Foot and Back Pain From Running: How Physiotherapy Helps

Foot and back pain from running usually come from how you load and move, not from running being bad for you. Here is how physiotherapy gets runners back on track, with a real SWITCH patient example.

Foot and lower back pain from running

Rosina initially came to me after completing some rehab with a seperate physiotherapist for an ACL tear, but had found some residual tightness and soreness in both her opposite achilles, and her lower back when trying to increase her running load. She had no pain in her previously injured knee, but she had some deficits in her stability and strength on her injured leg, which resulted in an imbalance in her lower back. She also found she had back pain after completing a deadlift in the gym, so was unsure how to progress or increase her load due to said pain.

What can cause lower back pain?

Coming back stronger beats coming back sooner. Rushed returns are how injuries linger.

• Lower back pain when sitting or standing for long periods of time
• Lower back pain when completing a specific task, such as lifting at work, playing with their kids, or when doing cleaning at home
• Lower back pain when trying to complete exercises in the gym such as squatting or deadlifting

How does Switch physio assess back pain symptoms?

Switch Physiotherapy combines specialised equipment, therapeutic exercises, and our caring physical therapists to provide you with personalized treatment for faster recovery from lower back pain. Some of the questions we will ask will be;

• What is your back pain stopping you from doing?
• When did your back pain start?/What caused your back pain to come on?
• Have you had any previous injuries?/How have they been treated?
• Was the pain a sudden onset? Or did it come on gradually?

What can cause foot or lower back pain from running?

Common causes of lower back pain when running generally stem from an imbalance in load between both legs. This can occur for several reasons, but deficits in balance and strength between legs can results in uneven load being taken by the lower back, causing rotations or increased force being transmitted into the pelvis and lower back. 

Another common cause of back pain can be an insufficient hip range of motion, which can cause the pelvis to tilt when pushing off or swinging through when running, resulting in the lower back taking more load than it should.

A most common cause of foot and lower back issues when running is from a sharp increase in load over a short period of time. When people were forced into lockdown in recent months lots of people decided to start running because gyms were closed. Although many of these people did so without having any running experience which led to an increase in injures that we helped treat in our clinics.

There have been studies conducted that show most runners have suffered from lower back pain at some point in their lives. Lower back pain is a common problem among runners, especially those who are not used to running or are just starting out. This type of pain is usually caused by a combination of factors, including a runner’s improper form, shoes that do not fit properly, and the way in which the body reacts to running on a regular basis.

One of the main reasons why runners experience lower back pain is because they over-stride. In order to help prevent this from happening, it is important to keep your feet under your hips and land on your midfoot. Another common mistake that leads to lower back pain is when runners lean forward and place too much weight on their toes. 

The Switch Team are also experienced sports physio’s that can perform a Running Assessment in Sydney to help you determine what may need to change. 

How can deadlifting cause foot or lower back pain?

Deadlifting with improper form can result in your big, strong muscles (such as your glutes and hamstrings), not taking effective amounts of load, resulting in the lower back (a relatively small and weak part of your body), taking a big chunk of the load. This results in the structures in your lower back being overworked, and therefore causing pain, stiffness, and potentially more detrimental issues such as disc bulges and nerve irritations. 

Form and technique is taught in depth throughout our specialised plans, so specific form cues are hard to give without a full assessment from a physiotherapist.

What strategies can you employ to avoid back pain?

• Utilising a graduated and steady approach to returning clients back to their goal.
• Exercises designed to improve form and range of motion, to allow good movement patterns to be achieved when completing the desired movement
• Utilising the hips when doing a deadlift, as opposed to overloading the lower back

How can Switch Physio assist with lower back pain?

Switch provides a treatment plan to slowly step you through the most important parts of your desired movement, in order to get you to move the way you were meant to. Creating a full understanding of how to complete a movement pattern efficiently will not only minimise pain, but will prevent the pain from coming back when doing the task in the future. We can help you assess this and put the right steps in place.

Frequently asked questions

Why do I get foot and back pain from running?

Usually from how load builds up, plus movement, footwear or training-spike factors, rather than running being bad for you.

Should I stop running if I have pain?

Often you can keep running with adjustments. A physiotherapist can guide your load.

How do I stop running injuries coming back?

Manage your training load, get the right footwear, and build strength in the areas that take the load.

When should I see a physio about running pain?

If it is sharp, not improving, or keeps returning despite rest.