By: Kristin Carpenter, PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT
Low back pain affects 60–80% of people at some point in their lives (Roth, 2022). For athletes and active adults in Boulder County, back pain can be especially frustrating because it interferes with training, outdoor activities, and performance.
Whether you enjoy barbell training, cycling, running, skiing, or CrossFit, low back pain can quickly derail your routine.
Many people initially seek passive treatments for low back pain, including medication, massage, spinal manipulation, acupuncture, or dry needling. While research supports these treatments for acute low back pain, they often address symptoms without identifying the underlying cause of the problem.
These treatments may reduce pain temporarily, but they often fail to build the strength and movement resilience needed for long-term recovery, especially in athletes.
Why Low Back Pain Frequently Returns in Athletes
The prognosis for acute low back pain is generally favorable, regardless of treatment. However, the real challenge is recurrence.
Research shows:
- 54% of patients experience recurrence within 6 months
- 47% experience recurrence within 24 months (Knezevic, 2021)
For athletes and active individuals in Boulder, Longmont, Lafayette, and surrounding communities, this often means a cycle of:
Pain → Rest → Temporary improvement → Pain again
Generic online or AI-generated exercise programs may provide relief and even be evidence-based but fall short in that they:
- Are unable to identify individual weaknesses or flexibility deficits
- Target too many muscle groups making them inefficient and difficult to comply with
- Are underdosed for active and athletic populations
Athletes and active Boulder County residents need a specific, progressive, and individualized treatment approach.
How We Treat Athletic Low Back Pain at Mend
At Mend, many of our patients initially seek hands-on treatments like spinal manipulation or dry needling because they provide fast relief.
These treatments are effective for reducing pain, so they are often where we begin. However, our approach goes beyond symptom management.
Through a detailed history, movement assessment, and clinical examination, we identify the root cause of your low back pain so we can improve symptoms while also reducing the risk of recurrence.
A Common Pattern We See in Boulder Athletes
One of the most common presentations we treat is flexion-related low back pain, which occurs with forward bending.
We frequently see this in athletes during activities such as:
- Deadlifting and Olympic lifting
- Yardwork and gardening
- Childcare, especially in new parents
- Cycling and swimming
During the first visit, treatment often focuses on reducing pain through manual therapy techniques, including spinal manipulation, dry needling, or specific joint and soft tissue mobilization. We expect rapid reduction of acute pain within 1-3 visits.
Addressing the Root Cause: Posterior Chain Weakness
Once pain begins to improve, we focus on identifying why the injury occurred.
A common driver of low back pain in athletes is posterior chain weakness, including the:
- Glutes
- Hamstrings
- Spinal stabilizers
Treatment often includes targeted strength training and neuromuscular retraining, sometimes combined with dry needling to improve muscle activation.
Building a Stronger Spine for Sport and Life
Each patient receives an individualized strength program designed to restore posterior chain strength and spine resilience.
Common exercises include:
- Hip thrusts
- Deadlift progressions
- Step-ups
- Lunges
Exercises are progressively loaded and tailored to your sport, helping athletes return to activities like lifting, cycling, skiing, and running safely.
The goal is not simply to eliminate pain but to help you move and perform better than before the injury.
Treat the Cause of Your Low Back Pain
If you’re an athlete or active adult dealing with recurrent low back pain in Boulder County, addressing the root cause is essential for long-term recovery.
At Mend, our goal is to help you:
- Reduce pain quickly
- Identify the root cause of injury
- Build strength and resilience
- Return to sport or activity stronger than before
Contact Mend to take a problem-solving approach to your low back pain.
Schedule your next appointment with the experts at MEND
References:
Overuse of Interventional Procedures for Low Back Pain. American Family Physician. 2022. Roth AR, Lazris A, Haskell H, James J.
2.Low Back Pain. Lancet. 2021. Knezevic NN, Candido KD, Vlaeyen JWS, Van Zundert J, Cohen SP.