It’s that time of the year again when Christmas Holidays kick in and we over indulge, perhaps our fitness regime is paused. Then we hit the ground RUNNING, literally in the New Year.
Most runners get too much strain on the lower back due to an abrupt commencement of running motion as they make up for lost time. Often running too far, too often and along hard terrains such as concrete can cause problems. As you run, the lower back muscles eventually lose the crucial control that keeps your back, pelvis and body sturdy. Weak or fatiguing abdominal, gluteal or leg muscles cause a loss of control and the body rotates, twists and gets overall very sloppy! Lower back pain is almost inevitable. So, what can you precisely do to avoid this common problem that affects a majority of runners under these circumstances? Here are some of the best solutions for your lower back pain.
Keep Your Deep Stabilizer Muscles Robust
According to sports medicine experts, your core muscles are prone to fatigue from over doing it initially. Naturally, these muscles’ primary function is to keep the back straight and in an upright position and can work over a very long period of time. But as runners ramp up their distance and frequency, the side-to-side movements wreak havoc on the attachment points connected to the pelvis and spine. Fatigue sets in and it means the core muscles also get disengaged faster thus loading your spine. One of the best core muscle strengthening actions is to work on your glutes, and here is how to do it.
First, assume your normal standing posture with hips and shoulder-width apart. Next, squeeze your butt so that the pelvis begins to shift slightly forward. As you do so, you can start to feel your core muscles engaging, these are the muscles we need to stretch prior to running and strengthen through gluteal bridges, lunges and goblets squats.
Why Improving Hip Mobility Can Solve Your Lower Back Issues
Those running breaks where you are sitting and not working out are the disadvantage of your hip flexor muscles, which shorten and bring your pelvis to an arch posture. This disengages the core muscles such that you start to feel debilitating back pains. To solve this problem, use a few hip exercises, including side to side hip rotations and side flexion of the upper body. With at least 30 repeat side rotations for each session, you can already begin to feel some positive changes. Other warm up exercises include:
Other Quick Fixes for Your Lower Back Pain
Various methods, including useful poses, can help strengthen your back. These include:
● Warm up! Stretching your hips, buttocks, and your hamstrings. Work on the calves and hip flexors as often as you can to gradually gain core muscle strength.
● Chose a wide variety of exercises (not running every day!). To heal the lower back, you must take more excellent care of your upper back. Those gentle rowing exercises are crucial in building more muscular shoulders and upper back that take the pressure off your lower back, enabling the core muscle to regenerate.
● If you are a good swimmer, aqua jogging could help. It needs you to wear one of those buoyancy aids on your waist. Then, run into the pool without having your legs touch the pool floor to begin strengthening the stabilizer muscles.
Finally, another good option would be to work with your chiropractor to identify all the trigger points, stiffness and mobility issues. Training accurately can strengthen your core muscles and prevent those painful episodes in the first place. P| 02 96900911
or book online https://waterloochiropractic.cliniko.com/bookings?business_id=8196
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