Lower back pain, even chronic lower back, responds positively to exercise, according to a recent large Cochrane review. For years we knew exercise, physical therapy (PT), and education could could help people recover from acute lower back pain. The effect on exercise on chronic lower back pain was questionable at best until this Cochrane review came out. Despite the positive news, many physical therapists still question what are the best exercises and what other factors are important to recovery.
A fantastic article published from a member of the Chartered Society Physiotherapy in the United Kingdom highlighted the importance of psychology with recovery of chronic lower back pain. The author sites:
69 per cent of participants believed they should take it easy
59 per cent believed any activity that caused pain should be avoided
53 per cent believed the risk of exercise outweighed the benefits
35 per cent believed that bed rest was the mainstay of therapy
Furthermore, he said that that negative language and beliefs about the body, such as describing it as ‘a broken machine’ or suffering from ‘wear and tear’, can affect the outcome of an intervention.
It appears the beliefs and attitudes of a person can have a majority of impact on recovery from lower back pain. It is important to see the recovery from lower back pain as a team effort, with you, your PT, and often family helping you through recovery. Our expert staff have the skills to guide you through exercises and some psychologic tools to guide you through low back to full recovery. In rare cases we use a sports psychologist trained in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to help even more.
Call or mesaage us today for a consult in Naples, Bonita, or Marco Island.