Lower Back Pain

[jinxremoving]

All,

Not sure where to take this one, and I don't have an easy way to record my form, but I keep seeming to injure my lower left back, just above my butt. Feels like something is wedged in there -- this is the third time I've done it. Trying to stay conscious of my form, trying to row "low intensity" (2:05 - 2:10 @ UT1). Not sure if the pull from my arms is what is hurting my back. It's getting REALLY frustrating to say the least as I don't get the meters I want on the rower when it happens. It'll sideline me for a couple of days at least.

I do stretch out prior to rowing for 5-10 minutes.

Anyone else run into this? Any common causes? Any particular lower-back strengthening exercises you all like?

Help.

JR

[brad_herring]

Could be tight hamstrings, even with the stretching they could still be tight I have had the same problem. All of the muscles down there are arranged in what is called the lower cross (abs, hip flexors, hamstrings, glutes, and lower back) which all affect each other. When one of these muscles is tighter or looser than its corresponding cross muscle, it can lead to stress on the muscle or bones. Advise warming up with dynamic stretches and cooling down with static stretching right after the workout and right before bed. Good luck hope this helps .

[sharp_rower]

I do stretch out prior to rowing for 5-10 minutes.

Stretching should be done mostly after working out. Aggressive stretching before a workout increases the chances of injury. Light stretching to loosen things up before a workout is OK. (this is what my chiropractor told me)

Don't know what else to tell you. I really advise you to go see a specialist. This forum can give you ideas, but most likely won't solve any kind of medical problem. Since it seems that erging is a big part of your life, it would definitely be worth it I think.

[rakserv]

hello,
i have had a similar issue except it was in my lower right back; i thought it stemmed from a tightness in my hip and i started seeing a chiropractor / sports performance person, who gave me a bunch of stretches to open up my hip area. i think that those helped some but i did change a number of variables over time that could have also helped. i will give you a list of things for you to consider.

1. focussed on technique - limiting the layback in my stroke
2. started rowing strapless - forced me to focus on technique of the stroke and control my back lean
3. warmup (about 40 minutes) - i started riding a lifecycle for 15 minutes to get things warm before i do my stretching routine (some static mixed with dynamic stretching)
4. limit distance / time of row - i found that the back still would flare up a bit during long continuous rows, mostly because i think my technique got sloppy
5. split workout across skierg & rower - i started using a skierg and a rower in combination, which helps with limiting the distance/time on the rower

as i said, i don't know if it was any one of them in particular that helped, but my perception was that:
1 & 2 helped for the shorter distances - i only seemed to get sore during the long pieces
3 & 4 seemed to help me avoid running into the problem
5 i think is just a variation on 4

and i expect that over time my core and legs have just been strengthened which has helped as well.

[jinxremoving]

@Rakserv -- thanks for the tips. Rowing strapless seems to aggravate it less since I don't think I am leaning back so much -- to that end, I seem to focus more on technique... Perhaps I was pulling back with my feet.

I go for ~45 minutes or so.

Thanks much though.

JR