Running with lower back pain
‘Don’t do that, it’s bad for your back’
Have you ever been told that?
What if I told you… running is good for you?
Lower back pain is one of the most common injuries out there. As many as 8/10 people will have lower back pain in their lifetime.
That is practically everyone!
There are a lot of runners who have lower back pain. You probably even know some. But… what if I told you that running is not only safe for your lower back, it may even be protective???
Let’s look at why…
How common is Lower Back Pain?
Lower back pain is EXTREMELY common. I guarantee you either have lower back pain or know someone who does (PSA: if you don’t know anyone with lower back pain, you might want to work only our listening skills).
It affects 35-80% of people at some point in their lives, and as many as 50% of people with lower back pain with have chronic pain (multiple episodes of lower back pain), at a conservative estimate.
So then… common is lower back pain in runners?
On the generous side: 22% of runners will develop lower back pain. On the more optimistic estimate? as low as 1% of runners have lower back pain 🤯
By those numbers… that means that running is likely PROTECTIVE for your lower back, instead of bad for it!
Now… all pain is multifactorial. That means that a lot of things can contribute to your pain experience (sleep, stress, nutrition, family history/genetics, previous injury… you get the idea).
But physical activity and being overall healthy are likely protective against most types of pain. By that rationale, running is not only good for your overall physical and mental health, but it can also decrease your chances of developing lower back pain.
In other words, if you are thinking about starting to run or you’re a current runner and worried about running making your back pain worse, you have my permission to stop stressing about it.
Get you there and put some miles on those shiny new shoes!
But what if I already have lower back pain from running?
It happens. As we talked about above, your lower back pain likely is not CAUSED by running, but it may be aggravating to it.
The first thing I recommend is getting assessed by a clinician you trust (preferably one who works with a lot of runners). If you need some help, we are here. Start with a free consult and we will help point you in the right direction.
There are a few reasons why you might have lower back pain and why running might make it more irritated.
Here are some common causes of lower back pain among runners:
Lower back or SI joint irritation
Lower back muscle strain or muscle pain
Lower back disc irritation that gets worse with running
Poor hip, ankle, or knee function
Other things in life can also contribute to back pain, that don’t even have anything to do with running like:
Stress
Poor sleep
Inadequate nutrition or hydration
History of injury
Other conditions like obesity, diabetes, or metabolic diseases
Lower back pain is complex. It is probably the most complex condition that walks into my door. That is because human beings are complex. You aren’t just a runner. You are also a mom, an uncle, a boss, a volunteer, etc. All of the other parts of life contribute to your pain experience, and we can’t just isolate ‘the SI joint’ or arthritis as the sole cause of your symptoms.
With that said… let’s talk about some things you can work on to HELP with your lower back pain (even if they aren’t necessarily the sole cause).
what to do if you have lower back pain with running
If you ARE having lower back pain and running makes it worse, here are a few things we work on at our clinic to fix low back pain with running:
Hip Mobility
Core Strength
Ankle Mobility
Hip Strength
1) Hip Mobility
Improving your hip mobility can improve your ability to access your hips, and give the lower back a break. Try this stretch and exercise:
90/90 and Shin Box
2) Core strength
Side Bridge is probably the exercise that I give most often to runners. I consider it something of a panacea for most running pain and injuries. If your core endurance and strength is poor, your form will break down sooner. This can lead to earlier irritation of the lower back (or knee… or hip… or ankle…)
I recommend that all runners be able to hold this for at least 60 seconds, but 25 km+ runners hold it for 90 seconds and ultra and marathon to runners hold it for 2 mins easily
Here is hot to test your side bridge endurance:
3) ankle mobility
The body is connected, from the big toe to the base of the skull. Somethings working on your ankle mobility can improve function upstream (e.g. at the hips or lower back)
Here is how to assess your ankle mobility and a good ankle mobility exercise:
4) Hip strength
Not surprisingly, hip strength is VERY important for runners.
Here are two exercises I give my running clients and patients all the time
At the end of the day, there are many reasons you might have lower back pain with running.
If you want more guidance, we can help.
Start with a free consult and learn more about our custom Pain to Performance plans and our Super Runner program, to get you back to running unlimited by low back pain.
Author: Dr Mark Murdoch, Chiropractor and Co-Founder at Base Camp Sport and Spine in Vernon, BC.
Mark Murdoch is a Doctor of Chiropractic with a Master’s Degree in Sports Medicine.
Contact: drmurdoch@basecampclinic.com
Instagram: Base.Camp.Doc