By Chronic low back pain is the leading cause of disability in the country, according to the American Academy of Pain Medicine. They report that over 26 million adults in the country between the ages of 20-64 experience frequent back pain. What’s more, they report that adults with low back pain are often in worse physical and mental health than those without the pain. In fact, 28 percent of adults with low back pain report that they have limited activity due to the chronic pain (1).
That limited physical activity could in fact be helping to make chronic low back pain even worse. In new research published in the January 2016 issue of the Journal of Back and Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation, researchers studied the fear of movement, physical activity, and the quality of life in those with chronic low back pain. What they found is that the fear of movement adversely affected quality of life and limited the physical activity of those patients with chronic low back pain (2).
It turns out, what those with chronic low back pain fear, physical activity, may be exactly what they need in order to find some relief. In a December 2015 study in the Journal of Physical Therapy Science, researchers studied the effects of using exercise to strengthen muscles in order to improve chronic low back pain. They found that using lumbar segmental stabilization exercises and exercises to strengthen the gluteus (the buttock muscles that move the thigh), resulted in a greater decrease in low back pain (3).
Those suffering from chronic low back pain may want to work with a physical therapist to devise a workout plan of exercises that target these specific areas. By overcoming that fear of being physically active, and working to strengthen the low back and gluteus muscles, they may find some pain relief. In addition to pain reduction benefits, the exercise may also help in other areas as well, including helping with overall physical fitness, quality of life, and stress reduction.
Getting physically active is almost always a good idea. When we shy away from it because of chronic low back pain, we may feel as though we are protecting our bodies, when really we are doing more harm. If you have low back pain, and if you are avoiding physical activity out of fear, try to overcome those fears—see a physical therapist, get moving, and see if relief follows.
Sources
- American Academy of Pain Medicine. Facts and Figures on Pain. <http://www.painmed.org/patientcenter/facts_on_pain.aspx>
- Journal of Back and Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation. Investigation of the relationship between kinesiophobia… and chronic low back pain. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26836836>
- Journal of Physical Therapy Science. The effects of gluteus muscle strengthening exercise and lumbar stabilization exercise on lumbar muscle strength and balance in chronic low back pain patients. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26834359>
