Lower Back & Core

The lower back and core act as the foundation of your running mechanics, and dysfunction here affects everything from stride efficiency to injury risk. Runners often overlook this region until pain becomes unavoidable.

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Sciatica

Shooting, burning, or tingling pain that travels from the lower back or buttock down the back of one leg, caused by compression or irritation of the sciatic nerve.

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Lumbar Strain

Aching or sharp pain in the lower back that develops, caused by tears or overstretching in the muscles and ligaments supporting the lumbar spine.

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Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction

Aching or sharp pain at the base of the spine and one side of the lower back or buttock, caused by inflammation or abnormal movement at the joint connecting the pelvis to the spine.

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Spondylolysis

A stress fracture in a small bony arch of the lower spine called the pars interarticularis, causing focal lower back pain that worsens with running and back extension movements.

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  • Sciatica

    • NCBI StatPearls — "Sciatica" (2024)

    • Kinetic Revolution — "Running with Sciatica: Understanding, Managing, and Overcoming" (2026)

    • Movaia — "Running with Sciatica: Understanding, Managing, and Overcoming"

    • Compex — "Rapid relief of false sciatica and piriformis syndrome in runners"

    Lumbar Strain

    • AANS — "Low Back Strain and Sprain"

    • AAPMR KnowledgeNow — "Lumbar Strain"

    • Medscape — "Lumbosacral Spine Sprain/Strain Injuries Treatment & Management"

    • NCBI PMC — "Integrative rehabilitation in the treatment of lumbosacral muscle strain in elite trampoline athletes: a pilot study"

    • Physiopedia — "Lumbar Strain"

    Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction

    • NCBI PMC — "Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction in Endurance Runners Using Wearable Technology as a Clinical Monitoring Tool: Systematic Review" (2024)

    • NCBI PMC — "Evaluation and Management of Sacroiliac Dysfunction Utilizing an Evidence-Based Algorithmic Approach: A Case Study"

    • ANSSI Wellness — "SI Joint Dysfunction in Athletes: Causes, Prevention & Treatment" (2026)

    • Good Hands Physical Therapy — "SI Joint Dysfunction PT: 8-Week Evidence-Based Exercise Protocol"

    Spondylolysis

    • The Spine Journal — "Management of lumbar spondylolysis in the adolescent athlete: a review of over 200 cases" (2022)

    • NCBI PMC — "Rehabilitation Considerations for Spondylolysis in the Youth Athlete"

    • ScienceDirect — "Immediate functional progression program in adolescent athletes with a spondylolysis"

    • ResearchGate — "Spondylolysis in Young Athletes: An Overview Emphasizing Nonoperative Management"

    • Journal of Contemporary Chiropractic — "Management of Lumbar Spondylolysis in the Adolescent Athlete Using a Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization Paradigm: A Case Report" (2025)