Running With Back Pain: What to Change in Training This Week

If your back has been barking during or after runs, your first instinct might be to shut everything down. And sometimes that’s necessary — but most of the time, runners don’t need to stop running entirely. What they usually need is a smarter “this week” plan that calms symptoms while keeping fitness intact. Because the real goal isn’t just to get through today’s run — it’s to stop the cycle of flare-ups that keeps resetting your training.

The fastest way to make back pain worse is usually to keep doing the exact same training, especially speed work, hills, and hard efforts. Intensity tends to spike impact forces and bracing demands before easy mileage does, so the first change to make is almost always effort. For the next week, think conversational pace only. No workouts, no hill repeats, no progression runs. Just easy runs that feel like a 3–4 out of 10. If you’re someone who likes structure, tell yourself: “I’m running to finish feeling better than I started.”

Next, use the next-day check as your guide. One of the best rules runners can follow is the 24-hour rule: if a run noticeably increases symptoms later that day or the next morning, it was too much. That doesn’t mean you’re broken — it just means your current dose is too high. A simple starting point is dropping your weekly volume to about 60–80% of normal and shortening your long run. If things still flare, you drop another 10–20%. It’s not forever — it’s just the fastest way to find the amount your back can tolerate right now.

If you’re the type who gets anxious about losing fitness, here’s the good news: you can keep your aerobic base strong by swapping one or two runs for low-impact conditioning. A bike, incline walk, elliptical, or even deep-water running can give you 20–40 minutes of solid cardio without the same loading. For a lot of runners, making that swap for just a week or two is enough to break the flare-up pattern.

You can also get quick results by making small form adjustments. Many runners with back pain are overstriding — reaching too far out in front, creating a braking force that increases stress through the back and hips. For this week, try slightly shortening your stride and gently bumping cadence up a few percent. Nothing dramatic — just enough to feel a little “quicker and lighter” on the feet. If you run hills, be extra cautious on downhills, since they tend to amplify overstriding.

Before each run, give yourself a short warm-up that gets the hips and core “online.” You don’t need a 25-minute routine. Even five or six minutes can help: a minute of relaxed breathing (to reduce bracing tension), a gentle hip flexor opener, a few slow bridges, and a marching drill to cue hip drive. The goal is simple: make sure your hips are doing their job so your back doesn’t have to overwork.

Strength training is another place runners accidentally make things worse. When your back is irritated, the answer usually isn’t “stop lifting” — it’s “stop poking the bear.” For this week, pause heavy deadlifts, high-volume hinging, or anything that spikes symptoms. Keep lower-body work that feels stable and controlled, like split squats, step-ups, sled pushes, or light goblet squats, and add simple “stability builders” like side planks or suitcase carries if they don’t aggravate you. Two short sessions is plenty.

Finally, use a simple decision guide each run: if symptoms are mild (think 3/10 or less) and they don’t increase, you’re good. If it’s moderate but stable, shorten the run and keep it easy. If you feel sharp pain, worsening symptoms, or a big spike the next day, that’s your sign to modify more aggressively — not to “push through.” Pushing through is how runners turn a manageable flare-up into a multi-month problem.

If your back pain is getting worse week to week, if symptoms start traveling down the leg with tingling or numbness, or if you can’t find a run “dose” that stays tolerable, it’s time to get it assessed. The right plan is usually a mix of training adjustments, mechanics, and targeted strength — and once you identify what’s driving the flare-ups, most runners get back to normal training faster than they expect.

If you want help figuring out why running is triggering your back (and what to change first), Momentum Spine and Sport can map out a clear plan based on your mechanics, training load, and what your body is actually doing when you run — so you can keep moving forward without constantly starting over.