I have been getting a sore lower back following my swimming workouts. I am sure that it has to do with my technique. I am not that buoyant and I think that the back pain is a result of my lower body sinking while I am swimming. Would a pull buoy help elevate my lower body while swimming?
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I have been getting a sore lower back following my swimming workouts. I am sure that it has to do with my technique. I am not that buoyant and I think that the back pain is a result of my lower body sinking while I am swimming. Would a pull buoy help elevate my lower body while swimming?
A pull buoy might help, but then eventually you have to swim without it. Make sure your head and neck are relaxed and neutral on your spine (you'll be looking down at the bottom of the pool). It also helps if you don't stroke your lead arm until the recovering arm is past the shoulders, as the weight of the recovering arm can counterbalance your legs. Also try pushing your chest down ever so slightly - your lungs are full of air and will cause your upper body to bob up, which of course pushes your legs down.
...My identical twin brother jogs instead of swims and he almost never has back pain. You'd think the jostling and pounding would hurt your back, but he is convinced it tightens up and strengthens stabilizing muscles that keep the back supported. I play a lot of tennis in the summers, and this sometimes helps my back, though it also can lead to weird imbalanced injuries, too.
That's interesting. When I was a fit, lean young runner, 20 or more years ago, I had all kinds of back problems. Sciatic pain burning down the backs of my legs, back going into spasm several times a year. Now that I'm a fat old swimmer, probably nowhere near as fit, I only get the odd bought of upper back soreness after a hectic week at work.
I have been getting a sore lower back following my swimming workouts. I am sure that it has to do with my technique. I am not that buoyant and I think that the back pain is a result of my lower body sinking while I am swimming. Would a pull buoy help elevate my lower body while swimming?
A pull buoy might help, but then eventually you have to swim without it. Make sure your head and neck are relaxed and neutral on your spine (you'll be looking down at the bottom of the pool). It also helps if you don't stroke your lead arm until the recovering arm is past the shoulders, as the weight of the recovering arm can counterbalance your legs. Also try pushing your chest down ever so slightly - your lungs are full of air and will cause your upper body to bob up, which of course pushes your legs down.
...My identical twin brother jogs instead of swims and he almost never has back pain. You'd think the jostling and pounding would hurt your back, but he is convinced it tightens up and strengthens stabilizing muscles that keep the back supported. I play a lot of tennis in the summers, and this sometimes helps my back, though it also can lead to weird imbalanced injuries, too.
That's interesting. When I was a fit, lean young runner, 20 or more years ago, I had all kinds of back problems. Sciatic pain burning down the backs of my legs, back going into spasm several times a year. Now that I'm a fat old swimmer, probably nowhere near as fit, I only get the odd bought of upper back soreness after a hectic week at work.
