Running is the healthiest way to get into a perfect shape. It’s the most common exercise that’s performed by a large number of people to improve their overall fitness level. Whether you are overweight or you are underweight running can prove to be very important for your health if combined effectively with a balanced diet. If you talk particularly about the benefits of running for overweight people, it is one of the fastest ways of burning calories, which eventually sets the stage for attaining a healthy weight.
But no matter how healthy it is for your body, if done improperly it can have severe consequences for your lower back. Yes, you need expert guidance to master the art of running, otherwise, you will keep on injuring your lower back and other important parts of your body. One of the best ways to improve your running skills is to watch a lot of effective videos on YouTube. However, if you are a professional runner, then you need quality training to improve your running skills.
Here we have rounded-up some highly crucial tips for averting low back pain that’s caused by running.
Warm-ups
Whether you are a professional runner or someone who love staying in shape by regular running, it’s important that you start your sessions with warm-ups. Since running puts a lot of undue pressure on your back, it’s important to make your muscles more flexible including warm-ups in your fitness routine. Focus on warm-ups for at least 10 minutes before you start your actual running session. Remember, the regular pounding of your feet on the ground while running can put enormous strain on your spine, especially if your back muscles are not that flexible, so it’s important that you perform warm-ups before starting your regular running sessions.
Stretching exercises
Incorporate stretching exercises into your workout routine to make your body more flexible. People who have a more flexible body are among those who face back pain rarely even after carrying out long runs on a daily basis. Hamstring stretch, 90/90 stretch, seated shoulder squeeze, piriformis stretch, and lunge with a spinal twist are some of the most important stretching exercises that help in making your body more flexible.
However, if you are suffering from low back pain or you want to save your self from it, then you should perform stretches like pelvic tilt, prone back extension, knees to chest stretch, hip opener, and lower back stretch, and cat-cow stretch etc. All these stretches are very important for strengthening the muscles in your back. Whether you believe it or not but having strong back muscles can easily prevent back pain in runners.
Take sports training
Being a professional runner it’s very important for you to take sports training because that’s not only important for improving your performance but it’s equally crucial for keeping you safe from potential injuries. When you get sports training from an expert they make you aware of the consequences of improper body moves. In short, they will teach you how to run effectively to stay away from injuries. Once you learn the right running techniques you can easily avert back pain. And when you spend your hard-earned money and time in learning something, it’s crucial to pay attention to all the minor and major advice offered by your trainer. So, if you want to take the maximum advantages of your sports training sessions make sure that you follow the advice your trainer effectively.
Physical therapy
All the athletes including runners should take advantages of physical therapy because it’s one of the best ways to maintain your fitness level. A physical therapist can easily treat all sorts of sports injuries without using any surgical procedure. For treating a sports injury they focus on enhancing the natural self-healing mechanism of the body by using techniques like massage therapy. Athletes who face issues with their mobility are benefited tremendously with massage therapy. It helps in increasing flexibility and circulation, which eventually accelerates the healing processes. So, whether you are suffering from back pain or shoulder pain, massage therapy is one of the best ways to recover from it.
Whenever you struggle with back pain, don’t just rush to the surgical treatment, because that’s not the right way to heal it. According to Intecore Physical Therapy, “sometimes people think they can simply have back surgery and return to their pain-free ways in a matter of days. Problem solved, right? This isn’t usually the case. Back surgery is not the best option when it comes to treating back pain, and there are several reasons why it’s something you should not rush into.”
So, rather than taking surgical treatment to treat your problem it’s better to rely on physical therapy.
Yoga
Yoga is also very good for avoiding back pain. It helps in improving posture – which triggers back pain a lot of times. It is also very important for improving circulation and flexibility. Yoga can prove to be very important for you to strengthen your back muscles. Apart from avoiding back pain, yoga is also very helpful for reducing stress and improving concentration, which plays a crucial role in enhancing your performance.
Staying hydrated and using comfortable running shoes are also very important for preventing back pain.
