Running is repetitive stress

At Espinosa Family Chiropractic, we love running. It is an instantly-accessible activity that boots fitness and wellness in a single, simple package. We always say, if it gets you active, we support the activity! But don’t make the mistake of thinking it is truly low-impact. In fact, running is quite high impact by nature; the repetitive jarring motion involved in striking the ground sends shockwaves up the body, through the joints of your lower body and into your spine. The lower back bears the brunt of this shock absorption and quite often suffers as a result. 

Running risk factors

Here’s how running contributes to back pain and spinal injuries:

• Repetitive stress 
• Discs and joints affected by the jarring nature of running
• Contributes to misalignment of the spine and pelvis
• Stresses the ligaments and tendons of the lower back

Too few runners pay attention to the actual biomechanics of their sport. While we want to keep it as simple as possible, posture plays a huge role in your health as a runner. Remaining upright is step 1, but maintaining balance of the hips and pelvis is a further important consideration. If you are a regular runner, we want to help you take the steps necessary to prevent injury from becoming part of your personal narrative. 

For this, we work with runners of all ages and body conditions to help them improve their biomechanics and posture. We use chiropractic therapy to resolve issues like spinal misalignment and muscle imbalance. And we counsel the runners of our community on how to prevent injury with simple techniques like varying their running surface and shoes. If you care about preventing back pain while running, give us a call to start the conversation today.