Is lower back pain keeping you on the sideline?

Hope everyone had a wonderful Spring Break! I know I enjoyed the warm weather this weekend, and got my miles in outside under the sun. It is always nice to get a breath of fresh air and change it up from the usual gym routine.

I struggle with back pain quite often when I run long distances, and if I stop immediately it usually results in no exercise for a week. Keeping that in the back of my mind I continued my run and worked through the pain I was experiencing.

The goal of an individual who suffers from back pain is obviously to obtain full mobility and reduce pain as soon as possible. Our natural tendency when experiencing pain is to stop immediately and rest; to hopefully let it work itself out. On the contrary, a Finnish Study showed that individuals who continued physical activities after the onset of lower back pain appeared to be more flexible than those who were on bed rest.

In my personal opinion I believe it is important to continue activity to remain mobile. Your muscles will tighten up even more if you stop all activity immediately. On that note, you should continue to stretch and increase flexibility.

I use the CoreStretch, which works wonders for lower back pain. It is easy to use and all you have to do is place your hands on the handles and lean forward. The CoreStretch will help prevent further injuries and speed the recovery process. The CoreStretch allows your lower back tissues to relax and elongate to get the proper stretch that is needed.