Lower back pain
|
Most physiotherapists and doctors are now aware that exercise is important for rehabilitation of low-back pain symptoms. But what kind of programme produces the best results? A recent study homed in on this issue, with 148 low-back pain patients split into three groups: active physiotherapy, muscle conditioning and low-impact aerobics. Each subject performed his/her prescribed treatment/exercise twice weekly for 12 weeks, after which pain and lumbar mobility were evaluated. Surprisingly, the researchers found that all three groups experienced the same degree of improvement in pain relief, pain frequency and ability to perform daily tasks. And these effects were well maintained for up to nine months after the training programme had ended. This suggests that for chronic low-back pain patients, it is the inactivity itself that is the problem and not specific physiological issues that can be addressed by particular treatments or modes of exercise. The researchers suggest that any exercise programme may have a central brain effect which helps alleviate the pain. Spine, 24(23), pp2435-2448 Flexibility is not related Spinal muscle flexibility is considered important for preventing and treating low-back pain. Now a new study has investigated the impact of therapeutic exercise on chronic low-back pain and spinal flexibility in patients with mild problems. The 86 patients included in the study were divided into three groups: intensive training, home training and no training (control). The training programme lasted for three months and tests were performed at the beginning and end of the training period to assess its immediate effects as well as three and nine months after the end of the programme to determine its long-term benefits. Analysis of the results of this study suggested that spinal flexibility and pain were not related. However, the programme did improve flexibility, and these improvements were lasting in erector spinae but not in hamstrings. The researchers concluded that spinal flexibility improvements are not the priority for patients with mild low-back pain. Physiotherapy Research International, 5(1) pp 46-6 |