New back sorness

[annwyn]

Ok so recently about the last month I have been really concious about my posture, making sure that my chest is lifted, pelvis tucked etc when I dance and teach, well now I am getting lower muscle back sorness, my lower back muscles are SO tight, I just got michelles videos and have been checking my posture the way she advises becuse at first I thought this is what it was. I also started running but I dont see how that could lead to muscle pain, new shoes with good arch support, a good slow pace run on the tread mill, Now here is my daily routine

MWF 1 hr plyometric/weight personal training run 3 miles

TTHSSU run 3 miles

Dancing which has been the same for the past 4-6 months....

m 2 hrs
t 2 hrs
w 2 hrs
th 1 hr
f n/a
sat perform
sunday paractice 2 hrs

Could it be the posture? from dancing? or am I just tired from the running? Am i just being sloppy? What do you think? I dont know what it could be and Im trying different things have any suggestions?

[ssipes]

If you look up "not a runner" in the dictionary, there is a picture of me...that being said, I took up jogging once for about a year and my hip flexors tightened up terribly.

It could be the running.

Sedonia

[NajlaHalem]

I do know that running will tighten up everything, especially lower back, hips, hamstrings and calves. I used to run 5 days a week and then got injured. Now I'm doing about 3 days a week, only 30 minutes. Since getting back into it I noticed how tight tight tight I am. I have to stretch afterwards and make it a habit to do yoga/flexibility each afternoon for 30 minutes. Otherwise I cannot keep my posture and cannot get my hips to move in any kind of fluid way.

[sabrinabellydancer]

in my non-professional opinion, i suspect the running.

when i was a dance major, one of our most respected profs told us not to run too much because each step can cause joint compression due to the extra impact and that, on top of all the dancing, can cause injuries. his info was based on his years in professional dance companies and performing on broadway, so i tend to think he got good info. btw: he also said not to bicycle too much b/c it can make the hip flexors too tight for dance.

maybe you need a good massage and try swimming or speed walking for high aerobic/low impact workouts
hope you feel better soon.

[adiemusfree]

Unless you have also got weakness in your legs, numbness and/or tingling in the legs, loss of control of bowel or bladder, or it's getting worse particularly at night, you can probably think that it's not something sinister.
If you've been particularly conscious of your posture over the last few weeks it could well be precisely because of this that your muscles are tight. You may be using muscles that are usually short and quite strong, but are now being lengthened and don't quite have enough strength, or you may be using one set of muscles but not supporting the movement with strength from the opposing set of muscles.
If your pain persists, perhaps see a good physiotherapist with experience in dance and posture, otherwise your best bet is to maintain your current regime and it will eventually settle down. ALWAYS do a cool-down stretch, NEVER stretch cold muscles (always do a bit of cardiovascular warmup first), and relax after a dance session in a warm bath or similar.

IMHO dancing per se will NOT damage your spine - you may however get stiffness and temporary discomfort from movements that you are not currently fit enough for. Most back pain does not require 'treatment' and indeed the majority of RCT's suggest that good pain relief, temporary relaxing of usual activity levels, then gradual increase in activities is all that is necessary. Osteopathy, chiropractic, physiotherapy have some evidence to support their use in the early stages of recovery (up to six weeks), but limited evidence to support their use after that - in fact, most medical research suggests that after this time the best thing to do is maintain your usual activity level, and gently increase. For excellent professional-level advice on pain, this site The Oxford Pain Internet Site is recommended.
Stretching can also be a factor in increasing back pain - again because of the need to stretch one set of muscles while strengthening the opposing set...

[tahiradancer]

also check what your knees are doing in your improved dance position. Sometimes we unkowingly compensate in the knees which will cause a ripple effect. . .

{{{HUGS}}}}