Lower Back Pain and Exercise
Why Exercise?
If you have simple lower back pain exercise may be a helpful way to manage it. The best evidence we have (1 and 2 ) shows that that if you have got back pain then exercise may be helpful if you have had it for more than a few weeks.
How do exercises for low back pain help?
There are lots of different reasons why lower back pain exercise helps varying from direct effects on the spine to more general system wide effects. Read more about how exercise can help back pain here
What types of lower back pain exercise can you do?
Movement or Stretching Exercises
These stretch and move stiff areas of your back. They also lengthen muscles and soft tissues allowing greater movement and often reducing pain.
Strengthening Exercises
These aim to strengthen the muscles that support your spine. A good strengthening programme should include some exercises for your 'core' muscles or 'core stability' work.
Physical Fitness Exercises
If you have back pain then getting fitter is really important. Improving you physical fitness means you increase the blood supply to all the tissues in your body, not just your heart and lungs.This improves your back fitness at the same time.
Other things to think about
Pace yourself
Learn about pacing so you don't 'flare up' the problem
What type of movements take place in your back?
Your spine can move in many different directions - a healthy back is able to move in all these different ways.
How long and how often should I do lower back pain exercise?
I'm often asked this and the honest answer is there is no absolute rule. I generally say 'little and often'. Read this guideline.
When shouldn't you do any lower back pain exercise?
There are lots of different types of lower back pain, but the most common by far, is simple or non specific back pain. 90% of people with back pain have this type of problem, and many will feel much better with exercise.
These less common types of back pain may not be helped by specific exercise or may need more careful supervision.
- If you have a serious back problem
- If you have acute sciatica or a disc bulge some exercises may aggravate the problem
- If you have acute pain - or pain that has lasted only a few days
Specific exercise has not been shown to be helpful in the first few days of an episode of back pain. However, keeping active is the way forward.
There has been some recently published research (2) which has some interesting findings about managing acute back pain and lower back pain exercise.
Lower Back Pain Exercise - Stretching Exercise
Lower Back Pain Toolkit Home Page
Other Online Resources
I am pleased to say that my website is being featured on Wellsphere: Lower Back Exercises. Check it out to see some more information.
Hypnosis and Health - I am really interested in the way our minds affect our well being and health and the strong effect our thoughts and beliefs can have on back pain. If you are struggling to get motivated to exercise this site offers effective Hypnotherapy CDs developed over the years at their clinical practice in London. Hypnosis training, motivational techniques, brain wave training and free practical advice are also available.
References
(2) Hancock, M., Maher, P. C., Latimer, P. J., Prof Andrew, J. M., Cooper, M. C., Prof Richard, O. D., Spindler, M., & McAuley, P. J. "Assessment of diclofenac or spinal manipulative therapy, or both, in addition to recommended first-line treatment for acute low back pain: a randomised controlled trial", The Lancet, vol. 370, p. 1638.
28-Sep-2009
