The Sporting Back - Page 1

Written by Andrew Peters D.O. Registered Osteopath mailto:osteopath@eventrate.com

Low back pain will affect 70% of the population at some time in their lives, whether they are fit or unfit. Most of these sufferers will recover, without treatment, in about 3 months, but 50% may develop recurring problems. This article focuses mainly on the prevention of low back problems and the rehabilitation of the athlete.



Both acute and chronic low back conditions are helped with treatment from a physical therapist. In the UK the sufferer is most likely to think of going to an osteopath, chiropractor, or physiotherapist. (Most of these practitioners will be listed in the local telephone directories, but not necessarily on the web!) Endurance athletes are not known for their patience with injuries, and waiting 3 months for their low back pain to resolve is not often an option that they are prepared to take, so many of you will already have your own pet osteopath.



The causes of low back pain are many, varying from leg length inequality to psychological problems. Thus the treatment of one individual’s low back condition may be different to the advice and treatment given to another person. Nevertheless, there is a general guide that the endurance athlete should be aware of: Your back reflects your level of fitness. It can be argued that fitness is measured by the athlete’s strength, stamina, flexibility and co-ordination. These are the factors that will affect your low back too. For example, weak lower lumbar muscles will leave the lumbar area open to injury, poor stamina of the abdominal musculature will mean that the low-back is unsupported, poor hip flexibility will increase the work load on the lumbar spine, and poor co-ordination can increase the risk of direct trauma to the lower back.