Athletes who run often experience pain in the muscles of the legs and back. It is not scary if the pain symptom goes away after 36 - 48 hours. It is worth sounding the alarm when, two days after the load, discomfort in the back remains, and does not disappear for a long time.
There are more than 60 reasons that cause such pain, and you can determine their origin yourself, if it is caused by physical activity, or with the help of a specialist, if the appearance of pain is provoked by the presence of various diseases.
Why does my back hurt when running
Painful sensations while running can be caused by various factors and mistakes that are not taken into account or made by the athletes themselves:
- Incorrect body posture while running;
- Excessive stress in the spine or limbs;
- Weak muscles, especially in beginner or infrequent athletes.
Excessive bending in the waist or excessive bending forward
This mistake is often made by beginners who have neglected the advice of experienced runners. With this technique, during running, an incorrect posture and an overload on the spinal back were noted.
Subsequently, aching, pulling pains when straining the back muscles or performing bends forward and backward.
You can avoid unpleasant sensations during training if:
- Keep your back straight at all times;
- When running, bend forward not only the upper body, but the whole body.
Extend your straight leg forward and land on the heel
A completely unfortunate maneuver. Using it, the pain syndrome will very soon make itself felt. Throwing a straight leg forward automatically results in a heel landing.
The impact from the collision of the limb with the surface will cause vibration that travels from the foot to the upper body. Not only the dorsal components are injured, but also the largest joints of the legs: ankle, hip, knee.
Shooting pains will appear in the lower back after the shock. It will be impossible to perform sharp movements. With frequent movement in this way, the risk of vertebral fractures increases.
Muscle weakness
Weakness and unpreparedness of the muscles leads to the appearance of pain during sports - jogging.
The main muscles that need to be strengthened and supported for a successful training without injury and pain:
- The gluteal muscles. In poor condition of the "nuts", the pelvis leans forward, a deflection appears in the lumbar region, because the back remains flat. From here comes nagging in the lower back while running.
- Back muscles. As a rule, the abs are always better strengthened than the back corset of the body. As a result, keeping your back straight becomes more difficult, and the lumbar region begins to bend, causing pain when moving.
It is very important to maintain a balance of preparedness of the muscles of the front and back of the corset.
Preventing back pain
You can prevent the appearance of back pain while running by approaching this issue from several sides:
- Choose comfortable and correct footwear;
- Use an insole - instep support to fix the foot and reduce vibration on the joints and vertebrae;
- Perform regular stretching of the thigh muscles;
- Warm up muscles before running with a warm-up;
- Run on soft surfaces;
- Always keep an even posture.
Comfortable shoes
For running, use shoes designed specifically for jogging. It can be both sneakers and sneakers.
Elements of the characteristic that you need to look for when choosing shoes:
- If training takes place on a flat surface, light shoes are suitable for this, without additional lateral leg braces on the sides, with a thickened sole on the heel and thin at the toe. When jogging on uneven surfaces, shoes with additional foot restraints should be used to prevent injury when the leg moves to the side. The sole on the heel and toe is almost the same thickness from a durable but not rigid material.
- The size of the shoe should correspond to the length of the foot, not narrow, but not too loose.
- Fewer rivets, metal or plastic bumps and velcro, which can cause chafing or pressure on any part of the limbs.
- In the middle of the shoe there should be a durable, piece-piece and comfortable insole. The foot needs comfort.
- The material from which the sneakers or trainers are made must be natural and breathable. The foot should not be steamed, this can lead to infection with nail and skin fungus.
Additional insole - instep support
With prolonged jogging, the legs get tired of the stiffness of the sole. Whatever shoes are comfortable, sooner or later the feet start to hurt from impacts on the surface. This changes the running maneuver, increases the load on the back and produces characteristic pain in the lumbar region. It is also possible to trample flat feet.
There is a solution - an insole - an instep support. It will prevent injury by softening the soles of your shoes. Back pain will not bother you, you can run for a long time.
Stretching your thigh muscles regularly
A pain symptom in runners can occur as a result of stretching the muscles of the lower back due to pinched legs. To relax and tone them, it is enough to stretch the thigh muscles a couple of times a day for several minutes. There are many sets of exercises for carrying out such events, both easy (for weak legs) and difficult (for strong ones).
Warming up muscles before running
This is the same warm-up. To exclude injuries and the appearance of back or other pains, before each jogging, it must be performed for 7-15 minutes.
This time is quite enough for optimal preparation of the body for subsequent loads. The warm-up includes exercises:
- Tilts back - forward, to the sides;
- Easy running in place;
- Squats;
- Torso rotation;
- Swing your hands.
If there is no desire to warm up, or, for some reason, there is no way to do it, it is enough, before running, to walk at an average pace for 15 - 20 minutes, with the transition to light running.
Running on a soft surface
With frequent, painful symptoms in the back during or after running, you should think about changing the surface for running. Asphalt is a hard cover, from the impact of the foot on which, vibration waves rush from the limbs to the lower back, provoking violations. The soft surface can act like grass (lawn, not thick) or rubber tracks of the stadium.
Correct running posture
You need to start running with a properly set body. The back is straight, the chin looks straight, not up. The entire body should be completely above the feet, the chest does not lean forward, and the pelvis does not move back.
The shoulders, torso and hips are in a straight line. To keep the correct posture, you need to watch the landing of your feet. On the heel, not in any case. The torso is tilted forward. This is a devastating maneuver for the spine.
Treatment for back pain while running
If you are confident that back pain is a consequence of running, then there are some features that can be used to cure this disease:
- The pain does not pass within two days, it is worth analyzing the correctness of behavior during training, paying attention to the shoes and eliminating or correcting the provoking factor.
- The appearance of acute pain indicates a stretching of the lumbar muscles. An urgent need to stop training, at least for 2 - 3 days to recover.
- Eliminate any physical activity on the back.
- Rub the sore spot with ointments: Diklak - Gel, Dolobene or Kapsikam. These are warming, pain relieving medications.
- Make sure that the spine is not exposed to hypothermia. Better to wrap it up with a warm, woolen shawl.
- To support the muscles of the back, you can use a tightening corset or pull on corrective underwear, if fit. Usually, it has several levels of fastening, designed for any volume.
- There are no ointments at hand, you can try warming compresses. It is necessary to moisten the bandage or gauze with any, very warm animal fat and apply it to the back for 4 - 5 hours, placing a layer of cotton wool and polyethylene on top. It is better to put such a compress at night when the person is less mobile.
After applying such procedures, the pain does not subside, which means the problem is deeper. An urgent need to contact a specialist for advice and the appointment of optimal treatment.
Doing sports should be correct, taking into account all the characteristics of the individual organism and the selected type. Having a fragile, weak constitution, it is not necessary to go to big sports, it is enough to start running and doing exercises.
For those who own a mountain of muscles, this will not hurt either. Running is an intense sport that requires endurance and the right approach. Before you start running, it is worth reading the literature or consulting an experienced runner.
