How to Prevent Lower Back Pain Tightness in Athletes

It may surprise you to hear that even athletes suffer from back pain. Wouldn't all that exercise and working out prevent you from having back issues? Actually, that couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, back pain sidelines even the greatest athletes. You may remember quarterback, Brett Farve, struggling with an addiction to harsh pain drugs, in attempt to deal with chronic pain. It is not a surprise that a football player would deal with back pain, but even athletes in non contact sports struggle with back pain.

Athletes often repeat the same exercises and movements over and over again. This can lead to over training and over development of certain muscle groups. Imagine a professional baseball pitcher, throwing a ball over 100 times at speeds over 90 miles per hour. This type of repetitive movement can do damage to the body.

Stretching to Prevent Low Back Pain

Athletes, even at the high school level, put their bodies through tremendous amounts of strain. The average athletic workout is over 60 minutes long. These workouts usually include strength training, cardio vascular or endurance training, and skill training. Smart athletes will also include some warm up and stretching. However, stretching could be the most important part of the workout, yet is the most neglected.

Believe it or not, some professional sports teams incorporate yoga into their workouts. After all, the most fit and talented athlete in the world can not perform when they are suffering from conditions like low back pain. Yoga is not required, but all athletes should integrate stretching as a way to prevent low back pain. It is also important that you are not ignoring the warning signs that your body is giving you.

You can also get temporary relief by using an ice pack or heating pad on the affected area. This will help reduce the inflammation in the body. Keep in mind; neither ice nor heat will address the actual causes of your pain. A little rest can go a long way as well.

If you visit the lower back pain section of our website, you will find videos demonstrating simple stretches that can help treat your back pain.

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