Is Running BAD for your discs?

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Running and Your Spine: A New Look at Intervertebral Disc Health

There’s a common myth that running is bad for your back. But a new systematic review published in Sports Health tells a different story. This review combined 13 studies with 632 participants to investigate how running affects the health of intervertebral discs—the cushions between the vertebrae in your spine.

How Running Affects Your Spine

The review looked at two types of studies: some measured how running affected spinal height, while others used MRI to observe changes in disc composition. Here’s what the research found:

  1. Temporary Compression: Running causes temporary compression of the discs. This means that during a run, discs lose some water content and slightly shrink in height.
  2. Supercompensation Between Runs: After the run, your discs supercompensate by drawing water and glycosaminoglycans back in. These are important for keeping your discs hydrated and healthy. Over time, this process can actually improve disc health.
  3. Stronger, Healthier Discs: Habitual runners were found to have healthier and stronger discs than non-runners. So rather than damaging your spine, regular running appears to build resilience in your intervertebral discs.

Takeaways for Runners

This study is great news for runners and those hesitant to start due to back pain concerns. Here’s what you should know:

  • Running is Safe for Your Back: The temporary disc compression during a run is completely normal and healthy. The key is the recovery between runs, where your body replenishes lost fluids and nutrients.
  • Regular Running Builds Stronger Discs: Over time, the cycles of compression and supercompensation make your discs more resilient, reducing the risk of spinal issues.
  • No Need to Fear Running: If you’ve been avoiding running due to fears of back injury, this study shows that running is not only safe but can actively improve your spinal health.

Incorporating regular runs into your routine can be a powerful way to maintain a healthy back. So, lace up those running shoes and start reaping the benefits for your spine!

Reference: Shu D, Dai S, Wang J, Meng F, Zhang C, Zhao Z. Impact of Running Exercise on Intervertebral Disc: A Systematic Review. Sports Health. 2024;0(0). doi:10.1177/19417381231221125

Cycling and low back pain

Low Back Pain and Cycling

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Low back pain affects many cyclists and triathletes. The nature of the sport puts the low back at risk for developing an injury. Cyclists are bent forward for several hours at a time which can cause excessive compression, and stretching into the lower back. Low back pain and cycling position go hand in hand. I am not just talking about getting a bike fit to cure all of you back pain ailments. I am talking about HOW to position yourself in the best possible way to minimize stress into your low back. Lets dive in!

What Causes Low Back Pain During Cycling?

There are a few factors that cause lower back pain while cycling. The first is a phenomenon called, “ligamentous creep”. Our ligaments are the strong supports structures of the spine and are resistant to stretch. However, this rigid structures will begin to stretch when held in a lengthened position over a long period of time. When the ligaments are stretched and not supporting your back as they are designed to do, injury can occur. Pedaling forcefully with an unstable back will lead to more lower back strain. The more strain will result in pain during and after cycling.

Muscles will also cause myofascial pain when strained. When in a bent forward position, the lower back muscles often get sore and painful as the ride continues. They support the back as best as possible but eventually fatigue, over stretch and then become a source pain.

The last common causes of low back pain in cyclists are joint and disc related low back pain. We see this type of pain in patients with preexisting arthritis in their lower back and or previous injury. Bent forward positions can cause aggravation to previous disc injuries such as annular tearing, bulge, and herniation.

Bike Fit Cures Low Back Pain Right?

Bike fit is HUGELY important for helping manage low back pain and any other musculoskeletal issue for that matter. However, you must learn how to position your body and coordinate your muscles to help support your spine! Even with the best bike fit, low back pain can persist if you are not positioning yourself correctly. I will not get into specific bike fit changes that can help with low back pain. Saddle position and type are two factors that allow a cyclist to adopt a more stable position for their back.

Proper Bike Position For Low Back Pain

In the video, I discuss strategies to get the most out of your core muscles to protect your lower back. Not only will you protect your body, you will increase your performance! Sitting properly and engaging the correct muscles will put more power to the pedals!

https://youtu.be/gENNYIFkEoE

Bike fit, proper positioning, and a routine core/flexibility program will help keep you pain free and enjoy riding your bike! For further improvement in bike positioning check our our blog post on positioning for neck pain and headaches. Consult a sports chiropractor familiar with cycling if you are dealing with an injury. We treat countless cyclists and triathletes at our San Diego based sports chiropractic clinic, Peak Form health Center. We are conveniently located in Mission Valley, San Diego! Schedule online by clicking on the “Schedule an Appointment” tab above.

Active Release Technique San Diego

Manage Triathlon Injuries and Training

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Triathlon season is in full swing here in San Diego. With local races nearly every weekend, many triathletes have trouble balancing time between training, family, jobs, and racing competitively. Many triathletes begin to notice nagging triathlon injuries that are consistently getting worse as the season continues. Should they take a break to heal? Maybe. It depends on the athlete, their goals, and how they take care of their bodies during the season. Below are the top 5 triathlon injury management techniques we recommend to our athletes.

Active Release Technique ART San Deigo

  • Sports Chiropractic Care– We may be slightly biased here but this is the reason why we do what we do. We offer the best manual therapy and exercise methods to keep our triathletes swimming, biking and running. Triathlon injuries are managed effectively with a combination of Active Release Technique, Graston technique, joint manipulation and rehabilitative exercise. Have you seen or are you currently seeing a Sports Chiropractor? Sports chiropractic utilizes all the techniques previously mentioned as well advice on training through the injury; you can read more about the difference between a general chiropractor and a sports chiropractor here: Benefits of Sports Chiropractic.DACBSP Certfified
  • Maintain a Self Care Program– After being screened by a Sports Chiropractor and prescribed exercises, it is important that you do them! A daily routine of foam rolling, stretching, strengthening to the areas that have been causing injury. Daily is best but if you can squeeze in 3 times per week to manage triathlon injuries, you will see positive results.IT band syndrome San Diego, Gait San Diego
  • Sleep– It is important when training to stick to an appropriate sleep schedule. Getting quality sleep allows your body to regenerate after you break it down during hard training. In a nutshell, deep sleep allows growth hormone and other rebuilding hormones to be released which will allow you to bounce back faster. If sleep is constantly sacrificed for more work, or more training, the body will become catabolic and slowly break down. When trying to manage triathlon injuries, if you do not allow the body to rebuild, the injuries will never fully heal.
  • Nutrition-  Proper nutrition gives the building blocks to your body to allow for proper recovery.  The more high quality fuel you give yourself, the high quality output and recovery you will get. Just like a sports car, you will not put regular unleaded gas in tank, you will put premium gas in to get the most out of the high performance engine. In general, high quality carbohydrate (lots of veggies, whole grains), lean proteins, and plenty of healthy fats are what you want to strive for! After exercise sessions, especially high intensity interval sessions, drink a mixture of carbohydrate and protein to refuel the glycogen stores in the muscles. 
  • Periodization- We see countless athletes in our office who suffer from over training syndrome. A lot of it stems from the fear of not doing enough to get ready for a race or losing too much fitness between exercise sessions. With a proper training plan in place, you will become fitter, faster, and having to manage triathlon injuries will become a thing of the past. In short, get an experienced coach, or at the very least get a training book and follow it.

Those are the top 5 tips to help manage triathlon injuries and avoid new injuries moving forward. We recommend getting a physical assessment by one of our sports chiropractors located in Mission Valley, San Diego. We are located near the neighborhoods of Hillcrest, Serra Mesa, Clairemont Mesa, La Mesa, Pacific Beach, Ocean Beach, and Point Loma. Our Sports Chiropractors are trained in musculoskeletal diagnosis and treatment, running gait analysis, bike fitting, and can order the proper diagnostic tests if necessary (MRI, X-ray, etc.).

 

Dr. Travis Rose, DC CCSP and Dr. Kevin Rose DC DACBSP are both avid triathletes and are passionate about helping triathletes manage triathlon injuries. Knowing first hand how frustrating a nagging injury can be, both Dr. Travis and Kevin utilize Active Release Treatments and chiropractic treatments to keep them healthy and performing at their best!

Outer hip pain running clinic San Diego

Outer Hip Pain in Runners

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Outer hip pain is a very common complaint we see with out runners at our Mission Valley office. The outer hip musculature is designed to provide hip, and lower back stabilization during running. When there is pain or tightness at the outer hip, the stability at the hip and lower back is compromised. This in turn can create abnormal stress into the hip, outer hip muscles, lower back, the knee, and even the lower leg/foot. The following conditions cause outer hip pain and dysfunction:

Causes of Outer Hip Pain

  • Glute Medius Muscle Strain
  • Tensor Fascia Latae Strain
  • Gluteus Medius Tendinopathy
  • Trochanteric Bursitis
  • Iliotibial Tract Syndrome (IT Band Syndrome)
  • Sciatic Nerve Entrapment

As mentioned above, the out hip plays a role in lower back and hip stability. If the outer hip is painful or dysfunctional the following conditions may also be present:

  • Low Back Pain
  • Facet Joint (Lower Back Joint) Irritation
  • Hip Impingement
  • Knee Tracking Issues
  • Outer Knee Pain (IT Band Syndrome)
  • Shin Splints
  • Plantar Fasciitis

Evaluation

It is important to be evaluated by a running doctor and sports chiropractor. We will help diagnose your outer hip pain and any potential compensatory injuries that may be occurring simultaneously.  A combination of range of motion, orthopedic, functional movements, and strength/endurance tests will be used to pinpoint the exact cause of your pain.

Gait Analysis

We currently offer at home gait analysis for current patients. After being evaluated in our office, if it is deemed necessary, we have our patients video tape themselves running on a treadmill and send it back to us for evaluation. For outer hip pain, many runners with outer hip pain run with what is known as a cross over gait. Check out our previous blog posts here on what a cross-over gait consists of.

Hip pain Running San Diego

Potential sites for injury with cross over gait

Treatment for Outer Hip Pain

Active Release Technique is an excellent tool for helping runners with outer hip pain get out of pain quickly. A targeted home rehab approach is then prescribed b our running doctor as a way to prevent the injury from coming back again. Schedule with us today at our Mission Valley, San Diego running injury clinic today!

Best Chiropractor in Mission Valley

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Congratulations to Dr. Rose, DC on being voted 2012 Best Chiropractor in Mission Valley by Mission Valley News.

Click Here for the entire release.

Mission Valley News offers community news and information on Mission Valley, Old Town, Linda Vista and surrounding areas.

Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation

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At Proform Sports Chiropractic, we help create lifelong musculoskeletal health, emphasizing physical activity and exercise throughout life. Our goal is to prevent injury and achieve optimal health, mobility, and quality of life throughout each person’s lifespan.

Our two primary areas of interest are musculoskeletal injury prevention and rehabilitation. Our offfice focuses on on injury prevention and on effective treatment and rehabilitation that are essential to putting the person back on the path to optimal health.