Running and Spine Health

👉What you need to know about RUNNING AND SPINE HEALTH

Is running healthy for my spine? Will it cause "wear and tear"? How will running affect my back as I get older?

Not sure about you but these are questions I've always thought of and considered with my running career.

A 2017 study looked at 3 different groups (non-runners, joggers 20-40km/week, and long distance runners 50+ km/week).

The results showed joggers and long distance runners had significantly HIGHER disc heights when compared to non-runners. Yes, that’s right. Runners intervertebral disc heights were measured and found to be statistically significantly higher than non-runners.

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So the takeaway is that running does not cause "wear and tear" in your spine. If anything it is better for you to run from a spinal health standpoint. So the next time someone asks why you run so much tell them it's to keep your spine healthy. And if you are coming back from a back injury then the best thing you should be doing is........run.

Hopefully people are seeing a common theme about getting the body moving when managing pain/injury.

Reference:

Belavý, D. L., Quittner, M. J., Ridgers, N., Ling, Y., Connell, D., & Rantalainen, T. (2017). Running exercise strengthens the intervertebral disc. Scientific reports, 7, 45975. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep45975