Exercise and Back Pain

I recently came across a new study which was published in the Physical Therapy journal on back pain. This study compared the results of two groups, one of which received only passive treatments and the other group which exercised with a gradual increase in intensity.

The passive group received treatments consisting of diathermy, ultrasound, electrical stimulation, and laser therapy. This information comes from an article written by physical therapist Bill Hartman and I will add in my own thoughts, as well.

Hartman is not a big believer in these types of modalities. In fact, he stated that he has done only one ultrasound treatment in the last 7 years, and that is because he was ordered to do so. He believes that while heat and ice treatments can help reduce pain, that they don't have a huge impact as far as actually solving the problem.

The exercise group in this study, which lasted for 12 weeks, performed aerobic activity, gradually progressing up to 85% of their max heart rate. This is pretty intense activity. The key is the gradual progression and starting out at a level which was appropriate for each individual. The results showed that the exercise group was able to reduce their pain and disability, while the passive group didn't change at all.

Hmmm, the exercise group achieved success by gradually increasing their movement levels. Sounds like a winner to me. Adding in some basic core strength might have also helped the exercise group. In any case, they reduced pain and increased their ability to function by progressively doing more movement. I think this is the key, gradually increasing your ability to move and then adding in stability and strength training.

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