Article of the week: Exercise and Low Back Pain

Back Pain Although usually not life-threatening, back pain is one of the most common conditions experienced in America. It is also one of the most frequent complaints that doctors receive and one of the top reasons people give for missing work every year. According to the government's comprehensive report of Americans' health called Health United States 2006, which was released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics, it is estimated that four out of five people will experience recurring back pain at some point in their lives. Additionally, one in four U.S. adults say they suffered a day-long bout of pain in the past month, and one in ten say the pain lasted a year or more. Causes of Back Pain Back pain is different for everyone and it can be caused by a variety of factors such as muscle strains or spasms, ligament problems, other structural problems or underlying illnesses. Therefore it’s hard to pinpoint the exact source of all back pain. However, there are several known risk factors that greatly improve one’s chance of developing back pain, which include obesity, smoking, anxiety or depression, strenuous physical labor and a sedentary lifestyle or working environment. It’s no wonder that back pain is so common given that so many Americans sit at a computer desk for eight or more hours per day! The Role of Exercise Exercise is helpful in both the treatment and prevention of back pain. Any physical activity, but particularly strength and flexibility work, increases muscle tone and supports healthy posture and alignment for reduced pain. Exercise is also beneficial because it promotes weight loss; excess weight is harmful because it increases the strain on the back muscles and produces more pain. Research Studies Back pain? Consider exercise rather than surgery Each year many Americans undergo back surgery in an effort to relieve herniated disk pain and ward off future problems such as neurological deterioration, numbness and even paralysis. However, a recent study of over 1,200 participants at more than 13 U.S. hospitals indicated that in the end, physical therapy may be as effective as invasive surgery in easing back pain. Patients who opted for surgery tended to have more immediate pain relief, but over time both methods had the same overall results.1 Office workers ease neck and shoulder pain with simple exercises Every day, all across the country, millions of workers spend 8 hours a day sitting at a desk in front of a computer. Sitting in the same position with little or no exercise throughout the day can cause headaches, pain and muscle cramping, not to mention a variety of other more severe ailments such as arthritis and carpel tunnel syndrome. Researchers in Italy recently conducted a study on a group of government workers and found that a simple series of exercises and stretches can help ease this pain. For the study researchers followed a group of 192 office workers for eight months. Throughout the study participants performed a series of neck and shoulder exercises every few hours while at the office. In addition, they performed basic relaxation exercises at home daily for 10 to 15 minutes. At the end of the study headache frequency fell by 41 percent. 2 Physical activity reduces back pain in the long run A recent study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine reports that exercise, strength training and physical activity are strong predictors of reduced back pain, The 25-year longitudinal study followed over 1100 people to and measures their physical attributes with tests of strength, flexibility and cardiovascular fitness over the duration of the study. Participants also completed regular surveys about their back pain, neck tension, and other areas of pain. Researchers concluded that flexibility contributes to lower back pain and neck tension. Furthermore, physical activity was significantly associated with a lower risk for recurring back pain in older years.3 Exercise is therapy for back pain Researchers in Ontario, Canada evaluated the efficacy of an in-depth exercise therapy program on 6930 subjects. The outcomes measures were back pain (lower and general), overall function, return-to-work/absenteeism, and other global improvement outcomes. The study researchers were able to conclude that exercise therapy was beneficial, especially to sufferers of moderate back pain sufferers. For chronic sufferers, more intense therapy and medication may be needed.4