Back Muscle Pain?

Q: Any remedies? Does anyone else get back muscle pain after skating long distances. I'm lucky enough to live in Santa Monica and work in Marina del Rey, so I can skate down the ocean to work. But lately my back has been killing me. Any remedies?

A: anyone out there know what Norm and I are doing wrong? If I skate for more than a half hour, I get back aches (in my left side only). I must admit, I'm trying to hoI skate everyday (well, the ones that aren't too wet :) from home to uni and back, with a backpack on my back, and my back totally kills every night when I get home... The only way I get any relief is to really stand up straight while I'm skating and hold the backpack in my hand, every couple of kilometres for a couple of hundred metres... That seems to really help. Also, I'd suggest some stretching exercises (a few different ones) before and after skating - that also helps heaps. For some reason, people forget that warming up/down is important when skating - it's really as tough on your body as running, aerobics, etc. I've been skating to work 2x a week since about January, 11 mi each way with a backpack full o' the day's clothes & stuff. Needless to say plenty of pain. Stretching will help a lot... but the permanent cure is to develop serious abs and back muscles. Until you've got that washboard tummy here's what to do: 1) Stretching cold sucks. Run in place or do something for a minute or two to get your blood going. 2) To further warm up do some quick situps or crunches. 3) Now stretch the heck out of your lower back...what has worked well for me is: sit with the soles of your feet together. Pull in your heels close to your crotch while keeping your knees reasonably close to the ground. Now lean forward and try to touch your forehead to your ankles. (Duh: don't do a Jane-Fonda lunge. Nice and easy...) Then go to either side, reaching with your head to each shin, then each knee. Going to the side really stretches those muscles to either side of your spine in your lower back whatever they're called. 4) Another stretch: One leg straight, plant sole of foot flat on ground next to knee of bent leg. Keeping your knee pointed straight up, reach over the knee with opposite arm and twist by pushing on your knee with the inside of your arm. Repeat on opposite side.

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