Lower Back Pain When Running

Runners often suffer from lower back pain, which can dramatically curtail one's running career. To enjoy a long and unhindered life as a runner, it's important to understand why the lower back is so susceptible to injury and what you can do to prevent this from happening. 

In this article, we'll discuss some of the potential causes of lower back pain and some of the ways that you might be able to address these issues before they turn into full-blown injuries. We will also discuss how back pain physical therapy in Ashburn can help.

What Is Pain In The Lower Back? 

Pain in the lower back can mean many things and range in intensity from annoying to serious. It can hurt when you run, walk, or do pretty much anything else, and it can hover around the base of your spine or radiate out to your hips and limbs. It can come on suddenly or build up slowly. And you can get it while you're exercising, sitting at your desk, or watching TV. When runners have it, they mostly don't know why they have it.

How Does Running Affect the Lower Back?

Running places impact stress on the spine, yet high-velocity runners are healthy and long-lived. The cumulative effect of repetitive movements can produce muscular fatigue in the spine and surrounding structures. Inadequate preparation, poor running form, and the use of poor technique can lead to lower back problems for runners.

Lower back pain often has several common culprits when it comes to running. One of these is 

Poor Form

If a runner doesn't have good posture when running, it can lead to a lot of extra tightness and soreness. The lower back is probably one of the most vulnerable spots in the body, especially for runners. That's because it tends to be the area where all the forces are transmitted and also where all the twisting and turning takes place. Two mistakes that often result in lower back pain when running are overstriding (landing with the foot too far in front of the body) and slouching.

A Weak Core

Weak core muscles can lead to instability while running, which forces the lower back to take on more of the load. The core is not just the set of muscles that make up the "abs" but also a band of muscles that goes around the body to the back and includes the hips. 

Strengthening the muscles that make up the core—especially their stabilizing function—greatly improves the support the body has for the spine and helps in avoiding lower back problems.

Muscle Imbalances

Tightness in the hip flexors or hamstrings can create an imbalance that affects your running posture. For instance, if your hip flexors are tight, they tend to pull your pelvis forward, which can make your lower back excessively arched. Stretching and strengthening exercises can help keep you balanced.

Inadequate Footwear

Worn-out or unfit running shoes can cause poor posture and back pain. It's necessary to replace shoes before they fall apart and to select a new pair that meets individual needs. Ideally, replacing your running shoes every 300 to 500 miles is appropriate.

Increased intensity

If you suddenly increase your running mileage or intensity without being properly adapted to the loads, you strain your muscles and joints, which can easily lead to overuse injuries, including lower back pain. 

Underlying Medical Conditions

Often, lower back pain arises from underlying medical conditions like herniated discs, sciatica, or arthritis. If self-help remedies fail to relieve your pain, it's vital that you see a healthcare provider who can pinpoint the root of your problem.

When to Seek Medical Help For Lower Back Pain When Running

It is important to pay heed to any symptoms that suggest a necessity for medical care. If you undergo intense discomfort, weakness, or tingling sensations, or any persistent pain remains unrelieved despite self-care and rest, seeing a physical therapist is a must.

They might carry out a physical examination and suggest certain diagnostic tests—like X-rays or MRIs—to get to the bottom of your pain. After you've been tested, the results will guide your treatment plan. 

Physical therapy in Ashburn will work with you to create a plan that is tailored to your specific needs and condition and progressive in nature—that is, the plan will start with something relatively easy for you to do and will get harder (in a good way) as you go along. Also, if there is need for any adjustments to the treatment plan, your therapist will do so.

In conclusion, 

Runners can almost entirely eliminate lower back pain as a running-related injury by understanding the common causes of pain when running and how to prevent them. Should the torment of pain in the lower back occasionally strike, runners can also be confident that it’s not a sign of some serious issue with the spine. Plus, with core strength exercises and posture correction, runners may experience feeling good during their exercise.