Squash Can Be Very Hard On Your Back If You Don’t Take Care

Squash is an indoor racquet sport, played by two or four players in a four-walled court with a small, hollow rubber ball. It can be a fast-moving sport that provides an excellent cardiovascular workout.  Although you need a partner to play squash, there are many squash centers and clubs that offer friendly tournaments and games where you can meet and compete with other squash players. Squash is a game you can play at any age. The rules are simple and any person can learn it quickly. The game suits a person regardless of size. It can be played for leisure or a competitive sport.

In squash, a player uses a lot more energy than most other sports. Squash helps to:

• Improve cardiovascular health, as you are running, leaping and diving for the ball
• Increase strength and fitness
• Increase stamina
• Maintain a healthy weight
• Increase flexibility and strength of your back
• Promote good coordination, agility, and flexibility
• Build hand-eye coordination.

Even though squash is easy to play for anybody, play it wrong and you can expose yourself to injury. Every game requires a quick pace, fast reflexes, and quick a bit of sprinting, turning, and jumping a confined space. If you play with the wrong technique, or sprint, stop, pivot or practice any repetitive arm movements, you invite a number of lower and upper limb injuries. Back injuries and pain are the most common, due to the stooping motions required to reach low balls.

Back Pain Symptoms

Typical back pain symptoms include:

• Localized back pain, with no radiation into your buttock or leg.
• Back muscle tenderness and/or spasm.
• Protective back stiffness.
• Sudden back pain onset.

In more serious cases, you will experience

• pins and needles (paresthesia),
• numbness (anesthesia),
• leg muscle weakness,
• altered reflexes,
• difficulty walking,
• loss of control of bladder or bowels.

Solutions for Back Pain

Most physical therapy programs are designed to treat low back pain and include a combination of numerous exercises and stretches, which include:

Back stretch

– Lie on your back, hands above your head.
– Bend your knees and roll them slowly to one side while keeping your feet on the floor.
– Hold for 10 seconds.
– Repeat 3 times on each side.

Deep Lunge

– Kneel on one knee, the other foot in front.
– Facing forwards, lift the back knee up. Hold for 5 seconds.
– Repeat 3 times on each side.

One-leg stand (front)

– Holding onto something for support if needed, bend one leg up behind you.
– Hold for 5 seconds.
– Repeat 3 times on each side.

Pelvic tilt

– Lie down with your knees bent.
– Tighten your stomach muscles and flatten your back against the floor.
– Hold for 5 seconds.
– Repeat 5 times.

If the idea of exercising regularly doesn’t excite you, one of the simplest methods to prevent back pain is by following a simple pre-game warm-up routine.

If you think there is no difference despite warming up and taking other precautions, contact your local physiotherapist for help. Members of the In Home Therapy team can come to your home or office to provide support.