Low back pain is the largest cause of disability worldwide and it makes up most of what I see in clinical practice. So for those of you who suffer from low back pain (if you are reading this I imagine you have experienced it!) know that you are not on your own with it. Low back pain affects up to 84% of people at some point in their lives. Unfortunately for 11% of males and 16% of females low back pain ends up being long-term.
It is important to point out that not all low back pain is the same. The majority of cases (95%) of low back pain have no known cause (what we would call non-specific low back pain). If you have seen healthcare professionals or had different tests done only to be told there’s nothing to be found you are not alone. Scans like x-rays or MRIs are actually only recommended if serious pathology is suspected, which make up 1-4% of cases.
When searching the internet for ways to manage low back pain (hello Dr Google!) it can be challenging to find reliable information. To help with this, there are a few best-practice evidence-based clinical guidelines which I will summarise here, namely:
- The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)
- Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN).
The key takeaways from these are:
- Get exercise
One of the main recommendations In both of these guidelines is that exercise should form the basis of all treatments for low back pain. Further treatment is only recommended in addition to exercise.
2. Get advice
While exercising is important, it is also important that you get advice to make sure that it is the exercise most suited to your needs.
3. Type of Exercise
It has been shown that unloaded exercises like pilates, yoga or tai chi are as helpful as resistance exercises. Interestingly however, walking alone is not an effective form of exercise to manage low back pain. Pilates has been shown to be better than minimal intervention and a number of high-quality clinical trials recommend stabilisation exercises, which are included in pilates, for those with long-term low back pain.
4. Provision of Exercise Videos
These guidelines also report that the provision of exercises videos improves the performance accuracy of the exercises.
5. Keep at it!
Exercise performed for more than twelve weeks, in particular, has shown significant reduction in pain intensity and the effect this pain has on the individual’s quality of life.
So, incase you can’t see the point I have been attempting to make with this blog(!), low back pain is a massive problem globally with a huge impact on the individuals experiencing it. There is strong evidence for the use of exercise in the treatment of low back pain and it is recommended in best-practice clinical guidelines.
The take home message: get exercising!!!
Remember: an assessment by a healthcare professional is always recommended before commencing exercising, particularly if you have medical issues or pain.