Jump to: 5 Ways to Decompress Your Back How to Prevent Back Tightness in the First Place When to See a PT Back pain can seem inevitable: An estimated 80 percent of people will experience it at some point, according to research . And low back pain or tightness is “one of the most common diagnoses that PTs treat,” Carla Foster, PT, DPT , a physical therapist with Mims Method PT in New York City, tells Runner’s World. Fortunately, low back pain may not be as common among runners: A 2020 review of 19 studies, published in the journal BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders , concluded that based on the limited available research, low back pain is less prevalent among runners compared to the general population. Still, runners aren’t immune to it, and many athletes who’ve experienced backaches know they can seriously mess with your training.…