day or two that I have some pain in my lower back and my legs are a bit stiff. When I went out to run today I could ony run for a few hundred yards as my back was painful. I plan to rest and just try and run as normal on Tuesday. Has anyone got any suggestions of what exercises I can do to strengthen my back and what it may be?
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I am running the Bath half, and then hopefully the VLM in April (back permitting)
i am doing some back strenghening excersises as well as icing, and massage, plus chiropractic treatment.
I have been advised not to apply heat to my back at all, just 15 mins of ice at a time, I also googled back strengthening excersises, theres plenty to look at and try.
good luck Stephen.
Alan
soun like you are onte w to recovery , just take it slow, an you will get there i am sure.
the twiste back thing, that was / is my problm and my chiropractor said that the badly pulled hamstring has not helped my back at all, so i will percivere with the treatments and excercises and keep my fingers crossed
Tigerlily, thanks for the advice/ comments regarding core weakness and problems, i also guess that is another problem i must have , so must work on and strenghten,
Good luck to you both with your training/ running.
Alan
bad spell day or what ?? in that last post.
so sorry didn't check, new key pad i think is required !!! or a new typist lol
As previous posters have correctly pointed out, good posture is essential. Poor posture in everyday life places tension on muscles, ligaments and particularly discs. If you put your back under this pressure on a day-to-day basis through poor posture, then your body is less able to accommodate increased physical demands which can lead to back pain/injuries when you run run.
You mentioned that you experienced pain after running further than you have before, so it certainly sounds like this increase in activity coupled with poor posture could have contributed to your pain. If your discs haven’t been strained through poor posture in everyday life then they will be healthier and more absorbing when running which, as you know is an incredibly repetitive and high impact sport.
Good posture both day-to-day and when running can help to strengthen your back rather than weaken it, but consciously changing your posture can be really difficult after years of moving the way that you do. This has led Adam, the osteopath, to invent a product called PosturePlast (www.postureplast.co.uk) which is an adhesive support for the lower back.
By keeping your back in its 'safe zone', it promotes good posture on a day to day basis, keeping your back healthy and making it more able to absorb the impact of running. PosturePlast can also be worn during running/exercise so keep your back in the correct position during these activities.
PosturePlast works to help retrain your posture in the long term, so may be worth giving a go if you are still suffering.
Hope this helps and if you have any questions let me know!
What many people don't realize is that there are lot os muscles and ligamants in your lower back. If don't keep these in shape, they tend not to perform their function of keep your lower back stable well.
If you are not walking as a part of yopur exercise routine, walk. This is a great exercise for your lower back. Keep a nice posture and walk at a good speed to allow for ample hip movement. It is this movemen that actually exercises the musles of the lower back and this will strenghthen your lower back stabillity.
Stay away from running for just a bit and do some lower impact exercising. You may have some swelling that you are exacerbating each time your run. If the pain begins to move lower than the small of your back, that means the problem is getting worse and you need to see a physician.
You can also try something call AposTherapy, which does wonders for lower backs and is non-invasive. Works with your walking regimen.
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I have just noticed that I hadn't explained that my GP said that I have a slightly twisted back but that it isn't a problem. He advised me to do hamstring stretching exercises! As my physio helped me when I saw him a few weeks ago and as two friends have been helped by him I am hoping that when I see him again he wil be able to help me further as I was a bit disappointed with my GP to be honest. In the meantime, I am continuing to do lower back, core strengthening and hamstring exercises. I also plan to do more running but at a fairly slow pace and also cross-training at the gym. Unfortunately, I am having to pull out of the half marathon at the end of March as my training is now too off track.
Stephen,
I've had a lower back problem for years that has got worse recently due to uping the mileage.
Been to the GP, had x-rays and discs appear ok. Osteopath diagnosed an inflamed sacrofilic joint after a very painful xc run.
I've bought an inversion table, and although I've only been using it for a few weeks it seems to help.
I'd be interested in any ideas which don't involve core work!
I've had a lower back problem which has progressivly gotten worse for a year and a half now. I have no idea what caused it and I was referred to a physio last year in September. He said I needed to "join the back class" which was a poor attempt at pilataes (seriously, even I could have given better instructions and I haven't done a pilataes class for 3 years!)
I did manage to really improve my posture- I can now do quad stretches for 60 seconds a leg -stopped only becuase thats how long I stretch for, on the wobble board, no hands, no glaring at the same fixed point and keep the whole thing stable (among other things!). Though I am pleased with my massive progress, since october when I mastered this, the pain has not gone away and if anything has gotten worse.
I notice it the most when and after I cycle.
I was referred to an arthritis specialist to see if that was the problem, she said it "couldn't be at your age" then I explained I had a hypermobile spine, she tested this and then one arm/elbow (no issues with my armss she just wanted to test it didn't bend backwards), said I only was hypermobile in my back and nowhere else and that this was not the problem (why I don't know). She then decided it must be osteoperosis. I have a diagnosis of osteoperina (not osteoperosis) 1 year prior and its in my upper spine, my hips and lower back are fine so again I argued as that made no sense and she agreed it didn't make sense but seemed to want to make this diagnosis (ie "its not my problem I don't know enough"), she did on my request send me for an MRI scan which apparently showed up fine, I am at a loss as to the issue.
I just want to walk without feeling pain! I have no idea what I have done and why it wont go away but it is getting worse to the point where some nights it keeps me awake, would welcome anyone who has similar experiences or ideas on what it could be as so far nothing seems to help.