Lower Back Ache

[[old] GutBustin']

Hi,<br />the last 2 weeks or so I've been doing low rate work strapless and with it has been a sense of my stroke getting stronger. Drag Factor roughly 120 for this stuff. However, today, and the last couple of days, I've noticed that my lower back begins to have a dull ache after 3k. For example, today I abandoned a 10k row after 7k not because I was tired but because of the ache.<br /><br />The only two things I can think of are<br />- my stroke is stronger, but my core is still weak and so the added stress is causing my relatively weak back muscles to be too fatigued<br />- I overcompress at the catch. However, I have always overcompressed at the catch because I can't figure out a way to keep my shins vertical except for riding right up on to my toes so that my feet are almost parallel to the ground at the beginning of the catch. (I'm at hole 3, and if I try hole 4 or higher my toes are not really on the base instead just on the plasticky thing if you know what I mean)<br /><br />Well, I'd really appreciate some advice if anyone's willing to give it some thought. It's more than a little frustrating because I feel CV fitness is making big gains, as is my general strength/endurance and boy would I love to row some 10ks now!<br /><br />Backbreakin'

[[old] Alissa]

I'm sorry to hear that you're Backbreakin'. You have my sympathy, since I have to watch out for my back too...although the focus of my attention is just below my shoulderblades... I'm relatively new at this, but have been working hard at trying to learn good form from Xeno Muller (I've been learning to row at his Iron Oarsman in Costa Mesa, CA), so I can try to pass along some things that I think might be helpful. You said: <br /><br /><!--QuoteBegin-GutBustin'+Oct 7 2005, 04:02 PM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(GutBustin' @ Oct 7 2005, 04:02 PM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->I've noticed that my lower back begins to have a dull ache after 3k. For example, today I abandoned a 10k row after 7k not because I was tired but because of the ache.<br /><br />The only two things I can think of are<br />- my stroke is stronger, but my core is still weak and so the added stress is causing my relatively weak back muscles to be too fatigued[right] <br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br />It could well be that your core is still weak. I wonder if your posture is also a factor here. I can’t tell from what you’ve said what you might be doing, so since no one else has responded, I’ll try, even though I’m pretty new at this myself. <br /> <br />Are you sitting on your ”sitz” bones—supporting your lower back with your abs and sitting up as tall as you can? (Pretend that you’re trying to be “taller” as you sit there than the person sitting next to you.) Are you holding your chest up? And your shoulders down (using your lats)? If you watch yourself in a mirror, there should be as much room as you can get between your ears and your shoulders. With your chest up, your arms should “hang” from your colarbone, and the line of your shoulders (and your collarbone) should stay relatively still (not moving up and down) as you row and stay balanced (side to side). The posture should be nearly regal. <br /><br />Note that if you relax your abs, the top of your pelvis will roll back and you will tend to roll off the back of your “sitz” bones and you’ll be sitting too far back (behind your “sitz” bones), which leaves the lower back rounded, and, I believe, at risk. If your abs are too weak to maintain an upright posture, it may take a while before you can hold the posture. Note that ab-strengthening exercises should help (or at least that’s what I tell myself). I note that this is something I’m still working on myself (although my focus of concern is more the just-below-the-shoulderblade area of the back).<br /><br />At any rate, once you’re sitting in a nice, really almost-regal posture, maintain it—you should be pivoting forward and backward from the hips, not rounding the back forward or arching backward. Pretend that your spine is “fused” in this posture (stabilize it with your abs & lats), for purposes of finding the pivot point. By pivoting at the hips, holding the pelvis stable in the position you’ll be in when you siting on your “sitz” bones, supporting yourself w/ your abs/lats and keeping yourself tall w/ your shoulders down, you should be protecting your back. <br /><br /><br /><!--QuoteBegin-GutBustin'+Oct 7 2005, 04:02 PM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(GutBustin' @ Oct 7 2005, 04:02 PM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->- I overcompress at the catch. However, I have always overcompressed at the catch because I can't figure out a way to keep my shins vertical except for riding right up on to my toes so that my feet are almost parallel to the ground at the beginning of the catch. (I'm at hole 3, and if I try hole 4 or higher my toes are not really on the base instead just on the plasticky thing if you know what I mean)<br /><br />Backbreakin' <br /> </td></tr></table><br />I’m not sure why you think it’s a problem to come up on your toes (although it sounds like you might be coming up a bit far...). The front part of your foot (the part that a woman in high-heeled shoes stands on) should be on the portion of the footboard at the top of the footboard that slants. You need to have the footboard adjusted so when that is the case, your heels are down in the heelcups. If you maintain the posture described above and pivot from the hips, I think you are less likely to overcompress. (Let me know if that works for you.) This should allow you to begin your drive by using your larger leg muscles to drive your heels down onto the footboard, instead of using much smaller muscles to pull yourself back before you can begin to use the larger muscles. <br /><br />Good luck—HTH<br /><br />Alissa

[[old] Byron Drachman]

We're not all as fortunate as Alissa, who get to train with Xeno in person. However, you can row with Xeno and Lucas with his DVD's. They're great workouts and great fun. In particular, one of the DVD's is upper body workout where you work on core strength and flexibility. I highly recommend the DVD's. Xeno's enthusiasm is contagious, and the time flies when you're rowing along with him or with Lucas or both. In a couple of them he or Lucas demonstrates the first part of the drive where you keep the forward lean. Notice how straight Lucas holds his back during this drill on the technique video. If you start the body swing too soon, it puts an extra load on the lower back. As already mentioned, too high a drag factor can also cause back aches. I think technique is crucial in order to minimize aches and injuries. I also have to be careful with my back and for me this is extra motivation to use good technique.<br />Good luck with your back. <br />Byron

[[old] PeterWilkinson]

GutBustin,<br /><br />I suffer from occasional lower back pain myself because I have a compacted disk from an old weight training injury.<br /><br />The British C2 site has a training programme that you can download as a PDF file, which includes a good section on core stability training. I did the exercises as per the guide and found them to be a great help. Now I have developed my own core stability routine based on the exercises in the training guide, which I do once or twice a week. My back problems have significantly reduced as a result.<br /><br />I agree with previous posters that you may have a posture problem, at least when rowing, if not all the time (as I did myself), and these exercises will strengthen your torso (front and back), and will enable you to stand, sit and row with better posture. <br /><br />Something else that can help is to hold your head up while rowing, as it forces you to hold your back in a better position, without rounding the back and shoulders.<br /><br />Finally, at the risk of teaching granny to suck eggs, I would also add that you must stop if you experience actual pain while rowing. If it hurts, your body is telling you to stop and you must listen. As someone who carried on lifting weights through injuries, I speak from experience when I say that it is better to stop and rest the problem than to try and work through it.<br /><br />

[[old] H_2O]

If the lower back injury is acute resting is often the worst thing you can do.<br />It is often better to force yourself to move no matter how much it hurts.<br /><br />In my case what has helped in these circumstances is:<br /><br />walking around<br />rowing<br />cycling<br />incline leg press<br /><br />For example I might be so badly off that I am completely crooked unable to stand upright, the trip to the rowing machine is pure torture, I can't get even one foot in the foot rest of the rower etc.<br />After one minute of rowing with feet on the floor (9 minute splits) one foot might go in and then the other. After 5 minutes I am splitting 2.05. After 15 minutes 1:45 is possible. After rowing for 30 minutes I can stand and walk upright with no problems at all.<br /><br />What considerably worsenes the situation:<br /><br />sitting using the back rest<br />lying down<br /><br />I know that that does not apply to your situation (chronic, low level pain)<br />where the advice about posture is excellent.<br />However I thought it fits into the general topic of lower back pain.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />

[[old] rick-the-chemist]

I have also been suffering with lower back ache lately.<br /><br />Not sure why it started but one day it was just there, not a pain but a dull ache. It has been on and off for about 2months now but just lately it has been there all the time. I have been doing a lot of low rating strapless work of late too and wondered if it was this that has been putting strain on my back. <br /><br />I try to maintain good posture all the time and row with a mirror next to me to help make sure i keep good form. <br /><br />The ache is get starts at the top of my right bum muscles but moves up during long ergs. <br /><br />I took 9days off a week or so ago to try and give my back sometime to rest but on returning to the erg it was actually worse for som reason.<br /><br />I'm hoping that with regular stretching and core muscle work the ache will go away.<br /><br />Rick

[[old] Mark Keating]

I have been battling back pain, mostly lower, for the past six months or so and I agree with most of the above. Particularly the need for good posture and strong core muscles - I am working on both of these. My back has seized up completely twice in the past six months and I am still recovering from the most recent setback.<br /><br />I have had occasional satisfactory results with chiropractic treatment and conventional massage, but the best thing for me has been "The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook". This is basically a guide to pain relief via self-massage. It costs about the same as one chiro treatment but it is something that I will likely refer to for the rest of my life (or until my back is 100% ). <br /><br />Mark