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Do you struggle finding a comfortable position to sleep due to your back pain? If so you’re not along. Approximately 1 in 3 people will struggle to sleep at some point in their life due to back pain. Often this pain can feel much worse at night. This sleeplessness can cause/exacerbate anxiety and depression, and reduced your ability to function through the day.
Most back pain isn’t actually caused by serious medical conditions, instead it often stems from things like poor posture, awkward sleeping positions, stress, and lifestyle habits.
Strategies such as adopting the right sleeping position, choosing the correct pillows/mattress, staging your sleep schedule, utilising pain relief, and performing gentle relaxation exercises can all help to promote sound sleep. Check out the leaflet below for six strategies that can be help banish sleepless nights and allow you to wake up feeling refreshed and energised.
So how should runners strengthen? Studies have shown that the greatest running performance benefits are gained from doing high weights with fewer repetitions, along with explosive jumping-type exercises (plyometrics).
Pick exercises that target multiple joints and try using dumbbells, barbells or kettle bells to increase the load. Don’t just focus on your bigger muscle groups such as your quads, hamstrings and glutes. Make sure you also remember to strengthen your calf muscles, hips and core. Exercise examples include squats, lunges, deadlifts, step-ups and calf raises.
Ideally you should aim for 1-2 strength training sessions each week, so you may need to adjust or reduce your running schedule to accommodate this. If you’re planning to run and strengthen on the same day, make sure you run first, leaving at least 3 hours between your running and strengthening sessions if you’ve done a hard run. Similarly, if your strength session was very heavy, allow a 24-hour rest period before doing a hard run.
Exercise technique is very important, especially when using weights. It may be beneficial to seek advice from a physiotherapist or personal trainer before you start.
If you would like further information on running, strength training and injury management/prevention have a read of the below leaflet. Click on the picture to download a pdf version.
Key Message:
Strength training 1-2 x per week is a vital component in any running program. Targeted strengthening not only improves your running speed and performance, but also helps prevent injury. Physiotherapy can help with the prevention and management of running-related injuries.
If you would like further advice on your running style, preventing/resolving injury, or a bespoke strengthening program to complement your training, give us a call on 07702 847036 and speak directly to a Senior Chartered Physiotherapist or click the ‘Book Online’ button to make an appointment. Both virtual video and in-clinic appointments are available.
The Nebula Physio and Wellbeing Team