Bad back; advice needed.

[Gingerbadger]

Tomorrow will be W4 R3 for me, and it's been tough but I have managed to keep it up. In the distant past I have suffered with pain in my lower back which has been kept at bay...until now. Since my run on Tuesday morning, the dull ache has turned into a bit of a roar and although Nurofen does work, the ache comes back. I want to keep up my schedule of Friday, Sunday and Tuesday runs, but worry about the affect it will have on my back. Does any of the experts out there have any advice for an enthusiastic novice? Thanks.

[Pebbles64 Graduate]

Its horrible when u have to focus on a pain when your running, I hope one day it will be pain free! I have graduated now, but have just started with my lower back pain but only on the run not after. I’m thinking of doing some lunges & squats thru the week to strengthen other muscles. I have no idea if this is what I should do! I hope you can get some better advice on here - wish u well

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

Welcome to the forum and well done

on your progress.

This guide to the plan is essential reading healthunlocked.com/couchto5...

and includes advice on minimising impact, stretching after every run, hydration and strengthening exercises, all of which will help.

Doing any core strength exercises should help as a good strong core is essential for all runners.

Enjoy your journey.

[PhoenixRise Graduate]

Firstly, well done for keeping with it! W4r3 is a good run.

Make sure to warm up/cool down a bit more/longer to see if that helps. Add some simple back mobility exercises into your warm up and some simple back stretches into your cool down. You can do a YouTube search for some instructional videos but you should definitely include Cat/Camel stretch. Add these simple exercises into your rest day also to strengthen and release your spine:

blog.daveasprey.com/best-ba...

Spine alignment when you sleep also plays a big part in your backs daily feeling. Check your sleeping posture and make some adjustments if need be. Again, YouTube is your friend here.

[JoJiggle]

Stretch out your hip flexors before and after running 👍

[Blackberrypie Graduate in reply to JoJiggle]

Yes, I have lower back pain due to tight hip flexors. Ginger, do you find your lower back arches off the floor when you lie on your back with your legs straight? If so it could well be the same. My physio gave me some exercises to try to increase flexibility - the fundamental point I had to learn was that I had to be really careful to avoid arching my back when doing them - thinking about tipping the pelvis back and extending my tailbone downward helps. So yes, do hip stretches, but be vigilant to keep your lower back straight so that you don't inadvertently make it worse! And if possible, see a physio!

[Mobiliseandmove]

Hey Gingerbadger ,

Whilst painkillers and stretching temporarily ease pain, pain in the lower back is often caused by a lack of core stability and/or dysfunction in the hips. This is because if the core cannot handle the load, or the hips can't move effectively, the lower back will try to compensate.

Performing these 3 core exercises provides a great foundation for core strength & stability:

youtube.com/watch?v=fj_Rvcr...(Not working as expected?)

As for the hips, I'd recommend performing some hip 90/90 switches in your warmup:

youtube.com/watch?v=BiSCSMq...(Not working as expected?)

These switches get the hips rotating and help to lubricate the joints. You can do these with your hands on the floor behind your body for support if these switches are too difficult as shown in the video.

Hope these are beneficial

Adam

[MontyMooDog Graduate]

I suffer with degenerative discs and as such have to run within myself so to speak. So shorten my stride and limit my cadence to try and avoid impact injury. Losing a bit of weight has also helped and after I graduate am thinking on investing in some more forgiving/padded running shoes....