Exercise for Low Back Pain

Back pain might go away for a while, but you never know when it
will return. Research shows that recurrence rates for low back pain
soar as high as 50% in the 12 months following the initial episode.
And although patients are encouraged to return to normal activities
as soon as possible, many fear that movement or activity will only
make their pain worse.

In July, the British Medical Journal published a study that
evaluated the effectiveness of an exercise program for dealing with
back pain. One hundred and eighty-seven patients with low back pain
of 1-6 months duration were divided into an exercise group or a
control group. The exercise group participated in eight one-hour
classes that included muscle strengthening, stretching, relaxation
techniques and a brief education on back care. The control group
continued under the care of their doctor.

Questionnaires completed six months and one year after the program
revealed that patients in the exercise group reported less back
pain and associated disability than the control group. The exercise
group also took less days off work than the control group in the
12-month follow-up period (378 days by the exercise group vs. 607
days by the control group).

As these results suggest, something can be done about back pain. In
fact, exercise is just one of many potential options available to
back pain sufferers.  A doctor of chiropractic can evaluate you and
outline the most appropriate course of rehabilitation for your
condition.

Moffett JK, Torgerson D, Bell-Syer S, et al. Randomised controlled
trial of exercise for low back pain: clinical outcomes, cost and
preferences. British Medical Journal, July 31, 1999: Vol. 319, No.
7205, pp279-283.