Jeremy Stockhall & Associates

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Jeremy Stockhall & Associates

Lower Back Pain & Exercise

Lower Back Pain and Exercise -Jeremy Stockhall - Physiotherapist

Lower back pain (LBP) is of the largest causes of disability worldwide!

Approximately 80% of adults will have an experience of LBP at least once in their lives and 40% of these patients will most likely develop chronic low back pain (CLBP) 1. Rest may be the one treatment to choose while experiencing LBP however, movement and exercise has proved to offer acute and long-term pain relief 2. 

Exercise is most beneficial when performed in combination with pain education, manual therapy and when needed, pain medication. This holistic approach may allow for effective and long term treatment of patients suffering from LBP 3.

Lower back pain is commonly described as pain and discomfort, between the lower end of the ribs and above the buttock region, either with or without leg pain 4. Research suggests that LBP is commonly reported in females, along with risk factors including obesity, smoking, sedentary lifestyle, physically strenuous work and overall poor lifestyle practices 5. It is therefore recommended that once the symptoms are recognized, appropriate medical care be pursued.

To prevent reoccurrence of LBP episodes and considering the long-term management of back pain, the following types of exercises are recommended:

Pilates: Pilates techniques aim to train important “core muscles” to improve the tone, strength and flexibility of these muscles to reduce the compression on lumbar vertebrae and lessen the strain placed on the lower back muscles 6. Ultimately strengthening your own “corset” to provide the ultimate lower back support.

Aerobic exercise: Aerobic exercises performed at a minimum of 30 minutes a day such as walking, swimming, cycling etc. has shown improvement in lumbar function (back strength and flexibility). It has also been determined that aerobic exercise combined with strength training has an improvement on disability status, function, and quality of life 7.

Strengthening: Core stability along with hip strengthening exercises have shown to provide relief to LBP. It is suggested to do strengthening exercises 3x a week for 30min for a period of 6 weeks 8.

Hydrotherapy: Hydrotherapy is popular for it’s ability to take weight off a painful joint while also providing resistance, improved muscle strength, flexibility and range of motion of the spine 9. Hydrotherapy is commonly performed at suitable facilities or can be done at the comfort of your own home. 

The recommendation is therefore, that physical activity be part of our daily routine to prevent and manage the disabling effects of lower back pain. For further assessment, treatment and guidance on the most appropriate exercises for LBP, consider visiting your Physiotherapist today!

References

  1. Miyamoto, G.C., Costa, L.O., Galvanin, T. and Cabral, C.M., 2011. The efficacy of the addition of the Pilates method over a minimal intervention in the treatment of chronic nonspecific low back pain: a study protocol of a randomized controlled trial. Journal of chiropractic medicine, 10(4), pp.248-254.
  2. Choi, B.K., Verbeek, J.H., Wai‐San Tam, W. and Jiang, J.Y., 2010. Exercises for prevention of recurrences of low‐back pain. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (1).
  3. Kamper, S.J., Apeldoorn, A.T., Chiarotto, A., Smeets, R.J.E.M., Ostelo, R.W.J.G., Guzman, J. and Van Tulder, M.W., 2015. Multidisciplinary biopsychosocial rehabilitation for chronic low back pain: Cochrane systematic review and meta-analysis. Bmj, 350.
  4. Burton, A.K., Balagué, F., Cardon, G., Eriksen, H.R., Henrotin, Y., Lahad, A., Leclerc, A., Müller, G., Van Der Beek, A.J. and COST B13 Working Group on Guidelines for Prevention in Low Back Pain, 2006. European guidelines for prevention in low back pain: November 2004. European Spine Journal, 15(Suppl 2), p.s136.
  5. Abdullah, I.B., Al-Mutairi, M.M., Alghubayan, M.A., Alamir, A.A., Bu-Jubarah, A.Y., Almajed, N., Al-Moaibed, G., Almubaddil, M.S., Alqahtani, A.M., Alghaith, T.A. and Alabood, S.A., 2020. Literature Review on Prevalence, Risk Factors and, Evaluation of Acute Lower Back Pain. International Journal of Pharmaceutical Research & Allied Sciences, 9(1).
  6. Gladwell, V., Head, S., Haggar, M. and Beneke, R., 2006. Does a program of Pilates improve chronic non-specific low back pain?. Journal of sport rehabilitation, 15(4), pp.338-350.
  7. Lee, J.S. and Kang, S.J., 2016. The effects of strength exercise and walking on lumbar function, pain level, and body composition in chronic back pain patients. Journal of exercise rehabilitation, 12(5), p.463.
  8. Kim, B. and Yim, J., 2020. Core Stability and Hip Exercises Improve Physical Function and Activity in Patients with Non-Specific Low Back Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial. The Tohoku Journal of Experimental Medicine, 251(3), pp.193-206.
  9. Sawant, R.S. and Shinde, S.B., 2019. Effect of hydrotherapy based exercises for chronic nonspecific low back pain. Indian J Physiother Occup Ther, 13(1).

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