As things slowly start to return to normal, you may be excited to finally gather and participate in sports again. The last thing you would want is to be sidelined because of a sports-related injury. Continue reading below for 6 ways to prevent sports-related back pain!

When the penalty flag goes down to signal an overly aggressive tackle, consider this: That flag is intended to help prevent injury and pain for both the tackled and the tackler. Playing sports is great for fitness and camaraderie, but there is always the chance of injury to participants. Up to 20 percent of all sports-related injuries involve the lower back or neck, and weekend warriors who might be couch potatoes the other days of the week are especially vulnerable. That’s no reason to stop having fun, but it should motivate you to take precautions to protect yourself.

Prevent Back Injury to Prevent Back Pain

Being in condition to play sports is key to avoiding injury and pain. These six steps will get you in the game the right way:

• Strengthen your core. Sure, you want to practice your winning moves, but you also need to work on strengthening your core to reduce the damage caused by repetitive motions, like golf swings. Do crunches and Pilates exercises to strengthen the muscles that protect your spine. Unfortunately, these are the exercises people tend to skip. “They are not glamorous,” says Mark Spoonamore, MD, medical director of the Center for Spinal Surgery at the University of Southern California University Hospital and assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at the Keck School of Medicine at USC. “The other problem is that as you get stronger, you need to spend more time doing them to get the same equal workout for your core.” So create an abs playlist and get to work.
• Get in the swim. “This is one sport that can be used as a training regimen,” says Dr. Spoonamore. Even a brief period of swimming helps condition your core and the muscles that support your back. Swimming is also a great aerobic exercise that can be part of a cross-training program.
• Warm up to stretch. Injury prevention on the field starts with an off-the-field prep: some light cardio to warm up muscles followed by stretching. Include some of your core-strengthening exercises to help wake up those muscles.
• Wear the correct equipment. This is a must with high-contact sports like hockey and football. Today’s padding and equipment are designed to provide some protection for your back, says Spoonamore.
• Perfect your posture. Good posture on the field? Yes, indeed. Remember that penalty flag? The majority of back pain and injury in football comes from people who duck their heads and tackle an opponent, which gets you a penalty flag, in addition to back pain symptoms, says Spoonamore. The best and most protective tackle is one with your head slightly raised so you can see your target — eyes on the prize. If baseball’s your game and your position is catcher, a little variation in posture can protect against back injury caused by the constant crouch.
• Consider your physical condition. Talk with your doctor about whether you can and should be playing the sport you love. Most back injury is simply due to a sprain or strain, but if you have a condition such as degenerative disc disease, some sports might present more risk than you should take on.
  Weekend Warriors at Risk: Common Causes of Back Pain Symptoms
  Sports-related back injuries can happen to even the best of athletes. Most fall into these categories:

Weekend Warriors at Risk: Common Causes of Back Pain Symptoms

Sports-related back injuries can happen to even the best of athletes. Most fall into these categories:

• Sprains and strains. Wondering about the difference? A sprain means that the ligaments connecting bones in your back have been overstretched, while a strain means that the muscles have been somewhat torn. “The most common problem for general athletes is going to be a lumbar sprain or strain injury,” says Spoonamore. More often than not, these are caused by poor body mechanics, such as lifting too much weight incorrectly, or by repetitive motions, such as too many at bats.
• Spasms. People who are not active on a daily basis and then play hard on the weekends may experience this type of back pain as underused muscles suddenly become overused and seize up in response.
• Fractures. The most feared type of sports-related injury that can lead to back pain involves fracturing a vertebra.

Certain sports carry specific risks. Football leads the pack in sports injuries, but you don’t have to be a pro football player to walk off the playing field with back pain symptoms. Here are some of the moves that can cause injury and pain:

• Baseball. The squat of the catcher is particularly hard on the lower back.
• Football. Pushing off from the three-point stance in a lineup to fast motion can cause strains, and contact injuries also harm the back.
• Golf. The constant mechanics of a golf swing put a lot of stress and torque on the rotation of your back.
• Gymnastics. Traumatic injuries from falls include sprains, strains, and fractures.
• Hockey. The dynamics involved in speedily changing directions on the ice can result in injury purely because of the torque involved (and because of contact injuries).

Back Pain Management: Getting Treated

Know that if you get a back injury despite your best efforts, recovery can be lengthy. Even a minor strain may sideline you for anywhere from a day or two to four weeks, says Spoonamore. Your first steps for recovery include rest, an ice pack applied 20 minutes on/20 minutes off, and over-the-counter pain medication. But if this back pain management strategy fails to relieve back pain symptoms and your mobility becomes compromised, it’s time to see your doctor. What you think is a strain might be more serious, such as injury to a disc.

Original article published on everydayhealth.com