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Is Running Bad For My Back? |
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Thursday, 05 July 2007 |
 Question: I know running is a great way to get fit, burn calories and improve cardiovascular health. But I've heard that running can be bad for my back. I already have low back pain and don't want to worsen the problem.
Answer: Thank you for asking. This is a very important question as you may know that Low Back Pain is the most common injury site affecting over 80 percent of all people. From acute to chronic, it is the third-most-common reason for missed work days, lagging behind headaches and the common cold. Just for your knowledge, chronic Back Pain costs Australians $567 million each year and accounts for 12% of all muscular-skeletal conditions, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.Since you want to do your body good by starting your running program, it will be a great idea to know how to do it safely.
From all the complicated systems and organs, your back is one of the most sophisticated structures in the the body. Consisting of 33 vertebrae forming the spine, your back has many muscles, fascia, nerves, ligaments and tendons. Your amazing back is unlike anything else – it is hard and strong enough to keep your upper and lower body together, yet soft and flexible enough to let you bend, twist, rotate and turn in all directions. A healthy back is the core of free movement in every single action. Running, done properly, is not bad for your back; however, oftentimes people will run without proper preparation, training, etc. and create painful overuse syndromes of the lower back area. This can occur in the novice runner, as well as in the most experienced of runners. Many experienced runners have endured the frustration of increasing their mileage acutely, resulting in several days and even weeks of increased low back pain. However, most studies have indicated that only rarely are spine related injuries experienced by runners. Even x-rays taken of patients who all are experienced runners, in comparison to their non-running colleagues, fail to demonstrate any degenerative changes related to their running.
Certain aspects of running, however, need to be specifically addressed to beginners in order to prevent injuries to the low back region. Running, done well, actually enforces the protective mechanisms that our body has developed in order to dissipate stress across the lumbar spine. The lumbar protective mechanisms are the outer muscular envelope of our bodies, i.e. the abdominal and paraspinal musculature.
Once these muscles are properly developed, their tone often reduces stress across the lumbosacral spine, throughout all aspects of our physical activity. Runners have been shown to have well toned abdominal and paraspinal muscles in order to serve as a protective mechanism. On the other hand, poorly trained runners, who either run sporadically or have never run at all and begin to run as part of a fitness program, will oftentimes stress their paraspinal and abdominal musculature, resulting in lumbar strain injuries. Therefore, an understanding of the biomechanics of running is necessary in order to properly train.
I will tell you more about protecting your back later. For now, try to learn how to run properly by asking professional trainers or exercise physiologists. They will show you the safe way to run and have fun without damaging your back!
By Elena Voropay |
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eDiets Epicurious |
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