Physical Therapy Advice: Assessing Different Exercises For Lower Back Strength

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Heard On The Larry Meiller Show

It can be difficult to choose fitness options that are compatible with ongoing physical discomfort. Larry Meiller learns how different exercises, including walking, pilates, yoga, water exercise, and weights, measure up for those dealing with that lower back pain.

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  • UW Health Experts Offer Guide To Understanding, Treating Back Pain

    Lower back pain is an ailment that many people deal with. And according to physical therapist Lori Thein Brody, there’s a physiological reason for that.

    “Our spines were not designed for our upright posture and some of the things that we do,” Brody said. “So, over time, almost everybody … experiences back pain at some point in their life.”

    People also often make different kinds of demands of their back at different times. For instance, at times they need it to be flexible and mobile, while other times they need it to be strong and sturdy. Brody said that if an injury is added to those expectations, back pain will be the result.

    “Either acute, or chronic, or both,” she said.

    Physical therapist Bill Boissonnault said that about four out of five people experience back pain at some point. For a small subset of those people, the condition can progress and result in pressure on a nerve, pain, numbness or weakness that radiates to the legs, or even bowel or bladder changes. For the vast majority, however, episodes of back pain generally resolve in four to six weeks without major intervention.

    With that in mind, here are four key tips from Boissonnault and Thein Brody for dealing with back pain:

    1. Keep moving.

    Barring those serious complications, it is important for someone experiencing back pain to keep active.

    Boissonnault said that when he was studying to become a physical therapist, several days of traction in the hospital was the routine choice for treating back pain. The medical field no longer follows that protocol. In fact, he said, the thinking now is that for most people, “bed rest beyond 24 or 48 hours starts causing more problems than helping.”

    2. Assess pain when exercising.

    It can be difficult to know when discomfort from exercising despite back pain is OK, and when it is a sign of doing too much. Boissonnault said that it is important to assess the type of pain.

    “The kind of pain I don’t want (patients) working through is shooting pain, especially into the leg — pain that is pinching, or sharp in nature,” he said. “In that case, your body’s telling you, ‘This isn’t good for me at the moment.’”

    On the other hand, some stiffness or achiness is to be expected, Boissonnault said, and not cause for concern.

    3. Choose exercise that you enjoy.

    Brody said that studies looking at the best forms of exercise for lower back pain have had mixed results. Some people show better results from doing pilates, for example, while for others, there is not a marked difference.

    Brody said that for her, the key is finding an exercise routine that doesn’t feel like a chore. That can mean exercising in a gym or at home, doing yoga, pilates, walking, or swimming.

    “Sticking with it is really what’s going to get you better in the long run,” she said. “So you need to find something you enjoy.”

    4. Prevent back injury in the first place by staying in shape.

    Boissonnault added that a combination of types of exercise can also be useful to avoid back pain in the first place. He said that research shows that people in the best condition have fewer episodes, and that conditioning is the result of attention to posture, as well as exercises to increase both strength and flexibility.

Episode Credits

  • Larry Meiller Host
  • Judith Siers-Poisson Producer
  • Lori Thein Brody Guest
  • Bill Boissonnault Guest

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