Why Athletes in Sonoma County Get Low Back Pain
Introduction
Low back pain in athletes is the #1 condition we see at BaseCamp Performance Collective.
It's especially prevalent among runners and active adults here in Petaluma and across Sonoma County.
Our rich outdoors provide the perfect backdrop for trail running, mountain biking, and simply being outside. Unfortunately though, Sonoma County's athletes are no different than the above stat, with many of them experiencing lower back pain each year.
In fact, it's typically right around this time of year - where the weather is really turning for the better - that we tend to see more and more athletes complaining of low back pain.
The terrain of Petaluma and Sonoma County makes it easy to spend time being active. But the hills, trails, and mileage increases can lead to low back pain if your body isn't prepared.
The problem isn't whether these athletes seek out care or not. Rather, the problem is that most athletes are told the wrong reasons for why their back is injured or hurting in the first place.
For a broader breakdown of low back pain and how to detect whether it will resolve on its own or needs treatment, check out our full guide on low back pain.
Low Back Pain in Athletes: What It Is
The medical world defines low back pain as pain in the lumbar region of the spine. This pain can be localized to the lower back, but also commonly creates radiating pain into the hips, legs, or even shins and feet.
When you develop low back pain, it can be quite scary. Your body may feel 'locked up', and vulnerable to almost any kind of movement.
For runners, it's usually putting on their shoes early in the morning before taking off for a run.
For field sport athletes, it can be during a moment of rotation, or in the weight room when trying to deadlift or squat.
Regardless, this pain is unsettling, and can leave you feeling that something is actively wrong in your spine. And while it may feel this way, it's often misguided.
Pain like this doesn't always signal that there is structural damage present in the spine. Rather, the pain is indicative of increased stress placed on certain tissues within the spine.
The real question is why these tissues are being overly stressed in the first place.
And more importantly, how do you fix it so it doesn't keep coming back?
Low back pain doesn't always mean structural damage - it of ten reflects how much stress your body is absorbing during training and daily movements.
If you're looking for a deeper dive into how low back pain presents and what different symptoms may mean, we break that down in more detail in our low back pain guide.
Why Athletes in Sonoma County Get Low Back Pain
There are many different presentations of lower back pain. Injuries can happen to various structures - discs, ligaments, facets, etc.
We could spend all day listing off the various structures of the spine and getting into the weeds. This wouldn't be very useful though, as it doesn't tell us much about why the injury has happened in the first place.
Instead, we're going to focus on the most common reasons athletes end up with low back pain.
Load Without Preparation
Above, we mentioned this time of year is when we start hearing more complaints of low back pain. With the weather turning, more and more runners are hitting the pavement or trails each week.
It's hard to resist those cool Sonoma County mornings, or getting out on the trails before the grass turns brown!
But this really signals a rapid increase in activity.
Whether it's increasing overall mileage, the number of runs or training sessions per week, or simply adding more hills to each run because of being out on the trails, runners often increase their activity too quickly, leaving the body scrambling to keep up.
Without adequate strength and preparation, increases in training volume for running, lifting, or sports, can place excessive stress on the lower back.
Lack of Strength
The winter and early spring should be the period where most athletes are developing their foundational strength to ensure they are ready for the upcoming increase in activity.
Many athletes understand this, especially those who have had low back pain in the past. Wisely, they train their core daily and they also sprinkle in some mobility work.
Sadly though, they miss the mark. We often think that back pain = weak core.
And while there's some truth to this, the hips, glutes, upper back, and legs often get overlooked along the way. The lack of strength in these areas places athletes at high risk of overcompensating with their abdominal muscles, and placing too much stress on their back.
Poor Movement Mechanics
Having strength is one thing - knowing how to use it is another. This is where movement mechanics come into play.
For runners, this shows up in their running gait. Whether the individual over-pronates, over-supinates, or has a low running cadence, each can contribute to placing the tissues of the low back under unnecessary stress.
This is especially common in runners, where repetitive stress magnifies any mechanical inefficiencies, contributing to both back pain and other injuries. We break down those patterns (and others) in our guide to running injuries in Petaluma.
For lifters, it might be the way they perform a deadlift or squat. Not bracing appropriately, or over-bracing may result in heightened stress on the discs and facets of the spine.
And rotational athletes, such as baseball and golf, are the prime example of poor movement mechanics. They often rotate from their spine, rather than their hips, leading to frustrating pain and inefficient performance.
Repetitive Stress from Local Activities
If all of the above are taken care of, then back pain in athletes can also be a sign of too much stress from one activity.
Runners run.
Cyclists cycle.
The repetitive nature of many sports leads to a magnification of any of the above movement inefficiencies. As a result, the same tissues get stressed over and over again.
When this happens, the body simply can't keep up in the maintenance and repair of these tissues, leading to the development of injuries.
Previous Injuries That Were Never Fully Resolved
Research continues to tell us that the most common predictor of injury is previous injury. This could be an unresolved injury to the low back, with a recurring cycle of injury occurring.
More commonly, it's the result of an injury elsewhere in the body. If a runner struggled with knee pain but never fully resolved the source of it, other body parts will compensate. This leads to more stress in the lower back.
If a baseball player never resolved a shoulder injury, it can often result in placing more work and effort on the lower back, leading to excessive stress and injury.
Common Mistakes Athletes Make
Below are the most common mistakes that athletes make once they've begun to experience low back pain.
Resting without fixing root cause
The first step many athletes take is to rest from the sport or activity that is causing their pain. While this is a good first step to reducing pain, rest alone doesn't address the underlying cause of the pain.
When athletes simply rest and then return to sport, they often find themselves with the same pain, or even worse.
Only stretching (without strength work)
If the athlete's injury is strictly a mobility problem, then stretching would be a viable option. Unfortunately, this is rarely the case. Mobility can often be one piece of the puzzle toward creating low back pain, but rarely is it the only obstacle toward pain-free performance.
Ignoring pain and pushing through
This is perhaps the most common mistake most athletes make, but also the most understood mistake. As we mentioned above - runners run, cyclists cycle, athletes play.
When aches and pains arise, it's far too easy to simply ignore them and continue on. But this often leads to secondary injuries, or increasing the duration of the primary injury.
Chasing passive treatments only
Athletes often search for people who can help them get past the pain, especially quickly. This leads to massage, cupping, dry needling, sauna, ice, or compression.
While all of these are viable modalities that can be utilized to decrease pain, they also don't address any underlying imbalances or asymmetries present in the athlete.
Similar to rest, these options help to reduce pain, but don't do much to solve the underlying problem that led to the injury in the first place.
Many athletes turn immediately to passive modalities such as rest, ice, and compression. While these can help alleviate symptoms, they don't address the root cause of why their back was hurt in the first place.
Returning to sport too quickly
Deadlines can be very challenging in the rehabilitation of low back pain. Whether it's an upcoming race, an upcoming tournament, or simply being impatient, athletes often rush to get back to doing the thing they love.
As a result, they often end up with setbacks, and fail to fully resolve the underlying causes of their injury.
This cycle of making mistakes, followed by dealing with further complications or recurring injuries is one of the main reasons so many athletes in Petaluma continue to experience low back pain.
If you're reading this and recognizing your own situation, you're not alone. This is exactly the cycle we help athletes break every day in Petaluma. It starts with understanding what's actually causing the problem.
How Performance Rehabilitation Solves Low Back Pain
Many of the common mistakes share a theme: simply addressing the symptoms of low back pain.
Performance rehabilitation focuses on identifying the root cause of the low back pain, rather than simply treating the symptoms. This is the foundation of our Injury Rehab approach.
This is done through a comprehensive evaluation process which measures an athlete's strength, weaknesses, mobility limitations, movement tendencies, coordination, and also identifies common training errors.
The evaluation serves as the launching point for a progressive program which addresses the underlying limitations causing the problem. A great program does this while preparing you for a safe and effective return to sport progression.
We highlight more specifics of our return to sport progression in our guide to returning to sport from ACL tears. Though an ACL tear is often a more intensive recovery than low back pain, we can apply many of the same principles to ensure the athlete is ready to return to their sport.
Performance rehabilitation not only helps to get you out of pain, but also to ensure that the pain doesn't come back, making you a more resilient and complete athlete than before.
How BaseCamp Performance Co. Treats Low Back Pain
BaseCamp Performance Co. uses a performance rehabilitation model in working with runners and athletes from all over Petaluma and Sonoma County. Our process for helping these highly active individuals overcome low back pain is outlined below.
Step 1: Discovery Call
During the discovery call, you'll speak with a rehab specialist from our team - either a Doctor of Physical Therapy or Doctor of Chiropractic.
This is where we get an understanding of your symptoms, how the injury occurred, your sport, your training program, and the goals you have. We seek first to understand exactly what you're looking for and what is needed to help you achieve those goals.
In that call, we'll identify if our approach is right for you, and if not, we'll refer you to another medical provider who is the best fit for your needs. It's part of our mission to provide the highest quality care to everyone we interact with.
Step 2: Comprehensive Evaluation
We go deep during our evaluations to ensure that no stone is left unturned. We'll assess your strength, mobility, asymmetries, movement patterns, coordination, and the demands of your sport.
The primary goal of our evaluation is to identify why this injury is occurring, not just what the injury is. In doing so, we're able to outline the exact steps you'll need to take to get to a place of feeling and performing your best.
Objective testing allows us to measure strength, asymmetry, and load tolerance. This gives us a clear picture to guide your recovery and return to sport and performance.
Step 3: Objective Testing
Our philosophy is that if you aren't testing, you're simply guessing. We're not in the business of guessing at BaseCamp Performance Co.
We want to know exactly how strong you are, exactly how much asymmetry you have between sides, and exactly how prepared you are for the demands of your sport.
Using technology such as dynamometry and Force Plates allows us to gain that exact information, while also allowing us to objectively track your progress over time.
Step 4: Individualized Plan
Each athlete receives an individualized plan that aligns with their unique movement needs, along with their unique sport demands. Each session is set up to ensure you're making progress.
We don't simply prescribe a handout of exercises - we need to know that you're getting stronger, more durable, and more resilient between sessions. The only way to do that is to meet you where you're at in each session, systematically moving you toward your goals.
Rehabilitation doesn't simply stop at pain relief. Our goal is to build more strength, symmetry, and movement efficiency so you can keep pushing your body without fear.
Step 5: Return to Performance
How do we know you're ready to return to sport?
It's so much more than simply being pain-free. This is where everything blends together.
We test to make sure you're stronger, more resilient, and ready to make your return. We don't just want you feeling better, we want you to be better than before.
As you make your return to sport, we ensure that you're training is on track through our Performance Training programs.
When Should You Seek Professional Help?
If you've been experience pain that:
- Has been going on for < 7-10 days
- Worsens with a specific activity
- Limits your ability to participate in your sport or activity of choice
- Has continued to return, or has occurred before
- Is making you unsure about an upcoming competition
Then don't wait. It's important to get examined as soon as possible. After all, one of the most common mistakes is to simply rest.
By getting in sooner to see a performance rehab specialist, you're helping prevent a longer recovery.
From Rehab to Long-Term Performance
While low back pain can be deflating and incredibly frustrating, it's the longer term implications that most athletes care about.
Episodes of pain will come and go, but they threaten to prevent an athlete from performing at their best, or being able to stay in their sport or activity for the long haul.
Failing to address the underlying issues makes it more likely that this will be a recurring injury over time.
Sadly, this is how many athletes fall out of love with their sport. Whether it's the fear of damage from running, lifting, or playing ball sports, athletes will often pull back slowly over time, until they are unable to continue to compete.
At BaseCamp Performance Co., this simply isn't acceptable. Our biggest priority is setting our athletes up with a plan to help them achieve life-long performance and health.
For most individuals with low back pain, their goal is to be able to perform the sport or activity they love for the long haul.
To achieve this goal requires a plan that extends beyond rehab and into long-term training for life strategies.
That's exactly what we've built our team for at BaseCamp Performance Co. Our team has the experts needed to move you from a place of pain and recurring injury to a resilient and strong body, ready for the road ahead.
Long-term performance requires more than just getting out of pain. We build a plan to help turn you into a stronger, more durable, and more resilient version of yourself.
Frequently Asked Questions
What causes low back pain in athletes?
Low back pain is typically caused by a combination of increased training load, lack of strength, poor movement mechanics, and previous injuries that weren't fully resolved.
Should I keep training if I have low back pain?
In most cases, continuing to train through pain without modifying your program will make the issue worse. The better approach is adjusting your training while addressing the root cause of the injury.
How long does low back pain take to heal?
Recovery timelines vary, but most athletes see improvement within a few weeks when the root cause is addressed. Ignoring the issue can lead to longer recovery times and lead to recurring injuries.
When should I see a professional for back pain?
If your pain lasts longer than 7-10 days, worsens with specific activities, or keeps coming back, then it's time to seek professional guidance.
Conclusion
Many athletes with low back pain don't understand the underlying reason for their pain. As a result, they end up waiting too long to seek care, use passive modalities, and fail to address the underlying issues that caused their injury in the first place.
It doesn't have to be this way though.
If you're dealing with low back pain in Petaluma or Sonoma County, start with our Free Discovery Call to learn exactly what's causing your pain and what your next steps should be.
If you're unsure whether your symptoms require care, or you're trying to decide your next step, our full low back pain guide can help you make the decision with confidence.