Search
Close this search box.
Search
Close this search box.
Facebook Youtube Instagram Linkedin Pinterest
Facebook Twitter Youtube Instagram Linkedin Pinterest

How to Know When that Back Pain Warrants a Doctor Visit

EducatorsParents

Back pain can be scary for both an athlete and their caregiver. It often doesn’t have a clearcut reason or explanation, which can feel frightening, and lingering back pain can be frustrating for an athlete who’s in the middle of their season. Often, back pain resolves with simple active recovery, but sometimes, it can be more serious and require medical evaluation and intervention.

Here, Michele LaBotz, TrueSport Expert and sports medicine physician, explains the common causes of adolescent back pain, when caregivers should seek medical treatment for their athlete, and how to help alleviate discomfort at home for less serious situations.

 

Understanding adolescent back pain

“Back pain is common for everyone,” says LaBotz. “Most adults are going to have back pain at some point, and a large percentage of young people will experience back pain at some point as well. But the causes of back pain are often very different in young athletes as compared to adults.”

This difference is incredibly important, she adds. Often, parents will come to her and assume that their athlete is suffering from the same back issues that they are. “There’s often a certain amount of catastrophizing that happens when a parent who has back pain now has an athlete experiencing back pain,” says LaBotz. “But the risk factors and injury patterns for young people are very different than they are for adults, and it’s likely that your athlete is not experiencing the same thing that you are.”

For example, periods of rapid growth make athletes more vulnerable to back pain. The bones grow first, and the muscles, tendons, and connective tissue need time to stretch out. This pattern often leads to tightness in the hip flexors or hamstrings, which puts added strain across the low back. “Each bone in the back has a cartilage growth plate that is not as strong as bone, and can be more prone to injury,” LaBotz explains. “The way kids use their back in sports like gymnastics, where there’s a lot of extension and bending backwards, can make them prone to stress fractures known as spondylolysis.”

Finally, there are acute causes of back pain for young athletes, says LaBotz. “Kids tend to be very ‘all or nothing,'” she says. “That means they’re prone to these highly variable, explosive movements, which can lead to injury or strain.”

 

Seek urgent medical care:

  • Young woman with helmet sitting next to bike and holding their back in pain.If the back pain is associated with a fever.
  • If the back pain wakes your athlete up at night. (Note: This doesn’t mean back pain that makes falling asleep more difficult, or back pain that’s felt upon waking—this is specifically referring to back pain that causes the athlete to wake up from sleep.)
  • If the back pain is severe or associated with numbness, weakness, or tingling in the extremities.
  • If the back pain is causing any incontinence issues. (LaBotz notes young athletes may be embarrassed and not volunteer this information unless asked specifically.)
  • If there is any change in urination (a burning sensation or blood in the urine), as this can be a sign of a kidney stone or kidney infection, which can feel like back pain.
  • If the back pain has lasted for more than a week and doesn’t seem to be improving despite taking the steps below to relieve the pain.

 

How to treat back pain at home

In most cases, treatment for low grade back pain responds well to home treatment.  Assuming your athlete’s back pain doesn’t meet any of the above requirements for seeking medical care, LaBotz states that the following may help ease your athlete’s pain.

  1. Add heat. Hot baths or a heating pad applied to the area experiencing the discomfort can offer immediate relief. Alternating ice and hot packs for 10-15 minutes is another option as well.
  2. Add low-impact movement. Bed rest can actually make recovery slower, LaBotz notes. Instead, focus on active recovery with low intensity activity that does not aggravate the pain, such as walking or swimming. It may be best to skip practice for a few days, especially if the sport your athlete plays requires dynamic movement. Focus on low impact, easy activities.
  3. Consider some soft tissue therapy. If your athlete has a regular physical therapist or massage therapist, you can book a session with them, says LaBotz. But don’t book back-to-back sessions and overdo the soft tissue work, since sometimes, this can do more harm than good. “I wouldn’t pursue that type of treatment for more than a session or two without significant improvement before seeing a doctor,” she says.
  4. Focus on good posture, particularly while seated. Sitting and hunching in front of a screen for most of the day can, of course, exacerbate back issues and cause an athlete (or an adult) to feel even greater discomfort. “Too much sitting is bad. Sitting with bad posture is really, really bad,” says LaBotz.
  5. Try some support. If your athlete is struggling with sitting in school or carrying books between classes due to the discomfort, an elastic back brace may provide some relief, says LaBotz. (These can be found in most pharmacies.)
  6. Use over-the-counter pain medication. Used as directed for two to three days, these can help an athlete’s back pain, says LaBotz. Pain medication may be helpful to relieve symptoms at rest or during a school day, but they should not be used to mask pain in order to return to sport. If the pain persists beyond a couple of days, don’t use pain medication as a long-term solution and do seek medical care.
  7. Look for slow improvement. “The goal is to see ongoing improvement in pain levels,” LaBotz explains. “It will likely not happen overnight, but it should improve over time. If the back pain stays consistent despite following these steps, check in with your athlete’s doctor.”
  8. Have patience. “Trying to speed up the healing process too much can sometimes do more harm than good,” LaBotz adds. “Too often, athletes return to sport too quickly, and re-injury is common when you try to rush the healing timeline.”

__________________________

Takeaway

Back pain is common for adolescents, particularly athletes. Most of the time, active recovery and simple protocols like heat packs and back braces can be used to treat back pain. However, if back pain is sharp and comes on suddenly, or continues for longer than a few days with no improvement, your athlete should see a medical professional.

Related Content

Loading...
1 2 … 20

Join Us

Subscribe
Shop TrueSport
Host TrueSport

TrueSport logo without icon in white.

© 2025 TrueSport | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Sitemap

Goal-Setting Lesson Video Transcript

Hi. I’m Trevon, Trey, Jennifer. Team USA wheelchair basketball player, paralympian, and true sport athlete. Today, I want to talk to you about goal setting. And there are three things that I would like you to know. First, successful athletes set goals and a planned roadmap. Second, goals should be written down, assessed over time, and changed if necessary. And third, goals need to be challenging in order to be worthwhile. As a freshmen at Edinboro University, I was a part of a team that made the national championship game. And at that time I recognized I was the low man on the totem pole, but I felt in my heart that I knew my dreams were so much bigger than winning a national title. I wanted to make Team USA. I knew what achieving my lofty goal was not going to be easy and that I would need to work hard every day.

So, as a reminder, I created a pyramid of goals that I kept right above my bed. This pyramid reminded me of the accomplishments that I was working towards and visually represented my need to create a solid foundation underneath me before reaching the top. In the bottom roll of my pyramid of goals I listed goals such as obtaining my bachelor’s degree, becoming a scholar athlete award recipient, and becoming an All-American. The middle row listed winning a national title and playing for a professional team. And at the top row, the most challenging of them all, I listed becoming a gold medalist for Team USA.

By understanding that there are smaller stepping stones to achieving my ultimate goal of being on Team USA, I was able to stay motivated and to stay focused on completing the smaller stepping stones fully before moving onto the next one. Now I’ll be the first to admit that not every goal that I listed on my pyramid was accomplished, but seeing my goals every day when I went to bed, I was able to push through the days that I felt like doing nothing in hopes of achieving the bigger picture. Remember, create a clear goal roadmap, assess your goals often, and continue to challenge yourself. I hope that you never stopped dreaming big or reaching for the stars. And I look forward to seeing where your roadmap takes you.

Body Image Lesson Video Transcript

Hi, I’m Kara Winger, Olympic javelin thrower, and true sport athlete. Today I want to talk to you about body image and I have three things I’d like you to know. First, healthy thoughts often lead to healthier bodies. Second, there are varying body types and no one’s body is exactly like another. And third, true beauty goes deeper than the skin. As a multi-time Olympian, I’ve experienced a lot of variation and progression in my training. My coaches and I adapt to my training frequently, all with the goal of supporting my long-term success and health in the sport of javelin. I’m talking to you about body image today because sometimes even with the best of intentions and a common goal in mind, the changes you make to your training habits can prove to be detrimental if made for the wrong reasons. In the lead up to the 2012 Olympic trials, I was told in order to improve my performance on the field, I should try to become a leaner, skinnier version of myself.

So I changed my diet. I went along with what I was being told to do, even though I’d had great success at a slightly heavier weight and higher body fat percentage, and became much leaner than ever before. It seemed like a successful change at first, but I didn’t have nearly the results I’d had before. And I believe becoming leaner than my body naturally wanted to be was what caused my ACL to tear. In the end, it cost me heavily going into the 2012 London games. The takeaway for me, and hopefully for you, is that it’s important to know what works for you and your body and to not compare yourself to others. You should do your research and experiment with your diet to find what makes you feel the best, rather than focusing on what you look like. Today, if I feel like having a chocolate chip cookie, I have one, just not every day.

I’ve learned what a properly balanced meal for my body looks like and I recognize food as the fuel that keeps me throwing. I hydrate and allow myself time to recover. And I listen to and communicate with my body so that I can be the best version of myself. In the end, you are in control of how you see, treat, and respond to your body. We only get one and it’s amazing to discover how many things our bodies can do. Be a true sport athlete. Love who you are in this moment and get excited for all the places your body will take you.

A Good Sport Lesson Video Transcript

Hi, I’m Izy Isaksen, Team USA, Modern Pentathlon, Olympian, US Army Sergeant, and True Sport Ambassador. Today, I want to talk to you about being a good sport. There are three things I’d like you to know. First, real winners act the same toward their opponent, whether they win or lose. Second, follow the rules and be a gracious winner and respectful loser. And third, sportsmanship reveals your true character.

I started competing in Modern Pentathlon eight years after my older sister and three-time Olympian, Margaux Isaksen, began competing. I soon realized that people often compared the two of us. I would overhear spectators and teammates asking, “Who’s the better athlete,” and “Who’s going to beat the other.” Instead of letting outside pressures create a negative experience for us, I chose to practice winning and losing with grace and respect. I know that it would have been easy to let our hyper competitive mindset affect our relationship, but instead we decided to support and cheer for each other, regardless of our own performance. My experience of competing against and being compared to my older sister, taught me to focus on how to perform at my best, rather than putting wasted energy into wishing for others to fail.

I believe that sportsmanship reveals true character. So, no matter what situation I encounter during competition, I know it’s important to always treat people with respect and be a good sport. Remember, be a fierce competitor, find grace in all your victories and losses. And I hope to see you out there.

What Kind of Coach Do You Want to Be? Video Transcript

Edwin Moses: You’re a coach. Maybe what you want is very simple, for everyone to just run in the right direction, score for their own team, to try and try again and again. Maybe you want your athletes to become all stars. You want them to earn trophies, medals, win titles. You want them to reach the highest height their sport allows. And wanting all of that, of course, that’s good. But as every great coach discovers, developing a great athlete means nurturing, nurturing the even greater person within. Truth is, you have even more influence than you know.

You have the ability to affect even deeper change, to take what’s in your hands and do something even more extraordinary. You can be both the coach who provides the skills needed to win the game and the coach who helps them learn and succeed beyond the sport, to become all stars wherever they land in the future, and to enjoy their lives more now, because the confidence and courage they find working with you will stay with them when they need it the most. There are games to be won, lives to change. Coaches have the power to do both.

I’m Edwin Moses, and the lessons I’ve learned through sport have challenged me, guided me, and shaped my life forever. What kind of coach do you want to be?

THE SIMPLE TRUTH: DECODING THE SUPPLEMENT INDUSTRY VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

At first glance, dietary supplements look the same. They seem safe and healthy, but just because the label says a product is a dietary supplement, that doesn’t mean it’s safe. Unfortunately, you can’t tell whether a product is safe or not just by looking at the label. Most vitamins, minerals, fish oil, and other supplements containing nutrients are probably just fine, but supplements are not evaluated or approved by FDA before they are sold. Although it is rare for vitamins or minerals to be contaminated with drugs, there has been at least one case of a vitamin containing an anabolic steroid.

At the other extreme are products that contain drugs, stimulants, anabolic steroids, or other hormones. Even though these are not technically dietary supplements, many of them are labeled as supplements. For example, body-building products sometimes contain anabolic steroids or Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators, known as SARMs, or other hormones. Some pre-workout or energy products contain illegal stimulants like DMAA, ephedra, or other amphetamine-like stimulants. Weight loss products might contain prescription drugs like sibutramine, or hormones, like human chorionic gonadotropin, also known as hCG. All natural or herbal sexual enhancement products might contain hormones or Viagra-like drugs. Products like these can harm your health and career, but they’re for sale online, in some nutrition stores, and they’re labeled as dietary supplements.

When you pick up a supplement, especially one that promises performance enhancement, you don’t know if it belongs in the “Mostly O.K.” pile or in the “Dangerous” pile. After all, two products might look the same, but one might contain just amino acids and other legitimate ingredients, while the other also contains anabolic steroids. Because of this, FDA has issued a warning about certain categories of supplements: body building products, weight loss products, and sexual enhancement products. Be extremely careful when considering a supplement in one of these categories. We strongly recommend that you avoid products in these categories.

Even when FDA tests supplements and finds dangerous ingredients, companies sometimes refuse to recall them. Sometimes, they simply repackage their product and continue selling it under a new name. Just because a product is on a store shelf doesn’t mean it is safe. You need to do your research and be an informed consumer. The dietary supplement industry is enormous. Supplements that appear to be safe could actually be dangerous products in disguise. If you use dietary supplements without doing your research, you may be taking serious risks with your health and your career. Please visit USADA’s Supplement 411 for more information about dietary supplements.