Exercise after back pain

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Exercise after back pain

25 July 2007

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For most of us when we get low back pain and don’t lie down to it, the serious discomfort will pass in a few days. But a proportion of people are still in some strife a few weeks down the road. The important thing then is to avoid the back pain becoming long term.

An Australian trial looked at the role of general exercise supervised by a physiotherapist and advice aimed at a steady return to regular activities and found that they both made a significant difference to pain reduction compared to routine care. The exercises were aimed at fitness and increasing tone rather than focussed on the back specifically.

It’s being increasingly recognised that the stability of the back is more than just having strong abdominal or back muscles and that being active has all sorts of benefits including improving your state of mind.

Australian physiotherapists have also pioneered techniques for strengthening what are called your core muscles. These are the ones along the inside of your spine and can be helped by using biofeedback to become more aware of them.

Experienced back physios should be able to help you with this core strengthening.

For reference

Liset HM et al. Physiotherapist directed exercise, advice or both for sub-acute low back pain. Annals of Internal Medicine 2007;146:787-796