Amidst all sports equipment, the body remains the most important machine. Be it a sports activity or any high-intensity workout, the strength and flexibility of your body make every exercise easy and smooth. No doubt, your body is delicate, it needs regular nourishment and care to keep functioning.

Regular sports training and competitions can be highly taxing on the body. It eventually gives pain, injuries, and dysfunctions that may start small but eventually leads to chronic pain. Two of the most affected areas are the lower back and spine. Almost every athlete in their sports career faced deadly back pain.

Athletes like football players, boxers, weightlifters, divers, cyclers, gymnastics, or hockey players who use repeated back movements are at higher risk for developing lingering back pain. Just because participating in physical activities results in back pain, it does not mean you stop playing.

You can keep the back pain at bay while you exercise and compete. You can think about investing in support belts; those you can get from reputed product manufacturers online.

Causes of Back Pain in Athletes

Ligament sprains and muscle strains are some of the common injuries among athletes. Athletes who put their bodies through rigorous physical trauma and overuse are at a higher risk of developing back pain. Below-mentioned is a few triggers of back pain:

  • Ligament strain: When a muscle is torn, strain occurs in ligaments. It is the lower back that experiences the most strain during exercise. Although most strains are able to heal on their own, severe ones can put athletes out of order.
  • Bruises or soft tissue contusions: In many sports, bruising comes with its own territory but severe soft tissue contusions need to be effectively treated by a medical expert. Ice and compression can be of great help too.
  • Sciatica: It is defined as immense pain that runs through the sciatic nerve. It may get triggered by a herniated disk or some other injury that puts a lot of pressure on the nerve. Golfers and tennis players are sufferers of sciatica.

Ways to Treat Sports-related Back Pain

For athletes and their coaches, preventing injury and pain is of utmost importance. While there is obviously no complete way to treat the pain from scratch, there are some things you can absolutely trust:

  • Exercise on soft surfaces: It is wise to keep your physical workouts to soft trails instead of running on hard surfaces. It can hurt your lower back muscles and compress the spine.
  • Warm-up, stretch and cool down: With a warm-up, you prepare your body for an exercise that eventually increases blood flow to your muscles. Develop a full-body stretching routine that supports your back. Cooling down decreases your blood pressure and heart rate so your body doesn’t experience burnout.
  • Strengthen your legs: The back muscles are supported by bones, tendons, muscles, and joints throughout the body. Building strength in the legs and core will keep your body from putting so much pressure on the spine.
  • Get ample rest: The major reason why sports persons experience muscle strains is that their muscles are exhausted. So, make sure to include rest days and get regular massage therapies. Also, practice good sleeping habits such as putting a phone away before you go to bed.
  • Consider wearing a back support belt: Those who are serious about pushing themselves to the next level must consider putting on a back brace for an additional layer of support.
  • Maintain the right posture: Whether you’re a runner, golfer, or baseball player you know your posture matters a lot. Poor posture during repetitive exercises can promote bad alignment, leading to severe pain in the back.
  • Know when to stop: Regardless of which game or sports activity you participate in, don’t overdo it. You can’t overuse your muscles as you might get injured while practicing. You can consider going for a full-body scan which will help you identify muscles that are weak or tired. This gives you a reality check that it’s probably the right time to move on to a different set of activities.
  • Wear the right pads: If you are playing hockey or football, pads give you an extra layer of protection against the painful impact that sports activity can have on your back, shoulders, and ribs.

Where Can I Buy a Back Support Belt?

ITA-MED is your go-to place for high-quality orthopedic and sports medicine products. We’d love to have you around exploring our collection. And, always remember your back is a complex structure of bones, tendons, muscles, and ligaments. So, keeping it in an all-around shape is detrimental to thriving in sports and general life.

Don’t worry though, proper treatment and a little bit of prevention will keep your back healthy and help you win sports games too. Isn’t it just so peaceful knowing how easy it is to keep your back well put with small efforts? Good luck with your future sports endeavors. Take good care of your health so you can take care of your team.