Summer Sports and Back Injuries

Many of the tips for preventing summer sports-related back injuries revolve around being in good condition. You might be surprised at just what “conditioning” encompasses. Of course, maintaining a workout routine that includes the strengthening and stretching of your muscles will help protect your back -- your back is vulnerable when the rest of your body cannot move easily and safely. But experts tell us that conditioning does not stop after you walk out of the gym.

Be Aware of Your Body
What you do most of your day is key to preventing injuries during leisure time, says Andre Panagos, M.D., a physiatrist specializing in sports medicine and co-director of the New York Presbyterian Hospital Spine Center. Working in an office, for example, could increase your risk of injury. "Your body is not designed to be static for five or more hours every day," Panagos says. "Prolonged sitting inactivates the core muscles, which are responsible for supporting the back. The back is also forced to do extra work when turning your body - work that is normally assisted by your hips, knees, and ankles.”

Panagos suggests that weekend warriors and others participating in summer sports be vigilantly aware of their body positioning throughout the day. For example, notice where your head is in relation to what you are working on and to the rest of your body. Your head should be a natural extension of the line of your spine. He also suggests that you get an ergonomic expert to help you set up your desk so that your neck and arms can relax while you work. Non-neutral positions you take when reaching for things or straining over your computer can contribute to injury when you go to exercise.

Take Frequent Breaks
Taking frequent breaks applies to both your sports activity and your day at work or home. Taking breaks gives muscles a chance to relax and releases unnecessary tension around the joints. If you work at a desk, be sure to take a mini-break every 20 minutes or so. Although most office workers balk at the idea of lying down during their nine to five, Panagos suggests doing just that." Lying down with your knees bent and head propped up with a small book or pillow helps relax back muscles," he says.

Move in a Variety of Ways
Endurance sports, such as running or cycling, emphasize one set of movements while excluding others. This sets up an imbalance between pairs of muscle groups that normally work together to allow you to move in all directions. An example of this is cyclists’ quads:

If you are a long distance cyclist, you know what a bear it can be to stretch them--your sport can work these muscles to the extreme. Conversely, your hamstring muscles are weak and underused by comparison. Both the hamstring and quadriceps attach to the hip, and their condition greatly affects the condition of the lower back.

This example shows why it is important to incorporate a conditioning routine year-round. To prevent injury, you need to stretch and strengthen the muscles skipped over by your sport.

Rotate your Spine
Another danger of prolonged sitting is that it limits your spine so that most of the time you only move forward or back. Moving in all directions, including rotating your trunk, is essential to spine health. If you have an existing back injury, or a disk problem, be careful about how much trunk rotation you do. Panagos suggests swimming and water exercises for restoring the ability to move your spine in all directions.

Align Your Body
Alignment refers to the relationships of parts of the body to the whole. Here’s how it works:

Bones come together at joints, which are spaces that allow for movements you make when you run, hike, cycle, lift weights, or even type at your computer. For example, your knee is a joint, as is your elbow. Muscles do the work of moving those bones.

With 26 movable bones, the spine has many joints that allow you to move it in several directions. When each bone is centered with the next, your muscles can focus their power on engaging in your sport instead of trying to hold your bones together.

Holistic systems of movement such as yoga and Pilates work with principles of alignment to center your joints.

Start Slowly
With the arrival of summer, many more people are out and about, and most up their activity levels. But if you haven't been maintaining a fitness routine all along, jumping into it can be harmful. "We think we are in as good shape as we were at the end of last season, but most of us have not been keeping up with our workouts,” Panagos says. "That may cause you to push yourself harder than your body is used to, which causes injury." His advice is to start slowly and maintain a conditioning program year-round, including the months when you are active in your sport.

_{Source:
Andre Panagos, M.D., Spine Center, New York-Presbyterian Hospital. personal interview. July 13, 2007.}