Lower back pain after swimming

Swimming is a popular activity and many people like to go swimming on weekends. However, some people find that their waist is particularly painful after swimming and they don’t know what causes it. In fact, many people will experience symptoms of physical discomfort after a strenuous exercise due to not exercising for a long time. This is a normal phenomenon. But we should go to the hospital to rule out disease factors. So, what causes lower back pain after swimming?

1. What to do if you have back pain after swimming

Lower back pain after swimming may be caused by lumbar muscle strain. In this case, try to swim less and rest properly. Start again after the pain has subsided, and add a little moderate exercise every day. Local hot compress, massage and physical therapy have a good effect on recovery.

In fact, doing some simple warm-up exercises before swimming can avoid back pain:

1. Turn your head forward, backward, left and right to stretch your neck muscles. Repeat 10 times.

2. Move one arm around your shoulders alternately, and then move both arms around your shoulders at the same time.

3. Raise one arm, bend to the opposite side and stretch as far as possible, then switch arms and repeat.

4. Sit on the ground with your legs together and stretched forward. Stretch your hands forward to touch your toes, hold, and repeat.

5. Extend one hand from behind the head to the opposite shoulder with the elbow pointing upward, and use the other hand to hold the elbow and pull toward the opposite side. Switch arms and repeat.

6. Sit on the ground with your legs straight and apart, bend your body to one side with your face close to your knees, and repeat on the other side.

7. Sit on the ground with one leg stretched forward and the other leg bent backward, stretch your torso forward, and then lean back. Repeat several times, switching legs. At the same time, gently rotate your ankle.

2. Why does my lower back hurt after swimming?

Swimming is a low-injury aerobic exercise. When in a swimming pool, the pressure on the spine and back muscles is significantly reduced due to the buoyancy of the water on the human body. Therefore, compared with other forms of aerobic exercise such as running, swimming rarely causes damage to the spinal structure.

The damage to the lumbar spine caused by swimming is mainly concentrated in the forward backstroke or butterfly stroke. When you try to stretch forward, it may cause excessive stretching of the lumbar spine, and when you stick your head out of the water to breathe, the cervical spine may be over-stretched and cause damage.

By reducing the movement of your head while swimming, you can relieve the pressure on your cervical spine. Learning the correct breathing method will help protect your cervical spine. Freestyle swimming reduces the stretching of the lumbar spine and is also a healthier way of swimming.

If swimming causes or aggravates symptoms of neck or lower back pain, "swimming pool therapy" may be considered. The exerciser walks from one end of the pool to the other, using the buoyancy of the water to reduce pressure on the spine, which can effectively improve the symptoms of lower back pain.