At least twice a year, I pull my back out. Usually, not even doing anything strenuous. This past Friday, at around 4:30 a.m. I ended up lying on my basement floor writhing in pain while exercising. It took me a half hour to stand up and another 15 minutes to pull myself up the stairs. I wasn’t lifting heavy weights. I don’t think I was turning too quickly. I was doing my Insanity workout, Plyometrics, one with a lot of jumping. After doing a little research for this blog post, I think I might be getting a little old for so much jumping around. There are very few injuries as debilitating as hurting your back. Usually, it just slows me down for a few days or a week. This time, I retreated to my bed. I did the usual things to combat the pain, like…cold compresses, non steroidal anti-inflamatory over the counter medication, different types of pillows and positions. Honestly, nothing helped.
Here’s what I learned:
Back pain affects roughly 80% of the population at some time. There are many causes including, but not limited to: poor posture (the lower back carries most of a person’s weight), improper lifting (always bend your knees), carrying heavy packages, backpacks or bags, poor fitting shoes, high heels, quick turning at the waist, being overweight, herniated disks, Osteoarthritis, Osteoporosis or even Fibromyalgia.
The back is made up of vertebrae that surround and protect the spinal column. They are held together by tendons, ligaments and muscles. In between the ligaments are disks that act as shock absorbers. As we age, these become more compressed. They are also what allows your spine to twist and bend. According to the Mayo Clinic, most back pain results in an injury to either a muscle or ligament strain.
Experts don’t always agree with treatment. Many times you just need to give yourself a few days or weeks to recover. Some of the recommendations from professionals include icing a few times a day for a few days, followed by a few days of heat, easy exercises, that can and probably should be continued after you are healed, sleeping in a position that affords your back the least amount of pressure. If you are a back sleeper, you might try placing a pillow under your knees and a small one under the small of your back. If you are a side sleeper, try knees drawn up with a pillow between your legs. Stomach sleeping is the least recommended, but if you must to fall asleep, try putting a pillow under your pelvis.
My pain was immediate like someone stuck a knife in my back, piercing. Sometimes, the onset of pain may present itself more slowly. You might be stiff or maybe experience a muscle spasm. Many times your body is warning you to slow down before you really get hurt or it could be a precursor to more serious conditions such as bladder infections, appendicitis or ovarian disorders, although these are rare.
You might be able to prevent some back injuries by doing exercises that strengthen your core and abdominal muscles. Always remember to warm up and cool down and stretch before and after exercising. It is considered one of the best ways of preventing overall injuries. That being said, I always do all of it. I guess I will have to resign myself to “pulling” my back out periodically, and while I might not jump around as much as I have been doing, I will certainly keep exercising to stay fit.
Diane 
