Lower Back Pain ExercisesIn my experience, this is virtually never the case, so exercise therapy usually provides nothing more than a good work out and sometimes, temporary symptomatic relief. Lower Back Pain Exercises / Facts
How many of you have been totally 100% permanently cured of
lower back pain
using exercises alone? Anyone? No, I think not. Maybe a handful with extenuating circumstances… The rest of you are still doing those back exercises hoping that someday the pain will go away and stay away, instead of coming back time after time. Sound familiar? Yeah, I know… Been there, done that myself. Exercise is healthy for the body, but is not a
cure for back pain
in usual cases. Exercise may provide temporary relief for some and exacerbate pain in others. Here’s why… Lower Back Pain Exercises EffectivenessFor patients who experience temporary relief of lower back ache using exercise therapy, the cause of symptoms is often ischemia. Exercise increases regional circulation, providing short term relief from oxygen deprivation back pain, which is one of the most common of all lasting dorsopathy complaints. If a structural issue has been determined to be the source of pain (herniated disc, osteoarthritis, for example), exercise is unlikely to provide this constant temporary relief. This occurrence is helpful in recognizing possible cases of misdiagnosis.After all, try to imagine how else exercise will actually work to treat spinal arthritis or a herniated disc, for example. Will it repair the disc structure and make the nucleus magically go back into the annulus? Will it eliminate bone spurs and rebuild deteriorated synovial capsules in the spinal joints? Nope. Not a chance. For patients whose pain is worsened through exercise, it is more complicated. The first reason may entail an actual structural
spinal abnormality
which is definitely aggravated thorough certain postures or movements. However, many patients with
psychosomatic back pain
also demonstrate a distinctive
physicophobia,
in which they become truly afraid to move or else hurt their backs. In these cases, the pain comes on in response to
fear
and
conditioning,
rather than any anatomical reasoning. Lower Back Pain Exercises AdviceBack exercises, like all forms of exercise, are good for the body, but not effective as a stand alone back pain treatment in the vast majority of patients. My advice is to first beat the pain, then use exercise as a method of keeping your body in good shape. Depending on exercise alone to cure your pain will likely prove to be a disappointment.If it does work for you, then you are extremely lucky or have mistaken coincidental exercise success with the simple passage of time, which often relieves many types of pain by itself. The reasoning for good results may be a muscle imbalance which needed to be corrected or a muscular deficiency issue. In many cases, people will get relief for a few months from exercise, since their dedication works as a fantastic placebo treatment. However, in cases of psychogenic conditions, eventually the symptom imperative becomes too strong and the pain returns. So, the bottom line on exercise therapy is a mixed bag. It is great for you, but maybe not a great treatment, per se. If it works for you without drugs or surgery, then fantastic! You beat the statistical odds for most diagnoses. If it makes things worse, then you are right back to the drawing board. One thing is for sure... If you want to try exercise to treat your lower back pain, you should definitely consider using the services of a qualified fitness trainer, or better yet, a physical therapist. Lower Back Pain Exercises to Back Pain 8/25/10 Revised 1/26/12 |
Sensei Adam Rostocki
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