Running is an excellent way to work out the muscles of your body and shed excess weight. Running for some is a pastime and for some other people, they make a career out of it. Running is one of the most accessible methods of exercising because you don’t really need equipment, a trainer, a facility or a coach to do it. Most people like to run because it offers great physical and psychological results. Running helps to tone your body by allowing the body to sweat and shed fat. Running should be an instrumental part of a daily or weekly exercise regimen. The extension and compression of your legs in each stride helps to build muscle.
If you have noticed that you experience back pain shortly after you go for a run, this could be linked. Back pain should not ordinarily be connected to running or jogging. But due to the nature and causes of back pain, it can be understood how these two can be related. Your backbone is what gives your body structure and support. A backbone that is in optimal condition will keep your body well supported during running and other exercises. Between each vertebrae or bone that makes up the backbone, are circular joints or discs. These discs are what keep the vertebrae connected.
The way you run affects how you feel during and after your run. Although running is a fairly hazard free activity, if you don’t do it right, you can experience pain. Running involves extending your feet one after the other in rapid succession. Each time your foot hits the ground, your body should advance in a linear fashion. As opposed to walking or even lightly jogging, with each stride you take, you use a significant amount of force due to the speed of each stride. This force is usually on concrete or pavement, very hard surfaces. The density or the ground on which you run will determine how much shock will be reverberated back to your body. When you run, there is incredible impact that is being transferred back and forth between your body and the ground.
This shock is very powerful and can affect the disks in the spinal column if the correct running shoes are not worn. Running or jogging shoes are designed to absorb most of the shock that is generated from this exercise. Running shoes that are too thin or are not crafted of shock absorbing materials will not help your back bones or muscles, but only burden them with more pressure. If your shoes are worn out, this could be an issue as well. Worn down shoes no longer have the same shock absorbing capabilities as a newer pair of shoes that are in better condition.
Maintaining the appropriate running position is essential for preventing back pain. If you try to run in a manner that is too hunched over or too erect, this will put added pressure on your back and make your experience a painful one.
Jesse is the co-founder and visionary CEO of The Healthy Back Institute®, the world-leading source of natural back pain solutions. His mission as a former back pain sufferer is to help others live pain free without surgery and pharmaceuticals.
