back problem

[themile2248]

lately in races whenever there is a steep downhill my lower back tends to tighten up and it starts to really bother me. it becomes very stiff and hurts for the rest of the race. any idea why this might happen? i was doing good today in my race and then there was steep downhill and it acted up and i slowed down tremendously.

also my other question is i've been training pretty hard so far and i dont think im burned out just not performing like i think i should be, maybe my legs are a little tired...so maybe i should take some days off or continue to work hard and not worry about tired legs. its been like this for a majority of the season now and im just running through it but the big meets are coming up soon. (counties, conferences, states, etc.)
any advice id appreciate it. thanks.

[1500thru10K]

lately in races whenever there is a steep downhill my lower back tends to tighten up and it starts to really bother me. it becomes very stiff and hurts for the rest of the race. any idea why this might happen? i was doing good today in my race and then there was steep downhill and it acted up and i slowed down tremendously.

also my other question is i've been training pretty hard so far and i dont think im burned out just not performing like i think i should be, maybe my legs are a little tired...so maybe i should take some days off or continue to work hard and not worry about tired legs. its been like this for a majority of the season now and im just running through it but the big meets are coming up soon. (counties, conferences, states, etc.)
any advice id appreciate it. thanks.


yea i had same problem, and then 3 weeks ago i had a serious back spasm. I couldnt walk for a few days, and am now just starting to run again. I bet you hips/hip flexor and quads are very tight. Focus on stretching those areas, and, if possible, I would highly recommend getting a massage. Don't do what I did and let it go untreated (that doesn't mean taking time off, it just means really focusing on stretching) and have a back spasm that ruins you season.

[themile2248]

thanks any stretches u do for your back before races/workouts?

[AzN at LARGE]

In the future you may want to consider doing core workouts if you don't do them already. They'll make your back strong and help prevent future injuries.

[sprintdistance]

You may want to try to run in shoes instead of spikes for one meet, sometimes the spikes you wear can get to you! Also if you lift, do more lower back workouts. Also before you run, lay on ur back do right leg over and then left leg over, it will help ur hips and pop ur lower back for you. When running downhills, don't try to force yourself to overstride or put on the brakes. If you run on flat courses put 1/4" spikes in and hilly 3/8".

[JoeRunning]

For running downhill I heard take to take short quick strides (try to keep your pace I think), though that may only be for not pounding your legs. I tried it last meet and it worked fairly well, no leg pains. I had a minor lower back injury too for that race because I fell backwards onto a rock (long story), though never had any trouble.

The only back stretch I can think of that a few kids on my team do his were you get on all fours like a push-up, but then move your lower body onto the ground while supporting your upper body up with your arms (looks like a frozen hump to the ground in simple terms, lol). I'm not sure how well it works, but our #1 runner does it so I guess you could give it try. Don't do it if it hurts though.

[umbdistance]

I also use to get severe tightness and pain in my lower back. The thing that helped the most was seeing a chiropractor every few weeks for simple adjustments. Hard downhills and sharp turns especially in indoor track use to cause it to flair up. I would usually go two to three days before a meet and since then I've had no problems.

[stuckey08]

You might be leaning back when you are going downhill. Two things I found bad when leaning back when going downhill.
1. My back always tightens up when I do it.
2. You slow down, you want to lean forward and go faster downhill because it uses less energy, going downhill.

[xcworldchamp]

core training, sometimes your back can get injured because your core is weak, also stretching, and some "yoga" postures can help, ie downward dog, the cobra, and some others. Get facedown on the floor, use your glute muscles to ground yourself, and slowly rise up, then back down, repeat until you have gone as far as you can go, of course u may not be able to do it if your back is already injured.

[ZEPPELIN]

yea, when you lean downhill your forward center of gravity forces you to go faster and it doesn't use as much energy as leaning back on an downhill

[Go Pre]

While these are all good suggestions for strengthening the lower back, you might have something else. You might have injured something (strain which might take a couple days to heal) or in a more serious scenario, you might be having problems with your sciatic nerve (a nerve that runs in your lower back and can be irritated by any type of pounding or up and down motion). Get that checked out to make sure dude.