Expert: J.R. Strecker, B.S., D.C. - 8/2/2008

Question
Dear JR

Thank you for your very detailed answer to my question on popping sounds from joints over the body.  Could I take up some more of your time on a more specific question.

Every few years I would suffer a prolonged period of back pain.  Some years the pain is chronic, but this year it was relatively manageable.  My back popped during mobilization in the physiotherapy sessions and my physiotherapist was surprised of this in the first few sessions.
After 3 months of physiotherapy, I am getting myself back into the gym doing walking, but when I tried to walk faster on the treadmill, say at 8km per hour, my lower back becomes achy afterwards, and then quite painful the next day.  I do stretches before and after exercising, and during the day.  When I stretch my back, if "something pops" in the joints, as if something becomes "unlocked" in the spine, it gives relief to my back pain and the back becomes more loose.  I do not do the stretches trying to get it to pop, it just happens sometimes, and when it does my back becomes more free.

I would be grateful for any comments and advice you might be able to give me regarding this.

Yours sincerely
Katherine

Answer
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Hello K.,

I have many patients that suffer from back pain after they go for a long walk or run.  In fact, many of my patients who used to be avid runners were forced to quit running because the back pain became so intense.  This doesn’t mean that you can no longer walk for exercise, however.  Many times the back pain from walking comes from certain curvature or degenerative changes of the spine or improper biomechanics.  The only way I can help is if I evaluate your spine myself.  However, ask your PT for some stretches tailored for your spine to help your back warm up and cool down before beginning your walking routine.  It sounds like you might already be doing this.  You will also be surprised by how much better you will feel the next day after your walking routine if you ice your back a couple times after your walking session.  Wrap your icepack in a thin towel (so you don’t get an ice burn), lay the ice against the area of your back where the pain is the most intense, and ice for no longer than 15-20 minutes.  Stay away from the heat (hot showers, hot baths, hot packs, etc…) for at least a day until your back calms down.  This will dramatically reduce the inflammation, therefore reducing the likelihood of scar tissue formation and further damage to your low back joints.  I think you’ll be surprised by how much this will help.  

When your stretching, as long as you’re not aggressively trying to make your back “pop” and there is no pain associated with the “popping,” you should be fine.  If you’re finding it actually relieves some of the pressure in your low back when it “pops,” then it sounds like you are a patient that would respond very positively to chiropractic.  I’m not sure if you’ve tried chiropractors before or if there are any in your area (since some of the questioners on this website are from international countries with few chiropractors), but you may want to consider chiropractic when your back starts to give you problems.  When your back “pops” with the stretching, you’re just releasing some of the joint fixations.  As you stretch your back, you take the joints through greater ranges of motion.  This increased range of motion affects the joints positively.  If you have any joints that are not moving properly, the stretches will help to induce full range of motion into your spinal joints, and when this happens, the joints may release a bit further and make a “popping” sound.  This is ok and usually healthy for your spine when there is no pain associated with it.

I hope this helps clear things up a bit, and best of luck with your walking and exercising!

Dr. J.R. Strecker, D.C.