Preventing and Treating Lower Back Pain

It’s very easy to injure your back while exercising if you’re not careful. Back pain, particularly lower back pain, is one of the most common post-workout complaints. This pain is usually caused from exercising in the wrong way, lifting weights that are too heavy, or from not properly warming up before you get started. Either way, your back is going to be sore, either immediately or soon after you get done exercising.

The type of lower back pain you can experience depends on the type of injury you’ve sustained. It may be dull and sore; such as you would get with a pulled muscle. You can also get this type of pain from simply overworking your muscles. A torn muscle or ligament may produce a sharp, stabbing pain at the location of the injury. A more serious injury, such as a herniated disc or a vertebrae fracture, may results in a medium-grade throbbing pain that ranges from mild discomfort to an intense burning feeling that can be disabling. It’s better to protect your back in the first place and avoid these problems. Here are some things you can do to prevent lower back pain from exercise, and how you can treat it if you have it.

First, prevention is the best remedy for back pain. Taking some simple precautions can ensure you can exercise safely without being sidelined by debilitating back pain. First, keep your back muscles in good condition by walking every day. Walking utilizes all of the muscles of the back and conditions them quite well. Daily walking is one of the best and easiest ways to make sure your back can handle whatever you do in your workout routine.

Next, be sure to stretch before you exercise. This will warm up your back muscles and prevent them from being stiff when you begin your routine. Stiff muscles can get small, painful tears in them during exercise, and can even result in torn ligaments and more serious muscle injuries in some cases. Five to 10 minutes of simple stretching of the back muscles (and any other muscles you’ll be using) can help keep them safe and sound.

You can also wear a back brace. It may seem like such a simple thing to do, but it is very effective at preventing exercise-related back injuries. A flexible back brace will keep your muscles in their proper positions while you exercise, thus reducing your risk of injury. A back brace also supports the back, so you can do more strenuous exercises without straining your back. Don’t go crazy on the exercising just because you’re wearing a brace, though. Moderation is always key to preventing any injury.

Traditional treatments for lower back pain include non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, steroid injections, physical therapy, and surgery in the most extreme cases, such as herniated discs. Using the preventive measures listed above may not totally prevent an exercise-related back injury, but they will certainly decrease your risks of this happening and sidelining your fitness regime. These measures may also help keep you out of the doctor’s office or off the surgeon’s table. That is always a good thing. It takes so little to reduce your risk of lower back pain. Take the steps and enjoy the benefits they bring.

Written by The Brace Shop

The Brace Shop is the fastest growing online orthopedic brace store in the USA. Since 1995, the Brace Shop has sold braces and other extremity products to millions of satisfied customers.

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