Lower back pain and exercise

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kthompson601
kthompson601 Posts: 174 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi guys, I've been having some severe lower back pain the last few weeks. I didn't have a fall or an injury (that is, it wasn't like I was squatting and felt something snap or pull). I think it might just be over training or a strain, so I took a week off.

Now, I'm ready to get back in the gym. I've read that with lower back pain, it's a mistake to avoid your exercise and limit your movement, and I miss having my workouts. The pain is greatly reduced, but there is still some pain. Movement feels good--the pain is most noticeable when I get up in the morning (for a while I was waking in the night with pain) and when I've been sitting a while. Walking feels amazing, and generally I don't have pain on the bike or doing weights. But I miss running and feel like it's important to get back to that.

I've looked up some stretches for easing lower back pain (http://breakingmuscle.com/yoga/heal-your-lower-back-pain-with-these-5-yoga-poses and http://www.apmhealth.com/education/healthy-living/stretching---strengthening-tips/6-stretches-to-help-back-pain). A lot of these I do regularly in yoga, but I was thinking of adding them to a daily routine to see if this would help my back.

Do you think these seem like useful exercises? Any others you would recommend? When would you recommend I do these stretches--before workout, immediately after workout, after shower/dinner? Does it matter?

My workout routine tends to be: 10 minutes warm up (jogging or rowing), strength training (mainly free weights, arms on Mon/Wed, legs on Tues/Thurs), and then cardio (5k run on Mon/Wed, stationary bike on Tues/Thurs, swimming on weekends). Yoga on Thursdays and Sundays.

Replies

  • B4Rachael
    B4Rachael Posts: 155 Member
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    Persistent pain should always be looked at by a professional; make an appointment with a doctor or physical therapist.
    That being said, runners will often times have week hip muscles. Look into exercises that will strengthen your hips.
  • sarahkw04
    sarahkw04 Posts: 87 Member
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    Second the thought on seeing a professional. Additionally, strengthening your core would be beneficial. I go to a powerlifting gym, and despite how strong people are there, a lot of them have weak cores. I've gotten myself quite a few barre clients from there once they see the core strength us barre girls have! :)
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    Ditto on strengthening your core.
  • kthompson601
    kthompson601 Posts: 174 Member
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    Thanks for the advice about my core and my hips. I've always felt that my core is a weak area, so I will work on strengthening it.

    Regarding the doctor, I'm not yet at that point, but if I find I'm still experiencing pain once I resume working out, I'll have to take that step. I'm a bit anxious about that, since I know once you start messing with your back, that's something that will dog you for the rest of your life.
  • 4thDegreeKnight
    4thDegreeKnight Posts: 69 Member
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    I am speaking from my experience only. I had a real problem with a very weak lower back it came down to my hips not being alined (Chiropractor visit), and some ligaments in hips and back being too tight. I ended up altering certain exercises like sit-ups, ended up getting a massage to loosen up my muscles and ligaments, and then maintained it with stretching before and after. Seemed to make a big impact to me.
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,209 Member
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    kthompson601 wrote: »
    the pain is most noticeable when I get up in the morning (for a while I was waking in the night with pain)

    Maybe it's time to flip your mattress, or replace your mattress? :+1:
  • mccraee
    mccraee Posts: 199 Member
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    Stretching my hamstrings usually helps my lower back. I'm not advising you, but it does help me
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,838 Member
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    +1 to professional assistance. It's hard to prescribe exercise interventions (even for yourself) unless you know specifically what you're trying to cure/solve.

    I won't derail this post with the reasons, but I had excellent, major reasons to fix my recurring back problems, and invest some time & money in it.

    Things that helped were osteopathic manipulation; massage therapy from a massage therapist with actual therapeutic massage education/certification, not just relaxation massage; and physical therapy (via referral from my regular doctor). The osteopath & massage therapist (in addition to the PT) recommended stretches & exercises for my particular issues.

    Fundamentally, getting stronger (via rowing, yoga, core exercise and much more, off & on over several years) did the most, but the interventions above kept me tuned up enough that I could actually keep up a good exercise schedule.

    If you're going to do stretches, I heartily recommend a daily program. I've gotten a lot more benefit out of daily stretching for the time investment, compared with irregular or less frequent stretching. I'd say just do it at a time of day that works for you - consistency, in my non-expert experiential opinion, is more valuable than timing.

    The stretches at the site you linked look like a standard set that I've seen recommended by PTs to friends with back problems (and they include some that were recommended to me for specific issues). If they don't increase pain for you as you do them, or after doing them consistently multiple days in a row, it may make sense to try them consistently for a month or so, and see how things are going.

    Ice or moist heat at appropriate moments may help reduce discomfort, too, without completely masking pain to the point where you don't get good feedback if things go awry. (There's a kind of moist-heat heating pad that I bonded with for quite some time called a Thermophore - it delivers moist heat without having to apply water to it.) OTC linaments or patches can also be helpful as short-term expedients.

    Personally, I tend to stay away from forms of exercise that consistently increase pain, at least until I've done something remedial for long enough that I suspect I may've changed the base condition, but maybe that's just me.
  • jemile250
    jemile250 Posts: 3 Member
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    Most people suffer from back pain due to maintaining poor posture while sitting, sleeping, walking, and working. Back pain may also occur due to working on the computer for a long time. A good posture can help us to prevent back pain and save our spine. Here are a few helpful back pain articles, tips, guides, infographics, and tutorials below.

    https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/back-pain/symptoms-causes/syc-20369906
    https://www.healthline.com/health/back-pain
    https://www.emedicinehealth.com/back_pain_health/article_em.htm
    https://www.mattressinsight.com/causes-of-back-pain/
    https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172943.php
  • Theoldguy1
    Theoldguy1 Posts: 2,477 Member
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    Agree with seeing a professional. "The Most Famous Physical Therapists on the Internet" (2 30 year practicing PTs) have a lot of really good free videos. You can search based on the hurting body part. This will get you started:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lRrPRqtKFE
  • MikePfirrman
    MikePfirrman Posts: 3,307 Member
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    Theoldguy1 wrote: »
    Agree with seeing a professional. "The Most Famous Physical Therapists on the Internet" (2 30 year practicing PTs) have a lot of really good free videos. You can search based on the hurting body part. This will get you started:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lRrPRqtKFE

    I love these guys. They do have some great videos that are fantastic if it's something you might be able to fix yourself.

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