Lower Back Pain in Athletes
Kevin Caldbeck
It is estimated that approximately 80% of people will have some sort of lower back problem during their life. Most of the time these problems will go away with time and proper care, and not have any long last effects.
Your back is made up of bone, muscles, nerves and other soft tissues. Just about every move we make depends upon our back being healthy. When something goes amiss it can severely hamper the person's lifestyle.
Unfortunately, back pain can happen to anyone, at any time. This pain can cause mild discomfort, to a very severe pain that seriously keeps the person from doing anything.
Common triggers for Back Pain include:
- poor posture,
- lack of exercise,
- standing or bending down for long periods,
- sitting in a chair that doesn’t provide enough back support,
- sleeping on a bed that doesn’t provide enough back support,
- lifting, carrying, pushing or pulling loads that are too heavy, or doing these things in the wrong way,
- a trip or fall.
- automobile accidents,
- being overweight,
Many of these things can be avoided with proper training about protecting your back.
Lower Back Pain in Athletes
If you are an athlete you have probably suffered from lower back pain at one point in time during your career. And if you have, you know how painful this can be. Not only can it be painful, but it can also hinder your performance; something that nobody likes to experience.
There are many reasons that athletes suffer from lower back pain. They are at a greater risk that the rest of the population because they are taking place in a physical activity day in and day out. Regardless of what sport you are playing, your back is going to have to endure a lot. With every sport there is a lot of twisting and turning involved. And in many sports your back will have to absorb a lot of shock, as well as some physical pounding.
Even though back pain can hinder an athlete’s performance, the majority of them are reluctant to seek out professional help. This is definitely a mistake. Even if you only see your trainer, you will be helping yourself out. You may find out that you only need to chance a couple of things in order to better your situation.
Or on the other hand, you may find out that you have a serious problem that needs to get taken care of immediately. Either way, seeing a doctor or a trainer is something that any athlete with back pain should do.
A back strain is one of the most common injuries that an athlete faces. This is a strain of the back’s soft tissues, and it can be quite bothersome. The good thing about this injury as that it usually does not get worse after the onset, and it can be solved by a little bit of rest and treatment.
Herniated discs often occur in athletes as well. This is a serious injury where a discs outer fiber rips due to constant stress and pressure. If a disc rips near the spinal canal, it can push into the canal and place an inordinate amount of pressure on the spinal cord and the surrounding roots. This is often times referred to as a slipped disc as well. But whatever you call it, it requires immediate attention in order to ensure proper treatment and recovery.
Athletes go through a lot during the course of a year. Even if you have never had problems with your back in the past, chances are that at some point in time it will give you trouble. This is natural in athletes because there is so much stress placed on the back day in and day out.
The most important thing to remember is to take care of your back at all costs. This includes preventing problems before they start, as well as treating problems the second that they arise. By doing this you will be able to avoid more serious problems that may occur down the road. Remember, without a healthy back you would not be the athlete that you are today.
Keep your back healthy so you can continue to compete at a high level!
We at Better Your Health hope you have found this article about Lower Back Pain in Athletesto be very helpfull in your quest to learn more about Back Pain.
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