Running causes lower back pain

[patiente1]

Hello,
I'm 18 years old, and I started working out in the gym a few months ago. Up until now I haven't done any cardio, except for ski in the gym sometimes.

I'm 5'7 and 176lbs (~80kg), and I've decided that I have to start running and do more cardio.
Today I started running near the beach , and after about a minute I started feeling pain in my lower back.

I never had this problem when I was training on the ski machine(only once, but the pain wasn't so strong) in the gym , or treadmill.
I walked for about half a minute ,then sat down,and continued running, and so on, I kept running and resting for a few minutes because of the pain.
I don't know, maybe it's because it's the first time I'm not running on a straight platform/road.
Eventually I had to stop, because I was feeling pain even as I was walking..

How can I know the exact cause of this pain in my lower back? Do you think I should stop trying to run again?
Is it something serious?

Thank you,

Sincerely,

[patiente1]

I don't have pain down the side of my leg or buttock.
By the way, the pain is gone now. I was feeling pain only when I was running and for a short time afterwards.

I train in the gym almost every day now lately, maybe I just didn't rest enough from the training that I had done the day before (I was doing Back and Biceps), though I doubt that this is the reason..
By the way, I just came back from the gym and I didn't feel any pain in my lower back (or any other area in the back for that matter) during the training.

I checked siatica in wikipedia, it says : "Typically, the symptoms are only felt on one side of the body."  I had the pain in two spot on the lower back , from right side and left.
here's a picture, I felt the pain in the TOP 2 red spots : http://0.tqn.com/w/experts/Physical-Rehabilitation-Medicine-981/2008/09/X.jpg

Thanks,
patiente1

[mkh9]

Hi Patiente1,
Any time you have pain your body is sending a signal to say stop what you are doing. I think you need to see a doctor before going further with your physical conditioning. Do you have pain down the side of your leg or on the buttock? That could be siatica. This is common with runners. But even if it is common you still need to take a break and try walking or something less forceful than running. The fact that you had it to a lesser extent before and now it is worse seems to be an indication of a problem. My husband is a runner and has sciatica pain off and on. He takes Naproxin for a few days and takes it easy until it goes away. Is there anything you could done to injure it? I was a runner and tennis player until I got tendonitis followed by a back injury. So, now I am walking as I have no choice for now. Just because you are 18 doesn't mean you can't get injured.
hope this helps,
mkh9

[patiente1]

I didn't run on the sand. We have this walkway by the beach so...

It's rather tedious running on a treadmill in the gym or other machines. You'd probably agree with me that it's much more fun running on the fresh air , enjoying the scenery..

Perhaps it is the incline of the surface that caused this pain...
I have good running shoes and I have no history of some serious injuries , nor health problems(at least not that I'm aware of).
Could be that my lower back is weak. But if so, then why don't I feel anything when I train on the machines in the gym...?

[clyde97]

i'm no expert, but i'll offer what i can. first of all, if this is not just discomfort and you're pain is severe enough to make you stop repeatedly, i think it's probably a good idea to discontinue running until you have a better understanding of what is causing the pain. did you say you were running on the beach? running on the sand could encourage awkward movements that may strain muscles or jar the skeletal system.....the same is true for very hard surfaces that don't allow the give of a real track.....also, make sure you have the appropriate foot gear for the surface you're running. for example, i use trail runners because i often run in the park....and remember to stretch and warm-up before you run. for now, i'd suggest you continue with cardio machines that offer low or no impact and ease into the running. if the pain continues you should definitely have a dr check you out. if getting to the dr is difficult for you, you might want to talk to a trainer at your gym, who might be familiar with these types of injuries. good luck!