European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 10, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                To your health How runners find Relief for Back by Marc Bloom new York times Hile injuries to the Knees shins and feet Are the most talked about and feared byproducts of heavy training it is a pain in the backside that can cause the most frustrating setback for runners. Lingering discomfort in the buttocks is frequently a symptom of a Low Back ailment known As sciatica. This is an evasive injury usually brought on by swelling of a disk which May result in a pain that radiates from the Back Down the sciatic nerve to the buttocks and leg. Sciatica can be Devilish in its unpredictability causing runners to feel a spell of Relief one Day and pain the next. Discomfort sometimes is confined to the Back at other times it travels making it More difficult to control. While running per be is not a direct cause of sciatica according to doctors the ailment can Stem from muscle strength imbalances or carelessness such As too much racing or leaning Back while running downhill. Once you have sciatica the pounding effects of running can aggravate the condition and so treatment usually requires abstinence from running exercises to Correct muscle imbalances and ultimately adoption of a total fitness training program. In rare instances surgery to remove the disk will be necessary. Most cases can be treated successfully with two to three Days of bed rest non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs and a gradual return to mobility with exercises to strengthen the stomach and Back said or. David Altchek an orthopaedic surgeon affiliated with the sports Medicine Center at the Hospital for special surgery in new York. If pain is confined to the Back there should be no running for two to three weeks. If it extends Down the leg Don t run for four to six  for Many runners this is a hard prescription to Swallow since unlike a knee pain or Shin splints the pain of sciatica is not always Felt during running. It is important to maintain fitness during treatment and after five Days Altchek said you can begin swimming As Long As it does not Arch your Back. After 10 Days stationary bicycling is also recommended. To Buck up the Back partial sit ups lie with Knees Bent and feet Flat on floor. Fold arms across Chest and lift shoulders Only a few inches. Do sit ups rapidly. Start with 5 to 10 a Day working up to 25. Back raise with Palms on the floor in a push up position raise Torso without lifting legs hold for 10 secondhand repeat several _ _ times. Note that this exercise Arches the Back. Reverse sit up lie face Down on a table extending Torso beyond the Edge and raise up. Start with three sets of s repetitions working up to three sets of 20. This exercise also Arches the Back. A with All exercises  pain Atondo tobit. Ami when you resume running once you Verece ived clearance to resume running Start with a mite and avoid Hills. Run every other Day. Add Only half mile to a mile it a time. Don t run to slowly. The slower your Pace the More up and Down the  puts additional Shock on the spine. Continue your other exercises and be patient. Not weak abdominal Muscles Are a primary Factor in sciatic problems. Therefore partial Bent knee sit ups Are absolutely essential. And to strengthen the Back Altchek recommends a reverse sit up in which you lie face Down on a table extending your Torso beyond the Edge of the surface and raising it. Note that this exercise Arches the Back. Start with three sets of five repetitions working up to three sets of 20. As with All these exercises if something makes your Back Hurt Stop doing it. By building strength you la improve your posture during running said or. Steven Roy director of the sports injury clinic in Eugene Ore. A shuffling Bent Over gait puts undue pressure on the Back. Roy who treats Many of the world class athletes in Eugene s thriving running Community says it is also essential to make the Back More flexible and recommends stretching exercises. Lie on your stomach Palms to the floor in a push up position. Raise your Torso without lifting your legs hold for 10 seconds and repeat several times. Do this a few times a Day. This exercise also Arches the Back. Depending on the location of the herniation this should release pressure on the nerve Roy said. However we re not sure if it really  this uncertainty emphasizes the trial and error nature of much sciatic treatment. While sports Medicine advances such As arthroscopic surgery and custom made foot orthotics have produced Quick fix solutions to Many common injuries sciatica remains unconquered like an  in the Jungle. Some runners May find Relief in the hands of a chiropractor. One who has is George Landberg 52, a new York schoolteacher who Hurt his Back playing basketball. After unsuccessful treatment elsewhere he visited or. Seymour Goldstein a chiropractor specializing in athletic injury. After five or six visits said Landberg i Felt much  now he runs 40 to 80 Miles a week and competes in marathons and Ultra marathons. Goldstein believes a runner must remain Active from the time treatment begins. Doing nothing creates More problems he said. You feel anxiety from being inactive. Your body gets tense and aggravates the Back  or. Roy siege a new York chiropractor who treats runners agrees. When practitioners order runners to become sedentary Siegel said it can do More harm than Good. The entire body weakens and there s less support of the skeletal  like Altchek both Goldstein and Siegel advise no running for at least two weeks and a program of swimming sit ups and other exercises. Chiropractors do not prescribe drugs or perform surgery. They rely primarily on spinal manipulation which Goldstein said relaxes the Muscles and aligns the spine opening the space surrounding the disk and making the body More flexible. More mobility Means less pain he said. Many chiropractors also use electric muscle stimulation. This promotes rapid Healing of tissue according to or. Robert Hazel of Spring Lake n.j., past president of the Council on sports and physical fitness of the american chiropractic association. Siegel said however that the therapy can be helpful in relieving a muscle spasm either in the Back or buttocks but that it will not help if a disk is putting pressure on a nerve. Hazel contends that Many sciatica sufferers do the All important sit ups incorrectly raising their backs too High off the ground. Fold your arms across the Chest and lift your shoulders Only a few inches Hazel said. Do your sit ups rapidly and Start with 5 to 10 a Day working up to 25. This strengthens the High abdominal Muscles. For the Low abdominal do the sit ups with your legs raised so the thighs Are upright and the lower legs extended As though propped on a chair. Again lift the shoulders slightly and Start with five to 10 a Day. Do not resume running until your symptoms have cleared up said Siegel. Hazel agrees. My Rule of thumb is first walk briskly he said. When you can do that for three to five Miles without pain then you re ready to run  it s the duration of running not the intensity that really matters said Altchek the Ortho Peist. You re better off doing Speed work three times a week than running a slow 10 Miles five times a  ironically by running faster while doing less mileage and broadening your fitness you la not Only achieve a healthy Back but faster racing times As Well Page 16 the stars and stripes tuesday january 10,1989