Four words, responsible for causing many injuries—“no pain, no gain”

Injuries are a fact of life for most athletes involved in weight training, and injuries to the back are especially likely. But statistically, you are less likely to hurt your back when strength-training than when participating in many popular sports. For example, more upper and lower back injuries occur on a playground’s monkey bars, on a football field or during a basketball game.

But if your back is injured during weight training, remember that symptoms and injuries are two different things. A symptom, usually pain, indicates a particular injury, that something is wrong. Any type of back pain is a warning to stop, no matter what caused it, and there are many types that can clue you in that something may be wrong.

Back pains can be sharp, sudden, dull, aching, throbbing, or burning. These subtly different sensory perceptions can establish what type of injury it is. An extreme, sharp back pain while performing an exercise requires immediate attention. It’s different than plain muscle soreness after a heavy workout. Muscle soreness is just part of strength training. Any other kind of back pain is a signal telling you to modify your training program. There can be upper back pain or lower.

95% of non-traumatic low back pain comes from a tiny area where the base of your spine connects to your hips. This is the pivot point for your entire upper body. It’s all held in place by a few elastic bands called ligaments. If these ligaments are not exercised and strengthened enough, they fail to keep the spine aligned. The result? Your back muscles can stress out and go into spasms. Your vertebrae can pinch sensitive nerves, and your discs can start to degenerate, bulge and rupture.

Acute back pain typically occurs suddenly; it's a symptom caused by too much stress or friction. It can last from a few days to weeks. Chronic back pain can have a greater impact on an athlete. It usually lasts for over three months. It begins with no warning and it’s caused by weaknesses in the spinal area that's affected. Fortunately, there are a number of self-treatments that work, whether the pain is acute or chronic.

Many athletes find that using heat or cold packs helps ease back pain, though the relief is not lasting. Heat increases the oxygen flow to the blood vessels in the sore muscles. Cold may reduce swelling, but it reduces the blood flow to the area. Using both alternatively usually gives some level of on-the-spot relief.

A variety of over-the-counter pain relievers, called analgesics, such as acetaminophen and aspirin, can help ease pain. When inflammation is also an issue, non-steroidal drugs (NSAIDS) containing the generic ibuprofen, and other pain relievers such as Motrin and Advil, are available without a prescription. Prescription analgesics, like oxycodone, are also popularly used (and misused) today, but they can be prescribed as a short term solution for more severe pain.

Remember, sometimes you’re better off enduring the pain if it’s going to lessen within a few days. Every drug, no matter how mild, has side effects. And that's an adventure you can definitely do without.

by Bruce Heath, DnC