Exercise: How To Ease Unwanted Back Tension (Hint: You Might Need To Exercise Less!)

Does this sound like what you have been experiencing, or know of someone with a similar complaint?

“I was wondering if you could help me… As you know I really enjoy running. I run 5-6 times a week with at least one day of rest. But lately my body has been feeling lethargic and my back
Feels tense, do you have any tips for what I can do?”

Here’s the thing…

Feeling lethargic, and experiencing tension isn’t always a ‘bad thing’. You might be raising your eyebrows right now, and of course any kind of muscle tension is unpleasant and something we don’t want, but these are signs from our body telling us to slow down and ‘heal’.

When you enjoy running as much as this patient does, it can be difficult to take a break – but sometimes doing less is the solution.

Let me tell you why…

Back tension is a very common issue I see among serious runners, here at Volk Physical Therapy. If we over-exercise, and live busy lives, we’ll most likely experience some form of tension / soreness/ discomfort. This alone can get in the way of your health goals, and in the long run your back, or any other part of the body, may only get worse. So to prevent this from getting in the way, here’s some things you can do just like my patients:

Get A Good Night Sleep

We all know that getting a good sleep is important, but we’re not told to get up to eight hours for no reason. Studies actually show that consistently getting eight hours a night helps to reduce unwanted aches and pains in the body, as well as rid of that lethargic, heavy feeling. When you sleep this gives your body a chance to repair, and when you have a regular routine, you will likely find yourself feeling more energized and much more comfortable during the day!

Exercise Less

This one might come as a surprise, but sometimes taking a break from exercise will have huge benefits for your body. It’s important to give your body a chance to recover in order to see and feel the benefits of exercise, repair your muscles and reduce inflammation that comes from exercise. This doesn’t mean that you have to stop exercising, or running for a number of days – you could simply try switching up your workouts so you’re not always using the same muscles, and be sure to take at least one or two days off.

I know it’s hard to take a day off and rest, I find it tough too sometimes, but it’s worth it!
When my physical therapy patients do this, their back tension eases off, and their running improves! So give it a shot. Why let a bad back get in the way of keeping active and mobile?