Athletes, back pain and the great pyramids

So, what do injured athletes, people with low back pain, and the great pyramids all have in common?

Well, they are all great examples of the importance of FOUNDATION - a key concept for those who are trying to recover from difficult or persistent injuries.

This spring, I have seen a number of injured triathletes, many at the elite level, who are desperate to recover and get back to competition. The problem often lies in that injured areas usually become stiffer and weaker during the healing process. So even if pain is eventually resolved, our "foundation" of strength, movement, and motor control may be badly weakened, making the area prone to re-injury.

For my athletes, I tell them to imagine their body as a tower of blocks (Jenga anyone?). Once an injury is mostly pain-free again, we must be patient enough to re-build a strong foundation before we can push our bodies further. If we try to build upward (train harder) before the foundation is restored and solid, the tower will often topple, and we are back to square one - or worse.

Counter-instinctively, the injured athlete will often need to undertake a period of lighter "restorative training" for one to two months to rebuild the foundation necessary to allow a successful (injury-free) return to high-level training and competition. Interestingly, for the non-athlete with an injury and the average punter with lower back pain, the same principles apply, except that restorative training may take longer due to time constraints, work stresses, postural issues, and general deconditioning.

That said, with the right guidance and a little commitment, full recovery and a stable foundation is as achievable for the average person as it is for the elite athlete!