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  • Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners

    Should I be experiencing such severe back pain following the gym?

    Related Topics
    Back & Neck Pain Fitness and Sports Medicine Pain
    I have severe back pain after exercise and have been told by friends that it is normal following the gym, how do I know if it should be this painful?
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  • Matthew Tuck

    Exercise Physiologist

    I am an accredited Exercise Physiologist with over 5 years of experience improving client's chronic disease outcomes. I am a strong supporter in multidisciplinary approaches … View Profile

    It is difficult to say exactly what is causing your pain without a full assessment. If the pain is occurring 24-48 hours after an excessively high intensity exercise session and decreasing after 3-4 days you could be suffering DOMS (delayed onset of muscle soreness). DOMS is often described as muscle stiffness, can be painful and is associated with reduced range of motion.If the pain is occuring immediatly after the session or during the session I would recommend contacting your doctors for a more though examination. I would also recommend contacting an exercise physiologist who is an university training allied health professional who would be able to design an exercise program that will stop you from getting DOMS or strengthen your spine if your pain is being caused by a structural issue. Search www.essa.org.au to find an exercise physiologist that is closest to you.

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  • Andrew Dowler

    Exercise Physiologist

    As an exercise physiologist i concentrate my practice on postural re-education, and orthopaedic rehabilitation delivering individualized exercise interventions for a wide range of conditions.Working closely … View Profile

    Simply…NO

    The word severe indicates something is definately  not right.

    If this is occuring then you need to reasses what you are doing in the gym. One severe back injury can be very serious problem,  difficult to correct or fix, and potetnially resulting in alot of therapy /rehab, and in the worst case surgery and some failry hard core pain medications. I would get this sorted out ASAP.

    As Mathew stated above, it is possible it could be DOMS, but this usually presents without the use of the word severe so suggests to me it is more of a mechanical problem. casued by poor exercise technique, and or muscular imbalances.

    I would advise having your exercise program reviewed by an exercise professional, and if the pain is severe you should probably see your doctor or a physio just to see there are not any nasty underlying casues such disc involvement.

    I often see lower back pain casued in gyms due to incorrect liftig techniques, poor glute activation, inadequate central stability, poor foot-knee mechanics and poorly designed exercise programs. Fortunatley these are often simply corrected by someone who understands movement mechanics.

    At the end of a good training session in the gym you should walk out feeling fatigued and energized. If your limping out of the gym feeling very beat up, then your doing something wrong.




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    Anonymous

    If your back pain is severe you need to stop your exercise and see your GP who will investigate the reason for your back pain to ensure there is no underlying medical pathology for this soreness.

    They may then refer you to a physiotherapist who is able to do a thorough musculoskeletal assessment and diagnose the reason for your musculoskeletal injury, and information how to correct this and prevent ongoing injury. 

    This information can then be used by your Exercise Physiologist or Personal Trainer so they can then design an exercise program that is safe for you to do.

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  • Dr Albert Huynh

    Chiropractor

    Dr. Albert Huynh has a special interest in wellness and achieving optimal health through maintaining a healthy spine, healthy eating and healthy lifestyle. He empowers … View Profile

    Pain following the gym is usually quite common. When we work out hard, adopt a new training routine, or are attending the gym for the first time, muscles commonly tend to feel sore after.
    This is what is called delayed onset muscle soreness. If you feel like your pain is not quite right or if you experience severe back pain following the gym it is an indication that there is a problem.
    Injuries at the gym are quite common and usually caused by a pull or incorrect technique or excessive loading leading to injury.
    It is recommended that you make an appointment with a chiropractor as soon as possible to have the problem assessed, diagnosed, and treated to prevent further injury and damage.

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