Last updated: April 2017. Do you wonder why your lower back hurts after each time you work out? Are you worried about causing irreversible damage to your back?
Take a deep breath.
Usually, it’s normal to feel sore or stiff a few days after a hard session at the gym or long run, even if you had no pain at the time of the activity.
But why does it keep happening to you? What causes lower back pain after workout and most importantly – how to prevent it from happening again?
This guide offers simple answers to all of these questions.
But first:
Page Contents
What Causes Lower Back Pain You After Working Out?
A few possible causes for lumbar pain after exercising are:
1. DOMS – Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness – also known as “muscle fever“, this common phenomenon usually occurs after resistance or strength training and tends to resolve over a few days on its own.
If you feel muscle pain after exercising, it’s probably caused by tiny tears in your muscle tissues after working them harder then they’re used to.
DOMS symptoms range from tenderness and stiffness to severe and debilitating pain that restricts movement.
The good news is that you don’t have to suffer silently for 3-4 days. You can dramatically speed up your muscle recovery and prevent the pain entirely – without taking pain killers (or lying helpless in your bed for days).
2. Herniated Disk – if your lower back pain after working out is not localized but instead radiates down your legs or/or buttocks – it could be a sign of a herniated disk.
Your spinal disks are soft, rubbery pads found between the hard bones (vertebrae) that make up the spinal column.
In the middle of the spinal column is the spinal canal, a hollow space that contains the spinal cord and other nerve roots.
The disks between the vertebrae allow the back to flex or bend.
Disks also act as shock absorbers.
The center of the disk is a gel-like substance called the nucleus. A disk herniated or ruptures when part of the center nucleus pushes the outer edge of the disk into the spinal canal, and puts pressure on the nerves.
And that causes a great big “ouch” in your back and buttocks/legs (Sciatica).
A herniated disk can definitely be caused by exercise, usually by lifting heavy weights, bad posture while exercising, improper lifting and sudden pressure.
In this case you should immediately stop your exercise to prevent more damage and just like with muscle-related pain, try the following natural treatment (below).
Should You Work Out When Your Lower Back Hurts?
Maybe you feel, like many people, that you have to pound through pain in order to keep up with your exercise plan. However:
This is not in your best interest.
Pain is your body signaling you to slow down. The only exercise recommended when your back hurts is stretching.
Listen to your body and ask yourself: what’s best for me now: lifting weights, jogging, or possibly taking it down a notch with a light/powerful stretching session?
I would go for option #3.
(What ever you do, please avoid these exercises – which can make your back pain worse!)
Here’s why back traction is the way to go when your lumbar area hurts after exercising:
The Best Way to Prevent Lumbar Pain after Exercising
If you want to easily prevent muscle soreness after working out, end each and every workout with a session of home back traction.
Stretching your lower back muscles gives them the rest they need after working so hard. Also, if you want to keep working out regularly, you need to keep your muscles flexible.
Back traction is basically a fancy term for an enhanced, more powerful back stretching.
[yellowbox]I’m sure you always stretch your back after working out, and wonder why it doesn’t prevent your back pain.[/yellowbox]
You simply need to take your back stretching up a notch, while supporting your spine aligned safely.
You can easily do this by using a simple back traction home device.
(Note: you should know that stretching your back in the wrong way can cause more damage to your already injured back.)
[yellowbox]Back traction, commonly used by professional athletes, has been used as a drug-free and fast method to prevent and reliever back pain for centuries.[/yellowbox]
A good back traction device will decompress your spine, which means creating more space between your vertebrae and relieving pressure of the nerves.
Spinal decompression immediately boosts the blood circulation in your back, bringing healing anti-inflammation components to your muscles and spinal disks.
Doing back traction after exercising may be the ultimate way to prevent lower back pain, whether it’s muscle-related or spinal-disks-related.
If you have a high quality home back traction device – it will only take a few minutes of using it to prevent major muscle soreness and back pain.
What’s the Best Back Traction Device?
Through my research (and personal experience), you’ll get the best return on your money from the True Back Orthopedic Traction Device.
The True-Back is a non-powered orthopedic traction device, which is relatively small and is can easily be taken and used anywhere (the gym, the office, your home).
While lying on the True Back your spine “floats” in the center channel. The 30 suspension points in the center rails support your body weight and create pressure to the muscles on each side of your spine.
This pressure allows for the muscles to completely relax, which increases blood flow and prevent lactic-acid buildup.
[yellowbox]Basically, you are stretched in opposite directions while being supported in the correct position.[/yellowbox]
The best way to prevent hurting your back is to use the True Back for just a few minutes both before and after working out.
(Check out more real reviews for the True Back.)
In conclusion, using back traction is in my opinion the ultimate drug-free, low cost way to prevent or relieve lower back pain after workout.
It’s also one of the best ways to fast track your recovery from lower back pain.
It will keep you flexible, in shape and allow for you to continue your activities safe and pain-free.
What about you? What’s your best way to prevent back pain after exercising? Let me know in the comments below.
To your health and happiness,
Meital
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