does anyone else suffer from lower back ache later the same day of a swim,i normally do free,*** some back ,some fly but mainly free,about 2500metres average three times per week
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Former Member
I urge you to be very cautious concerning lower back pain. About a couple of years ago my back started aching after swimming butterfly . . . just a mild ache, though, nothing I was really worried about. I just stretched it out after swimming a butterfly or IM set and continued on with the practice. Then, one day, after hyperextending on a dive at a meet, I started having some SERIOUS back pain. X-rays showed that I have a condition called "spondylolisthesis," which can be caused by repeated hyperextention of the back. I have a fractured vertebrae which has slipped out of place which causes serious pain by pressing on the nerve when I extend my back. I haven't swum butterfly for over a year. Now, I am going in for a spinal fusion to (hopefully) correct the problem. You do not want to be in my shoes. I would suggest you see a doctor right away. It couldn't hurt. He/she must suggest getting an x-ray; if not, I'd request one, so that you can find out what's going on (and hopefully rule out spondylolisthesis). Oh, and I noticed that another poster said that back problems are caused by tight hamstrings . . . not necessarily true. It is the case that tight hamstrings and back problems often go hand-in-hand; however, correlation does not necessarily imply causation. And my hamstrings are not tight.
I urge you to be very cautious concerning lower back pain. About a couple of years ago my back started aching after swimming butterfly . . . just a mild ache, though, nothing I was really worried about. I just stretched it out after swimming a butterfly or IM set and continued on with the practice. Then, one day, after hyperextending on a dive at a meet, I started having some SERIOUS back pain. X-rays showed that I have a condition called "spondylolisthesis," which can be caused by repeated hyperextention of the back. I have a fractured vertebrae which has slipped out of place which causes serious pain by pressing on the nerve when I extend my back. I haven't swum butterfly for over a year. Now, I am going in for a spinal fusion to (hopefully) correct the problem. You do not want to be in my shoes. I would suggest you see a doctor right away. It couldn't hurt. He/she must suggest getting an x-ray; if not, I'd request one, so that you can find out what's going on (and hopefully rule out spondylolisthesis). Oh, and I noticed that another poster said that back problems are caused by tight hamstrings . . . not necessarily true. It is the case that tight hamstrings and back problems often go hand-in-hand; however, correlation does not necessarily imply causation. And my hamstrings are not tight.
