Very tight lower back when running

[jumpman]

@TNT

So why wouldn’t you use the same protocol for getting the lower back to relax? Contract the antagonist muscle.

What technique is used to alleviate a cramp?
Stretch it and at the same time cotract the antagonist. Why wouldn’t this work for tight muscles?

TNT

Oh, I see. Yes many stretching protocols use this to their advantage, but again why would the muscle hold its new lenght if everything else is unchanged? Don’t just treat the symptom, treat the cause of the symptom.

[JohnG109]

@Flash

Just lie on your back with your knees bent. It’s that simple. It’s a positional release technique that helps the muscle relax by removing tension on the muscle spindles, therefore allowing them to stop firing.

http://www.yogajournal.com/practice/169.cfm

Flash, or anybody else, ive just stumbled upon this page when searching under constructive rest position, hope it helps all of those tight psoas out there, appologies if this has been posted before!

[Flash]

@JohnG109

http://www.yogajournal.com/practice/169.cfm

Flash, or anybody else, ive just stumbled upon this page when searching under constructive rest position, hope it helps all of those tight psoas out there, appologies if this has been posted before!

As a matter of fact, Liz Koch’s writings are where I learned about the constructive rest position.

[JimboUKdec]

Btw stretching the lower back has not helped me.

Generally the tightness is not as bad, and not as common.

I’m waiting for a minor injury around my rib cage to heal before I try some sprints.

[Flash]

I think the lower back is more of a reactive area, meaning tightness there is usually a byproduct of tension somewhere else. The same is true of the neck. If there’s tension coming from other muscles (e.g., iliopsoas, glutes) the spinal erectors will remain tight to counterbalance the pull. If you loosen the back without removing the pull from other sources, the back will just tighten up again.

However, if the back has been tight for a prolonged period of time, there is probably some adaptive shortening there. So you will have to release that tissue and maybe get some therapy after the tension produced by the other muscles is removed. It’s a question of the order in which you remove the layers of tension.

Regarding the issue of instability, Stuart McGill has warned about excessive ROM in the lower back. So TNT does have a valid point.

When it comes to achieving optimal ROM in the lower back I would first start off by removing the pull from other muscles, then restoring optimal tone/texture in the back through massage and/or ART and see where that gets you. I think for the vast majority of people, this is enough to alleviate most lower back problems without having to do too much direct stretching of the lower back itself.

[Flash]

Try this stretch for the lower back. It doesn’t really stretch the back muscles like a traditional stretch, but rather decompresses the S1-L5 joint that forms the lumbo-sacral junction.

• Lie on back in front of a wall with legs held up on the wall
• Dorsiflex and internally rotate the feet, pushing the heels away
• Internally rotate both legs
• Extend arms overhead and externally rotate while dorsiflexing the hand with fingers pulled back, pushing the heels of the hands away
• Flatten spine against floor, with particular attention to the ribs and sternum
• The neck is flat and reach away strongly with the top of the head
• Press lower spine into the floor
• If unable to flatten spine properly, start with hands extended upward and then lower them toward overhead until the spine starts to come off the floor.

[JohnG109]

AWESOME stretch yet again Flash! This just released me from a nagging ache/pain in my left lower back i’ve been bothered with for a while.

When’s the book out Flash?

[JohnG109]

I have an anteriorly tilted pelvis, a couple of stretches I use are the quadriceps stretch on this page:

http://www.aistretch.com/exercises.htm

although I dont do it the AIS way, I feel I get more stretch by holding for 1min.

My favourite stretch though is good old fashioned front splits, I concentrate on keeping my upper body upright and concentrate more on the stretch of the leg facing backwards.

After doing this, when I stand up, I can feel my pelvis tilting more posteriorly, I hold for 1min.

[JimboUKdec]

A brief update. I have been training at an OL club for three and a half months. My hamstrings are now more flexible - now I can touch the floor with my second knuckle without a warm up, where as before I was 2-3 inches from touching the floor. Not sure about hip flexor rom I didn’t test that before. I have not been doing any stretching in this time, due to lack of time and laziness (mostly laziness :)).

The tight back problem seems to have disappeared, but I may have too much of a tilted pelvis instead. I need to read up on (or ask my coach) about ideal posture of the pelvis and how mine is.

Now to sort out my piriformis syndrome issue (which has also slightly improved) :rolleyes: .

[JohnG109]

@JimboUKdec

Now to sort out my piriformis syndrome issue (which has also slightly improved) :rolleyes: .

Try this exercise, which is good for relaxing the piriformis.

1. Sit on a chair with your left foot resting on your right knee and let you left knee drop towards the floor.

2. Place both of your hands on your left knee and press against your hands with your left knee for 20s, with around 25% effort.

3. Relax for 10s and repeat twice.

4. Repeat sequence on both legs.

You should notice your knee dropping towards the ground when relaxing

[JimboUKdec]

John I feel that stretch in the gluteus medius, and not in the area where my sciatica originates (bum crease :D). I’ve devised a stretching routine for this, which I have detailed in my journal. Thanks though.

edit - on second thought I might try that while I am experiencing the symptoms and see if it makes a differences as it is easy to test.