What is the Best Exercise for Lower Back Pain?
Lower back pain (LBP) is a real BIG DEAL for a lot of people, with close to 80% of people experiencing LBP in their lives. Fortunately, for most it is caused by musculoskeletal conditions and can be readily treated with great success, with the majority of those experiencing lower back pain improving their symptoms within the first 6 weeks. With all the opinion and dogma that gets attached to various exercise types surrounding LBP we thought we would take a little look at the EVIDENCE base to try and get some clarity on what really is the BEST exercise for LBP.
Lower back pain relief.
Marshall et al (1) looked at Pilates in comparison to a stationary bike program over 8 weeks. Interestingly at 8 weeks the Pilates group was performing significantly better than the stationary bike group. At Keilor Road Physiotherapy we utilise our onsite Clinical Pilates and Exercise Studio in the early stages of LBP, following an accurate diagnosis and manual techniques to provide lower back pain relief.
This result was also replicated in another study (2), that took a larger look at core stability exercises versus general exercises for chronic back pain. The authors concluded that core stability training out performed general exercise in the short term.
Lastly, a comprehensive paper (3) found beneficial effects for exercise with SIGNIFICANT effects on lower back pain for both strength/resistance AND coordination/stabilisation programs, similar to what can be found in our Pilates studio. The largest effect size was seen with exercise programs that focused on the WHOLE body which tended to be strength/resistance based. The important take home here is that exercise interventions were deemed more beneficial than other treatments.
Lower back injury treatment.
At Keilor Road Physiotherapy, we believe the best treatment for lower back pain should be well rounded and encompass lots of factors associated with human function rather than trying to find the magic bullet of one type of exercise. A combined approach to lower back injury treatment is most beneficial by incorporating variation in movements, high and low loads and specific and more general components.
Servicing Niddrie, Essendon, Airport West, Keilor & Melbourne’s Northern suburbs for over 40 years, you can book with one of our highly trained expert physiotherapists below or call 93794557 to speak to one of our admin superstars.
Related links
References
(1) Marshall et al. Pilates exercise or stationary cycling for chronic nonspecific low back pain: does it matter? a randomized controlled trial with 6-month follow-up. Spine. 2013 Jul 1;38(15):E952-9.
(2) Xue-Qiang Wang et al. A Meta-Analysis of Core Stability Exercise versus General Exercise for Chronic Low Back Pain. PLoS One. 2012 Dec 17.
(3) Searle et al. Exercise interventions for the treatment of chronic low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Clin Rehabil. 2015 Dec;29(12):115.
Article by
Scott Sanders | Physiotherapist
Scott graduated from a Science Degree before following his passion to become a Physiotherapist at The University of Melbourne, graduating with a Masters of Physiotherapy in 2011. Scott has worked in private practice since as well as working with multiple sports team including AFL, cricket, basketball and hockey.