Lower Back Stretches for Runners

Think of areas you need to stretch as a distance runner and the first muscles that come to mind are probably the "big three" below the waist: your quads, hamstrings and calves. What you may not realize, however, is that tightness in your legs often stems from tightness in your lower back, a very common problem in runners and something you may not be aware of until real pain results.

  1. Running and the Lower Back

    • As Sean McClance, M.D. describes on the website Spine-Health.com, the repetitive impact stresses of running -- felt first in the legs but also transmitted up the musculoskeletal chain to the pelvis and trunk -- can lead to tightness in your lower back, especially if you're among the many people susceptible to lower-back miseries, even without running in the mix. McClance says that muscle strains and tightness represent more benign forms of low-back discomfort, and can be treated not only by stretching but with heat and cold therapy, rest and pain medications.

    The Child's Pose

    • The child's pose yoga stretch helps relieve or preclude tightness in the hips and thighs secondary to a tight lower back. To perform the child's pose, kneel on a yoga mat or other soft surface with your ankles together and sit back on your heels. Spread your knees hip-width apart and exhale as you lower your torso forward. Resting your forehead on the floor in front of you, find a comfortable and relaxed position for your arms, then slowly take 10 deep breaths, aiming to relax a little more with each successive exhalation.

    The Knee Clasp

    • Echoing conventional running-world wisdom, the American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine advises that you precede each running workout with 10 or so minutes of very light jogging followed by stretching. When your muscles are properly warmed up, the strain on them and their supporting structures, such as tendons and joints, is considerably reduced.

      The knee clasp is a simple, classic stretch for the lower back that also helps loosen your hamstrings. Lie on your back and bring both knees to your chest. Hold the position for 10 seconds and repeat five times.

    Dynamic Flexibility Exercises

    • For decades, static stretching was the only flexibility game in the running town. This changed around the 1990s, when coaches and physiologists embraced the importance of dynamic flexibility exercises, as these closely approximate the natural, specific movements of running itself.

      A great dynamic stretch that targets not only the lower back but also the glutes, quads and shoulders is the walking high knees. Begin by taking an exaggerated step forward, driving your knee upward as far as you can while simultaneously pushing up on the toes of your opposite foot. Swing your arms in a similarly exaggerated fashion.