Running and back pain: 3 rules to avoid it and 1 remedy to fight it

I have been running for a long time and when this discipline becomes your main pastime you have to take into account some injuries, but only if you do not take the necessary precautions. Sometimes, however, a remedy comes after the problem has arisen and that perhaps has kept you inactive for months.

I remember the months leading up to the New York Marathon: I ran a lot and did it at least five times a week, I had completely thrown myself into this mission and thought that by training a lot I would have achieved my goal in an excellent way. I had lost sight of the rest and integration of my workouts with other activities that strengthened my muscles. So, a few weeks after the big day, I found myself dealing with inflammation in the shins and a very bad back pain in the lumbar and dorsal area. I tried to rest a bit even though it was too late by now, but a little unconsciously, I didn't give up on the race. So on November 2, 2014 I was in Staten Island, at the start of the coveted New York Marathon, with my heart in my mouth and many thoughts about my state of health. Would I have made it? Would my shins and my back have held all those miles? The answer is yes, they held up, but because my head forced me to get to the end, to finish my business. The result? One of the best experiences of my life, but a backache that I carried on for months. I could no longer run, I was completely blocked, I had crossed the line with the marathon. The thought of going out and running scared me. After several attempts and after trying various remedies, those proposed by everyone, a friend recommends me to try thermotherapy. She has been using it for some time as she suffers from back pain due, on the contrary, to her sedentary lifestyle and having to sit 8 hours a day in front of the computer, moreover without moving on the days off.

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There are different forms of thermotherapy: from the sauna to the common heating pad, to the cushions of salt or cherry stones to be heated, to massages with hot stones, to self-heating bands or patches. I made up my mind to buy the bands that heat up and I couldn't have done better. I have selected, among all those available, the special bands for back pain. I couldn't wait to try them! The wraps were easy to put on and released heat that relaxed my muscles, reducing tension. They have been a great help in fighting my pains. They work using heat and without resorting to drugs. I wore them over several days and after the first hours of use I experienced a wonderful sensation: muscle tension had decreased significantly and the heat released allowed me to face my days peacefully. And the pain relief continued even after they were removed.

After only a few days, I started to see the first benefits, and after a week I started running again. I still have some pain from time to time, but now I know that by using one of those bands I can calm it down and just reduce, not stop completely, the activity of running for a few weeks.

I recommend this remedy and in the meantime I would like to offer you some advice to try to avoid annoying back pain. But let's start with how running affects back pain, if it makes it worse or helps it improve. The pain is often caused by inflammation linked to the nerves that coordinate the muscles. So, in general, running is contraindicated when acute pain occurs and walking is recommended instead. When it comes to chronic and therefore continuous back pain, what you have to do is listen to your body. You should go to an expert and try to fix the situation, but if it doesn't improve, then running is definitely not recommended.

What needs to be clarified is that running is not dangerous for the back, it is only not recommended in case of severe pain. The effort must be commensurate with your situation, so avoid perhaps long distances or specific high-intensity workouts.

In my experience there are three ways to prevent back pain:

• Choose suitable footwear: the shoe absorbs part of the energy developed by the contact of the foot on the road, avoiding the risk of stressing the joints too much. To find the one suitable for each of us, several variables must be evaluated, such as support, pace and speed. Rely on an expert who will analyze the characteristics of the foot and support
  
  
• Muscle strengthening: many runners dedicate all their time to specific running training, leaving out the rest. Excessive running can burn part of the muscle mass and this results in a lack of muscle support in the act of running, support on the tendons and joints that cause injuries. Muscle strengthening, with or without weights, is essential in running and helps to have more strength in the legs and throughout the body: you run better, faster and longer if the muscles are strong and trained, as well as preventing injuries and pain post-workout. By increasing muscle mass you can prevent injuries while running. By ruling out a serious problem a priori, strengthening the muscle structure can be a remedy for back pain and can also help maintain the right posture. The fulcrum of the race is given by the center of gravity, and therefore also by the abs. In fact, during running, they promote good stability, greater posture control, greater reaction for short and intense workouts, allowing you to run harder. For this they should be trained with strengthening exercises. In this way, back pain is considerably reduced.To avoid injuries it is good to complete the running workouts with those of toning and strengthening those muscles that are the protagonists of the run. This avoids overloading the joints. Do not completely abandon the strengthening, which can be done both in free body, both with functional overloads in the gym, and through climbs.
  
  
• Stretching after training: it is used to relax the muscles affected by the movement. Stretching helps to stretch, developing flexibility and increasing joint mobility.