The Sunday News
Simon Gama
Bad vibes
DO you do aerobics in addition to your weight training? Sure aerobics build up your cardiovascular strength and burns body fat but certain forms may be bad for your back, potentiating lower back pain and over stressing certain supportive structures such as the inter vertebral discs, that are necessary to maintain a healthy back of the popular aerobic activities. Running on hard surfaces produces the most shock or vibration during heel strike.
The vibration created every time the foot hits the ground during the running cycle radiates up the leg to the low back. Once the vibration has reached the low back region it stimulates certain parts of the nervous system located in this region (dorsa/ root) to secrete substance P and rasoactive intestinal peptide (vip) these two substances have been shown by researchers from the University of Lowa, such as Pedrini Mille and ideinstein to promote pain directly in the lower back as well as promoting degenerative changes within certain joints of the low back (facet joints, sacroiliac joints, hip joints) VIP production has been shown to lead to bone cleminerlisation. In other words you lose the strength of the bones.
Both these substances are also believed to weaken the intervertebraldiscs which would predispose athletes to herniated discs also known as disc degeneration and also called slipped disc. Spinal verbatim may also compromise circulation to the low back. Since circulation provides nutrition to all structures within the body vibration that radiates up to the lower back will consequently decrease nutrition into the spine as well as decrease by products being removed, thus jeopardising the strength and integrity of the spine.
Back talk
The decrease in bone density is a concern with weight lifters who lift extreme amounts of weights in competition. Normally the increased stress placed on the bones during routine workouts will increase the density so the bones can tolerate high levels of stress placed on them during competition. However, the substance VIP has been shown to decrease bone density which consequently may put weight lifting athletes at higher risk of vertebrae compression fractures or damage to the vertebral end plate. Both of these conditions can be painful and threaten the future performance of the athlete.
Solutions
The three described situations resulting from aerobics shock can be of real concern to those lifters who are also avid runners such as myself. We can take several precautions to guard against vibiatin to help circumvent these problems. We could of course give up running and engage in activities like stair climbing or biking that do not cause the vibration running does.
However, those of us who can run regularly as well as lift, I offer the following recommendations.
1. Carefully scrutinise your surface. Select a surface that is not hard. Concrete is one of the worst surfaces you can run on as it radiates a high amount of shock up to the spine. Flat dirt is of the best surfaces for running. Some suggest running on grass.
However, running on grass you can’t always see the irregularities of the surface and you may sprain your ankle. Asphalt is not as soft a running surface as dirt but certainly causes less trauma to the body than concrete.
2. Wear good shoes with proper cushioning, support and stability along with a reasonable degree of flexibility.
3. Proper running is essential for shock reduction. Avoid toe running being certain to contact the ground with the heel first.
Biochemical analysis might be best performed by a sports medicine specialist as certain running dysfunction is commonly observed in athletes. Many athletes say they can perform certain workouts such as running on concrete and it has never hurt them. However, I remind these people as well as you the reader that the body represents a summation of stresses placed on it throughout life. If we repeatedly traumatise our bodies and in this case of running on hard surfaces, we increase our risk of developing, degenerative change to our spines, before it would otherwise occur.
