Sports & Fitness

Weight lifting and back health

Alberta College and Association of Chiropractors2025-09-04T21:19:48+00:00September 4th, 2025|Adults, Healthy Lifestyle, Healthy Living, Overall Back Health, Sports & Fitness|

For those who are looking to get into weight lifting, it is important to have the right weight lifting technique to avoid injury, especially to your back.

What kind of exercises can put my back at risk?

Any exercise has the potential to hurt your back if not preformed correctly, but back injuries most commonly result from the following movements:

Problems come from these exercises when people extend or flex the back muscles against the weight they are lifting, which could cause muscle strains or ligament injuries.

How can I prevent a back injury from happening when lifting weights?

Know Thyself
Though this is an old adage, it is a staple for all weight lifters. Nobody knows your body and your personal limits better than you do.

All weight lifters, especially beginners, should work slowly up to their maximum capacity. This means starting at a low weight, seeing how your body reacts to it, then slowly adding more weight as you see fit. Your body will let you know when you’ve reached your limit and strength will improve over time, but it will be a slow and steady progress. Think of the way grass grows, it doesn’t go from being freshly cut to 10-inches long overnight.

Other quick tips to avoid injury

Never go straight into any kind of a workout without performing some type of dynamic stretching first. This is especially true for back workouts. Getting the blood pumping with a quick warm up before you stretch will only make your stretch that much more effective as well.
Be sure to keep your back straight when bending to lift weights from the floor or squatting with weights on the upper body. Don’t be afraid to bend your knees a little as this will allow you to keep your back straight. Also, remember bending or flexing at the hips is fine, but curving the back is not.
Curving the spine is usually caused by other issues such as: tight hamstrings, pelvis immobility and pelvis or low back discomfort.
Use a spotter or a workout partner when working with free weights to protect your back from possible sudden movement or excess strain.
Beginners should try using less weight, but do more repetitions when lifting. This will help you get the hang of the movement, promote good technique, along with putting less stress on the muscle or ligament.

What can I do if I’ve injured my back lifting weights?

Seeing a chiropractor is a great place to start. Chiropractors are experts in the diagnosis and treatment of conditions of the musculoskeletal system (the body’s bones, muscles, cartilage, tendons, joints and connective tissue).

Your chiropractor can also help ensure you don’t reinjure your back by providing helpful stretches or advice before embarking on a weight lifting routine again.

If you’ve experienced back pain in the past, and are looking to get back to the weights, it’s a good idea to first get an evaluation from a chiropractor. They can help work with you to identify areas of weakness to work on and activities you should avoid, to keep your back strong and healthy.

What you need to know about falls and treating injuries from falls

Alberta College and Association of Chiropractors2025-07-24T17:27:39+00:00July 24th, 2025|Adults, Events, General, Health, Healthy Lifestyle, Healthy Living, Overall Back Health, Sports & Fitness, Wellness|

In Alberta, falls are the leading cause of injuries among seniors. Falls account for 101 emergency visits and 27 fall-related hospital admissions each day.[i] With an average length of stay in hospital of 22 days, hospital admissions and emergency department visits due to seniors’ falls costs the healthcare system $290 million annually.[ii]

Twenty to 30 per cent of seniors in Alberta will fall once a year.[iii] In fact, 95 per cent of all hip fractures and 40 per cent of all nursing home admissions are a direct result of falling.[iv] And seniors older than 65 are nine times more likely than those younger than 65 to be admitted to hospital for fall-related concussions[v] (the most common type of traumatic brain injuries).

Slips and falls most often result in back and muscle pain. Chiropractors are highly educated and specially trained to diagnose, treat and prevent conditions related to the spine, nervous system, and musculoskeletal system. They work with patients to resolve pain, discomfort and restricted range of motion that can result from injury. If you are experiencing pain related to a slip or fall, consult your chiropractor. Find a chiropractor near you.

If you have you experienced a fall, or have a fear of falling, take these steps to maintain your independence and avoid being injured from a slip or fall:

MEDICATION USE IS ONE OF MANY RISK FACTORS FOR FALLS IN OLDER ADULTS. The more medications you are on, the higher your risk of falling.^iv Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your medications, symptoms, and potential to experience falls. They can assess you and your medications and determine the best plan of action.
PRACTICE INJURY PREVENTION. For older adults, fall prevention means injury prevention. Ask your loved ones to help you ensure that your rooms and stairways are clutter-free and well-equipped with lighting, handrails, grab bars, and nonslip mats — all of which can go a long way toward keeping you safe in your home.
HAVE YOUR VISION CHECKED. Your vision changes with age, and these changes may increase your risk of falling. Visit your optometrist or ophthalmologist for a comprehensive eye exam every year.
WEAR PROPER FOOTWEAR. Shoes and boots with solid treads on the soles can help to minimize the risk of slips and falls. Click here for information on the ideal shoe for seniors’ fall prevention.

KEEP MOVING. Physical activity can go a long way toward fall prevention. Consider taking the stairs instead of the elevator, parking further away when running errands, or walking around the house while your coffee brews. Start by exercising in three-minute bursts and work up to taking a 30-minute walk around your neighbourhood.

Falls can be prevented. For more information and resources, visit www.findingbalancealberta.ca

Avoiding injury while running or jogging

Alberta College and Association of Chiropractors2025-06-06T20:31:15+00:00June 5th, 2025|Health, Healthy Lifestyle, Healthy Living, Sports & Fitness, Wellness|

Running or jogging can be a great exercise; however, it can take its toll on your body in particular your joints, increasing your chance of injuries all the way from your feet, up to your neck. To help ensure you don’t get halted because of injury, make sure you know the best styles and techniques for running or jogging.

Examine your running style

Everyone has their own unique running style. If you were to watch a group of joggers closely, you would see each person runs differently. There is no one, correct way to run, but there are ways to fine-tune your running technique to prevent injury.

Posture—Just like in all aspects of our lives, posture is very important when we run. Good posture will help release tension and reduce strain in your neck and shoulders. This can help prevent muscle fatigue. You can improve your running posture by following some simple, key principles:

Hold your head high, centered between your shoulders and keep your back straight. We have a tendency to lean forward and slouch when we are tired, but this can lead to fatigue and tightness in the neck, as well as the shoulders, back and even your hamstrings. A good rule is to always keep your focus 30-40 yards in front of you. This will force you to keep your head up.
Keep your shoulders relaxed and parallel to the ground. Do not pull your shoulder blades together. This can increase shoulder tension. We also have a tendency to rise our shoulders near are our ears as we tire while running, much like when we are cold. Drop your arms and shake them loosely if you feel this happening.
Pay attention to your arms and hands—It’s easy to imagine that our arms and hands are just along for the ride as we run. This couldn’t be farther than the truth. Your arms and hands are just as important as your legs when you run.
Keep your hands and wrists loose. This will help you avoid tension in your hands and arms, while using less energy and decrease the chance of tension working its way up to your shoulders.
Allow your arms to swing from the shoulders like a pendulum from front to back. Be careful to prevent your arms from crossing the midline of your body.
As you endurance improves and your speed increases, so should the rate at which your arms swing. Swinging your arms at a faster rate will help with your balance and will assist you with for faster leg turnover.

Don’t Over-Stride—When you extend your lead foot too far out in front of the body, it lands in front of your center of gravity creating a breaking effect, this is called over-striding. This can lead to injuries such as runner’s knee and shin splints. As runners become more experienced, their stride lengthens naturally. This is not due to overstretching the lead leg as many new runners do, but rather from increasing the forward motion of the rear leg.

If you run on a treadmill, you will naturally shorten your movements because of the length of the treadmill’s belt. This isn’t a problem, but if you decide to run outside, you may have to make adjustments to your stride.

Research has also shown that the biggest difference between healthy runners and ones that are often injured is stride variability. Your goal as a runner should be to repeat the same stride every time. In injured runners, the joint angles and motions were slightly different with each stride.

Setting manageable goals

It’s important for runners, especially new runners, to follow a training schedule that builds mileage and speed in a logical way. Starting a log to track your running successes is a good idea. Find a beginners schedule so that you can learn to start conditioning properly before implementing strength or speed training.

Over-training is one of the easiest ways to injure yourself. Break your training into small goals using a calendar that extends far out. If you only ran for 20 minutes last week, don’t try to run for an hour the next week. Your body isn’t equipped to handle the added stress yet.

How your chiropractor can help

If you’re gearing up to begin a new running or jogging regimen or have a concern about an injury you’ve sustained while being active, your chiropractor is a good place to start. Find a chiropractor near you now.

Many injuries can be prevented simply by being evaluated by a chiropractor. Your chiropractor will be able to identify problem areas, such as muscle imbalances, joint dysfunctions, or anything else that could lead to pain and injury. Running is a safe, fun and relaxing activity, that can help you trim up and condition your body. Let your chiropractor help lead you towards a successful and injury free running program. Any time you experience pain, muscle imbalance or joint restriction, see your chiropractor.

As part of your healthcare team, your chiropractor can also tell you if a pre-existing injury could be a concern for your new running plan.

Original post from Chiropractic Association of Alberta