Around 70 to 85 percent of adults experience low back pain some time in their lives, according to an article published in 2004 in the journal "Pain" by Sarah Liddle and colleagues. Most will recover within six weeks regardless of treatment. However about 15 percent of them will develop chronic low back pain. Non-surgical treatment for low back pain includes bed rest, pain medications, temporary back braces and injections as well as exercise.
Expert Insight
Liddle and her colleagues reviewed more than 10 year's worth of research into exercise and low back pain. The conclusion they came to is that supervised trunk strengthening exercises, especially of the back extensors, stabilizing exercises and flexibility exercises have better results than other non-surgical treatments. Those who exercised with supervision had better results than those who exercised on their own, suggesting that exercising with a group or a trainer will lead to better results.
Recommendations
For severe pain, bed rest for no more than two or three days may be recommended, according to James Lehrich, author of a 1996 article in the journal "Neurology and Clinical Neurophysiology." By the seventh day of low back pain, patients should try to walk 20 minutes for every 3 hours of bed rest. When they are able to sit comfortably, he recommends starting low-impact aerobics such as speed walking, swimming or bicycling, but advises against high-impact exercises as well as twisting or bending the back.
Good and Bad Activities for Low Back Pain
Walking, bicycling, swimming and cross-country skiing are good activities for people with low back pain. However sports that involve sudden impact, twisting or stress on your back can make your pain worse, including football, soccer, weight lifting, ice hockey and similar activities. Exercises that strain the low back include lifting both straight legs at once, situps with straight legs, toe touches and any backward arching because of the unequal stress they put on the inter-vertebral disks.
Exercises
In a review of research into exercise for low back pain, G. Bronfort of the Northwestern Health Sciences University recommended exercises that strengthen the extensor muscles in the back, such as prone upper body lifts and prone lower body lifts. He also recommended exercises that stabilize the pelvis, working low back, pelvic and abdominal muscles such as curl-ups and pelvic tilts. Finally, he recommends that the workout include exercises to stretch and strengthen the quadratus lumborum and the oblique muscles that together form a girdle around the low back and abdomen, such as lying on your side, supporting your upper body with your bent arm and lifting your hips clear of the floor.
References
- "Pain"; Exercise and Chronic Low Back Pain: What Works?; S.D. Liddle et al.; 2004
- "Neurology and clinical Neurophysiology"; Management of Low Back Pain; James R Lehrich; December 1996
- McKesson Health Solutions: Low Back Pain Exercises; 2003
- University of New Mexico: The Impact of Strength Training on the Back; L. Kravitz, T. Kemerly;
- Northwestern Health Sciences University: Exercise Therapy; G. Bronfort;
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