Exercise For Low Back Pain

The following information is being disseminated in response to the huge increase in the number of people with low back pain.  The "remedies" on this site, which are primarily exercises, are designed to alleviate back pain and strengthen the back.  They are therapeutic exercises which can be done in conjunction with other traditional or alternative forms of treatment.  (Other alternative treatment options are also reviewed.)  All of the exercises here were designed by an Exercise Physiologist.  The movements are most effective for chronic low back pain.  Acute low back pain that is sudden or the result of an accident should be reviewed by an orthopedic surgeon or health care practitioner.   

Low back pain is the modern day ulcer.  At a recent American College of Sports Medicine workshop, all but 2 people in a room of 200 answered "yes" as to whether they had experienced low back pain.  Low back pain accounts for more time off from work then any other condition. 

Some people have low back pain on a chronic basis and are in a constant state of pain which varies in intensity.  Some causes may include osteoarthritis and disc degeneration.  Other people experience acute back pain which may be the result of an accident such as falling down, a sports related spill or a car accident.  In these cases, the ligaments, tendons and muscles may get strained of pulled.

Pain felt in the back (back pain) is attributed to an impingement on the nerves due to muscle and ligament damage.  It is often accompanied by a tingling sensation running from the low back down the backside into the hip and sometimes all the way down into the foot.  This is sometimes referred to as sciatica.

One of the reasons that low back pain has become so prevalent is inactivity.  People sit for very long periods of time whether it's in their cars or at their desks or just watching TV.  The muscles, tendons and ligaments become weak from inactivity which can eventually lead to low back pain.  When people experience low back pain, they basically want to remain stable to stop the pain.  But this is not the best course of action.  Much of the pain is due to inactivity and movement is often the best way to "treat" back pain.   

There are three types of muscles that are at or around the lower back: the extensors, the flexors and the obliques.  The extensors are on the posterior part of your body which is actually the back of your body.  The flexors are on the anterior or front of your body.  The oblique run up and down the sides of your body.  All of these muscles need to be strengthened and kept strong and flexible in order to keep back pain at bay.

Once again, unless a person is afflicted with acute low back pain, inactivity is usually not the best form of treatment.  There are a variety of treatments for chronic low back pain.  Exercises which include strengthening and stretching the muscles will go a long way to prevent low back pain and ease it's symptoms after the acute phase is over.  When a person experiences low back pain, the muscles are usually in spasm and squeezing on the surrounding nerves.  It's the nerves that transmit the sensation of pain.  The exercises on this site will help to both strengthen and relax the muscles in the back in order to ease the muscle spasms.  The use of therapeutic breathing and guided visualization (a modified form of biofeedback) has also been reported to be very helpful in relieving back pain.  These methods will be demonstrated in detail here.

Other forms of treatment that can help relieve back pain are acupuncture, chiropractic and massage.  These are all alternative forms of treatment and any confusion my be cleared up by a qualified health care practitioner or doctor.