Lower back pain

Cualaman

Hi all, i am looking for a bit of advice. I started running on 6th jan and not doing to bad, roughly about 3 miles x 3 times a week. However on Fri last i was getting some pain in my lower back and i had to stop and walk. This happened again yesterday and i am concerned that i will have to stop running for a while. It took a big effort to get going in the first place and i,m afraid that if i stop for a while i will not get going again. I have decent runners ( asics kayano) and i am training on concrete until the weather picks up and i can move onto grass. Any advice appreciated.
Cualaman
p.s. the athletics / running forum has been of huge benifit. Fair play to all who contribute

Woddle

I found my own lower back starting to feel sore/fatigued, so mentioned it to the physio and she put it down to me having a weak core, which I do have, so I have started working on that and theres been a big difference.

RoyMcC

Agree with Mr Woddle - much lower back pain can be alleviated by the introduction of regular core stability work. Here are some good ones http://www.brianmac.co.uk/corestabex.htm

Cualaman

Thanks Woddle , RoyMcC.
I will have a look at the link and see what i can do. Murphys law i finally get going and this happens.
Apprecaite you taking the time to reply.
Cualaman

Racing Flat

Keep running as long as the pain is not getting progressively worse. Rest is not advocated for low back pain. Current evidence based guidelines (www.backpaineurope.org) all say not to rest, keep doing things unless they are unduly aggravating the problem.

CatFromHue

Stretching your back muscles may also help.
I used to get really pain in my lower back and then started doing about 10 mins just stretching it out. Pretty much all the stretches i knew for my back
Not saying it'll get rid of everything but it was 10 mins well worth it

Don17

Hi,

First of all i'd go to a phsyio to get yourself checked out.

I did my lower back in last year and the physio told me it was my weak core.
She suggested pilates which has helped greatly.
Basically you've 3 layers of muscles in the stomach area and the deep 3rd layer should be doing all the support work but my problem was that it was the upper layers doing all the work . thus straining my back and the nerves around it.
She also suggested brisk walking / running which would help to activate the deeper support muscles.
So i've got into jogging now and find it quite addictive hence my lurking on this forum , which has some great advice by the way thanks!
The back is still a bit sore sometimes after a run but a days rest and its fine again.
As I say i've still got to keep up the pilates and it can take a few months to bulid up that core strength.

good luck!
Hope you get it sorted

duffman08

i've had some problems with my lower also.. just when i am running it feels like i am bending over really far backwards.it only comes on after a continious run for maybe 25 mins+.
I done 20 mins last night on the threamill interval training, at 10 spped, then 18 and wasnt too bad.
Could it be that i have issues with my core muscles also??

RoyMcC

duffman08 wrote: »

i've had some problems with my lower also.. just when i am running it feels like i am bending over really far backwards.it only comes on after a continious run for maybe 25 mins+.
I done 20 mins last night on the threamill interval training, at 10 spped, then 18 and wasnt too bad.
Could it be that i have issues with my core muscles also??

More than likely. Just try the exercises (link above) or Pilates as suggested by Don17 for a few weeks. If no improvement then consult a physio.

tunney

Cualaman wrote: »

Hi all, i am looking for a bit of advice. I started running on 6th jan and not doing to bad, roughly about 3 miles x 3 times a week. However on Fri last i was getting some pain in my lower back and i had to stop and walk. This happened again yesterday and i am concerned that i will have to stop running for a while. It took a big effort to get going in the first place and i,m afraid that if i stop for a while i will not get going again. I have decent runners ( asics kayano) and i am training on concrete until the weather picks up and i can move onto grass. Any advice appreciated.
Cualaman
p.s. the athletics / running forum has been of huge benifit. Fair play to all who contribute

Okay I am guessing that you started running as a new years resolution?
Do you have a belly?

Racing Flat

tunney wrote: »

Okay I am guessing that you started running as a new years resolution?
Do you have a belly?

I might be jumping the gun here, but contrary to popular belief and what might appear logical, overweight and obesity are not risk factors for low back pain.

RoyMcC

tunney wrote: »

Okay I am guessing that you started running as a new years resolution?
Do you have a belly?

Is the answer to the question going to be relevant?

tunney

Racing Flat wrote: »

I might be jumping the gun here, but contrary to popular belief and what might appear logical, overweight and obesity are not risk factors for low back pain.

Ah but they are very much so.

A belly changes the tilt of the pelvis which in effect shortens the hamstrings, which often manifests itself as lower back pain.

So yes there is a connection between a belly and lower back pain.

Racing Flat

Not true my friend. See LeBoeuf-Yde et al 2001 for a systematic review on this. It's an old wives tale! As I said contrary to popular belief and what might appear logical....ie you say a belly increases the tilt of the pelvis? Which way? Presumably forward which would in fact lengthen the hamstrings... In any case people with a belly can have anterior or posteriorly tilted pelvises and either way, they may have back pain or they may not have back pain. But the weight issue is not the risk factor. If anyone ever goes to a doctor and are told to lose weight to relieve their back pain, tell the doctor he's wrong!

shels4ever

Racing Flat wrote: »

Not true my friend. See LeBoeuf-Yde et al 2001 for a systematic review on this. It's an old wives tale! As I said contrary to popular belief and what might appear logical....ie you say a belly increases the tilt of the pelvis? Which way? Presumably forward which would in fact lengthen the hamstrings... In any case people with a belly can have anterior or posteriorly tilted pelvises and either way, they may have back pain or they may not have back pain. But the weight issue is not the risk factor. If anyone ever goes to a doctor and are told to lose weight to relieve their back pain, tell the doctor he's wrong!

Never actually though about that, I would have agreed with Tunney until reading that. Never had any problems myself. But was thinking that my calf problem is related to weight. well one of the factors.

Racing Flat

shels4ever wrote: »

Never actually though about that, I would have agreed with Tunney until reading that. Never had any problems myself. But was thinking that my calf problem is related to weight. well one of the factors.

IIRC there is a relationship between obesity and knee osteoarthritis, but not low back pain.

tunney

Racing Flat wrote: »

Not true my friend. See LeBoeuf-Yde et al 2001 for a systematic review on this. It's an old wives tale! As I said contrary to popular belief and what might appear logical....ie you say a belly increases the tilt of the pelvis? Which way? Presumably forward which would in fact lengthen the hamstrings... In any case people with a belly can have anterior or posteriorly tilted pelvises and either way, they may have back pain or they may not have back pain. But the weight issue is not the risk factor. If anyone ever goes to a doctor and are told to lose weight to relieve their back pain, tell the doctor he's wrong!

Interesting - link to paper?

Cualaman

You are losing me now lads with all these different opionons. For the record my belly is not so big and thankfully getting smaller by the week.
I stopped running for a few days to give the back a chance and i have started doing some stretches and i seem to be ok. Its probably because i am only starting running but i'm loving it.
Thanks again for all the advice and info
Cualaman

shels4ever

Cualaman wrote: »

You are losing me now lads with all these different opionons. For the record my belly is not so big and thankfully getting smaller by the week.
I stopped running for a few days to give the back a chance and i have started doing some stretches and i seem to be ok. Its probably because i am only starting running but i'm loving it.
Thanks again for all the advice and info
Cualaman

Maybe some core work would help you there once the back is strong enough to do it. I do some session 3 times a week now that works my stomach and back. Never have any problems, but i didnt before I running either..

Racing Flat

tunney wrote: »

Interesting - link to paper?

1: [URL="javascript:AL_get(this, 'jour', 'Spine.');"]Spine.[/URL] 2000 Jan 15;25(2):226-37. [URL="javascript:PopUpMenu2_Set(Menu10685488);"]Links[/URL]

Body weight and low back pain. A systematic literature review of 56 journal articles reporting on 65 epidemiologic studies.

Leboeuf-Yde C.
Nordic Institute for Chiropractic and Clinical Biomechanics, Odense, Denmark. fecy@ringamt.dk
STUDY DESIGN: A systematic review of the epidemiologic literature. OBJECTIVE: To establish if body weight is truly associated with low back pain (LBP) and whether the link may be causal. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Because obesity and LBP are prevalent in western society, it is of interest to establish whether obesity can induce LBP. METHODS: Fifty-six original research reports, reporting on 65 studies published between 1965 and 1997, were systematically reviewed for the frequency of positive associations between body weight and LBP. In addition, the presence of positive findings was examined in relation to several study characteristics. Based on these results, only studies emanating from the general population with a sample size exceeding 3000 were included in the additional search for causality using some of the classical Bradford-Hill criteria. The review was carried out by the author, blindly at 2 months' interval. RESULTS: Thirty-two percent of all the studies report a statistically significant positive weak association between body weight and LBP. Studies that fulfilled the post hoc criteria never report a rate ratio above 2, but there is possibly a positive biological gradient. These studies had no information on temporality or reversibility and there was no obvious consistency of findings. CONCLUSIONS: Due to lack of evidence, body weight should be considered a possible weak risk indicator, but there is insufficient data to assess if it is a true cause of LBP.