Running With Back Pain or Neck Pain? 3 Simple Steps for Relief ...

Running with back pain or neck pain is certainly no pleasure. You concentrate on the pain instead of enjoying your special time. Each footfall sends a nagging jolt into your lower back, your neck, or between your shoulder blades. With no relief in sight, the miles drag by and you keep looking at your watch to see how long you have been on the road. It?s no fun at all. There are many causes of back pain and neck pain, especially in the athlete. In some cases, you can overcome the problem by yourself. In other cases, you will need to seek the help of a qualified professional, like a chiropractor or sports medicine specialist. How do you know when to self treat and when to get help? Here are a few suggestions to follow before you head for the doctor?s office.

1. Work On Your Posture. Your mother was right! Posture is key to spinal health and it is especially important in running. Running requires tremendous exertion of the postural muscles for extended periods of time. So, ?think tall? while you run. Avoid the forward lean that many runners have. The extra stress on the muscles of the lower back will cause them to fatigue, which makes them easier to injure and eventually leads to back pain. Keep your shoulders down and relaxed instead of up around your ears. The constant stress of tense neck muscles can cause strains (tears in the muscles), which can lead to neck pain. Finally, thrust your chest up and out and slightly squeeze your shoulder blades together. Not only will that burning in your mid-back be relieved, but your lung capacity will be increased as well

2. Strength and Flexibility. Stretch your leg muscles, especially the hamstrings and calves. When these muscles are tight, they cause lower back muscles to be tight and achy because they are all along the same kinetic chain. Relief of low back pain is just a gentle daily stretch away! Strengthen the quadriceps and abdominal muscles. You will need to do some cycling or weight lifting for the quads and crunches for the abs, because these muscle groups are not naturally developed by running. They are, however, essential spinal stabilizers. Also, work to increase the range of motion in your neck and lower back. Move each section comfortably in the full ranges of forward flexion, backward extension, bending side-to-side and rotation. Lastly, do shoulder shrugs by rolling your shoulders up and back, then down while squeezing your shoulder blades together. Your mid-back should feel better right away.

3. Work On Your Injuries. Get a massage. A good massage will help relieve back pain and neck pain, increase circulation to injured muscles, break up scar (non-functional) tissue and speed healing. Use ice where it hurts. Ice is nature?s own pain reliever and anti-inflammatory treatment. Stay away from hot tubs for a couple of weeks. Heat is one of the components of inflammation. Muscles may feel better while you are in the tub, but it?s like adding gasoline to a fire. Increase your intake of readily-absorbed forms of calcium, magnesium and potassium. They are nature?s muscle relaxants. Vitamin D3 modulates the inflammatory response. Fish oil is an excellent source of omega 3 fatty acids for repair and health of muscles. Finally, make sure you?re getting enough rest both between workouts and at night. Seven to eight hours per night is needed. Your body will need extra time to heal. You are healing most efficiently when sleeping.

When You Should Go To The Doctor. If, after following these recommendations, you still have back pain or neck pain, your injury may be more serious that you can handle alone. In other words, it?s not ?just a muscle problem?. Spinal health is dependent upon the movement of each individual joint. When a spinal joint becomes injured, it becomes stuck, like suction cups, which can cause friction between the joint surfaces resulting in inflammation. Swelling is one of the components of inflammation, which can pinch, choke, or irritate the nerves that exit between the joints of the spine. Since these nerves control every function of the body, including skeletal muscle, irritation of the nerves can cause muscles to spasm. Spasm causes pain. This condition, where abnormal joint fuction causes nerve interference, is called a ?subluxation?. Doctors of Chiropractic specialize in the relief of this condition without the use of drugs or surgery. Getting your spine evaluated for subluxations may be the key for the relief and rehabilitation of your back and neck injuries. Back pain or neck pain take all the fun out of running, or any activity for that matter. Follow these simple instructions and with a little time and consistency, you may find the relief you are looking for and once again enjoy the sport you love. Watch the following video for visual instructions of the recommendations and exercises discussed in this article.

Dr. Dana Williamson is an avid runner and specializes in the natural treatment of sports injuries at his Chiropractic offices in Richmond and Mechanicsville VA. He is a member in good standing of the Virginia Chiropractic Association.

Source: http://articlesmanifesto.com/recreation-sports/running/running-with-back-pain-or-neck-pain-3-simple-steps-for-relief

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