Back pain on the right side following sit ups can be excruciating and debilitating, dissuading you from future exercise and making even simple movements like lifting a bag of groceries unbearable. This makes it important to understand why back pain can occur after doing sit ups, and how you can alleviate it.
Symptoms
Back pain on the right side after doing sit ups can range from a mild muscular ache to a lingering stabbing pain. It can appear alone or alongside other symptoms such as tenderness, bruising, redness and skin warmth. In addition, pain can radiate down your legs, limit your flexibility or even prevent you from standing or moving your back. Symptoms can last anywhere from a couple of days to several months or longer.
Causes
Sit ups require the use of the hip flexor muscles, the muscles between the lower back and the thigh bones. You can experience back pain if you overwork or over-tighten the muscles in this area. In addition, doing sit ups on the hard ground can put pressure on the spine, resulting in back pain. You can also strain or sprain ligaments and muscles in the back if you change positions suddenly during sit ups, jerk, or fail to do the exercise in a smooth and slow motion. In addition, conditions such as arthritis, ruptured disks in the spine and skeletal irregularities can trigger back pain after doing sit ups.
Treatment Options
To treat sit up related back pain, take a pain reliever such as acetaminophen or an anti-inflammatory medication like naproxen or ibuprofen. Apply a hot or cold compress to reduce inflammation and pain. Rest your back for about a day before resuming normal exercise and activity. If pain is due to an underlying medication condition, a doctor can prescribe a muscle relaxant, suggest physical therapy or surgically repair the problem.
Considerations
If you experience back pain every time you do sit ups, consider other exercises such as a plank, bridge and standing lift. These types of exercises will help to strengthen your abdominal and core muscles while alleviating back pain. Or, if you prefer sit ups, do them on a stability ball to help put less pressure on your back and provide full range-of-motion during exercise.
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