The prevalence of chronic lower back pain has increased more than 100% in the last decade and continue’s to increase dramatically in the ageing population.
For many years the claim that “strengthening your core muscles” and performing exercises that promote “core stability” has been widely accepted as one of the most effective options for people with lower back pain. However more recently these claims have been challenged due to a lack of merit and supportive evidence. The reality is that there are many factors which can contribute to lower back pain and this does
include things like mental health, physical activity levels, sleep and diet. One thing we are confident of is that people with chronic lower back pain need to remain physically active, because long periods of inactivity can negatively affect recovery. Although at this stage it is still unknown as too what form of exercise is best for the management of
lower back pain, we can be confident that general exercises that we enjoy can be beneficial.
Lets provide you with few examples:
1. Walking
Walking is commonly recommended to relieve pain and improve function in people with persistent
lower back pain and this is well supported by evidence.
2. Aquatic Exercise
Water based exercises like swimming and water running and walking can also be very effective for
people with persistent lower back pain. In fact studies demonstrate that water based exercises can
promote an improvement in pain levels, physical function and mental health.
3. Yoga
Yoga is becoming increasingly popular over the past years and there is a good abundance of
evidence that yoga can reduce back pain and disability. The other great thing about yoga is that it
can be done both in a group (via video of course!) or it can be done by yourself at home.
If you would like to find out more about how physiotherapy can help with your lower back pain and
would like an exercise program to help, please feel free to contact us at the clinic. Or call 5578-7155
Chris Pearson
Physiotherapist