Lower Back Pain After Exercise: What to Do
It does not matter what age you embrace exercise. The fact you are moving your body means you are interested in toning up and losing some weight. However, at the beginning of a new exercise regime, muscles ache and body parts hurt. This pain often puts people off continuing with their weight loss endeavours. As someone who is currently getting a sore lower back after going to the gym, you're quickly losing interest. However, there are several reasons why you are experiencing this pain. So, find out what those reasons are and what you can do about it.
Pain after the treadmill
The treadmill is a popular piece of gym equipment. You can climb onto the walking belt, plug your headphones into music or a television programme, and proceed to run or jog for the next 30 to 60 minutes in an air-conditioned, no-chance-of-rain environment. However, as a new exerciser, the running/jogging movement could be a cause of lower back pain. As your foot meets the treadmill belt, the impact shockwave runs up your legs and into your back. Therefore, until you regain some strength in your body core, power walk rather than running. Less impact means less back pain.
After you've finished doing the cardio portion of your exercise, you need to be careful about the weight exercises you do too.
Pain after weight training
Have you been told that poor form while lifting weights is the source of your back pain? Sometimes, this is true. However, if you are working with a personal trainer who makes sure the way you perform the exercise is correct, then the pain could be coming from the particular exercise you are doing. For example, if you hold a dumbbell and press it straight up over your head, then you compress your spine. Instead of upsetting your spine, use the dumbbells to do lateral raises instead. A lateral raise is when you move your arms from your sides up to shoulder height while holding a dumbbell in each hand. Once you get to shoulder height, you lower your hands back to your sides and then repeat. This exercise makes your shoulders do the work without spinal pressure or compression.
Back pain does not mean you need to quit exercising altogether. But, it does mean you need to talk to both your trainer and a chiropractor to find out why it is happening. Your trainer can make sure you are holding your body correctly while you exercise, and a chiropractor can help to heal and strengthen your back so that you can continue your exercising endeavours. Contact a chiropractor at a clinic like Advanced Chiropractic Clinic for more information.
