Watching your kids play sports is always exciting but sitting in the stands for hours can be a pain- literally! There are things you can do to prevent what’s called “bleacher back”.
Bleacher back, that nagging pain in your lower back that develops after sitting in the stands for a while – many parents are familiar with it.
“Their kids’ games are a couple hours, they get up their backs start to kill them…bend over to tie shoes inadvertently injure their backs this time of year, more in the fall and basketball in the winter,” said Dr. Peter Martone, a wellness chiropractor.
Dr. Martone says it can be prevented.
“Most people come in with back pain. We have to look at not so much the problem with back, we have to see where the body is out of balance,” said Martone.
Laurie Wheeler, a mother of two, knows too well the agony of bleacher back.
“When you are sitting with no support on your back, the inclination is to use bad posture to get more comfortable, so the more you sink into the bad posture, the more you back ends up aching,” said Wheeler.
Dr. Martone says the first thing to do is strengthen your core with crunches.
“You do it till your stomach burns, then you stop, then do it again, then stop and do it again. You do it three times,” said Dr. Martone.
Keep your stomach flexed and engaged. (broll 00 39 13)
“Like if someone gonna poke you in the belly, you keep it tight, that’s it, lightly keep your stomach tight,” said Dr. Martone.
Another great way to prevent bleacher back– stay hydrated. Doctor Martone says drink a lot of water.
“You should have half of your body weight in fluid in ounces per day,” said Dr. Martone.
So that means, a 200 pound man should drink 100 ounces of water a day.
“By keeping yourself hydrated, you are detoxifying your body, decreasing inflammation in lower back, so when you sit in bleachers, you are going to have less inflammation and be able to sit for a longer period of time,” said Dr. Martone.
Doctor Martone also suggested getting a balance cushion when sitting in the bleachers, because it makes your stomach stay tight.
He recommends a trip to the chiropractor to get your spine adjusted.