Back Pain Exercises For Strength and Mobility
To relieve back pain and Sciatica there are two main types of exercises available;
- Core exercises to strengthen your core muscles.
- Mobility exercises which, by stretching and relaxing your muscles and mobilising your joints, allow for a looser spine and easier movement.
This article will focus on the exercises we provide our patients:
A good basis for treating lower back pain is rest and regular weight bearing exercise (short walks); but include a lower back pain mobility routine and your recovery will be greatly enhanced. However, the exercises will not only speed up your 
recovery, they will also help in the prevention of future problems by maintaining your spine’s flexibility and suppleness.
By doing these exercises every morning before getting out of bed, you are not only keeping your spine mobile and loose, but also helping your general health. REMEMBER these exercises have been tried and tested by thousands of our patients over the last 20 years and those that do them religiously every morning reap the most benefits: they notice a much reduced level of lower back pain and stiffness.
The exercises have been designed to specifically mobilise the spine gently without putting undue stress on the surrounding tissues and joints and thus helping your spine’s return to normal function.
They should be performed at least four times a day if you have lower back pain and/or sciatica; it is extremely important to do them before getting out of bed every morning as this allows your spine to loosen up before you put and stress on it by standing and so weight bearing. Repeat the exercises throughout the day and after 2-3 days, as the back pain lessens, begin taking regular 5-10 minute walks and spending slightly more time on you feet.
Perform the exercises in numerical order, however be careful to only do them to roughly 70% of full motion to avoid over stretching the damaged tissues. This will, if kept up, restore normal movement as you will notice that tight muscles feel more relaxed, weak muscles strengthened, joint swelling and inflammation is eased and your joints in general feel less stiff. The exercises also increase bloodflow to damaged areas to help with healing.
We believe in a multi-factorial approach to back care at Peverell Chiropractic Clinic because this provides better results.
The execises should be performed rhythmically and if any exercise causes pain or discomfort then it SHOULD NOT BE CONTINUED until a greater level of healing is reached.
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Chiropractic Research and the effectiveness of Chiropractic treatment
The following article is taken directly from the British Chiropractic Association website at:
http://www.chiropractic-uk.co.uk/For-Health-Care-Professionals-Research-12-mi.aspx
A primary health-care profession with statutory regulation
Numerous Chiropractic research studies throughout the world have shown that chiropractic treatment, including manipulative therapy and spinal adjustment, is both safe and effective.
Manual Therapies Back and Neck Service, NHS North East Essex – Department of Health Case Study – published 19 July 2011; NHS North East Essex wanted to provide greater choice, easier access and shorter waiting times for patients suffering back and neck pain and at the same time address the unsustainably high demand on local spinal services.
Patients can now choose from 20 different providers of chiropractic, osteopathy and physiotherapy based throughout the Colchester and Tendering area. There are four chiropractic, five osteopathy and 11 physiotherapy providers to choose from and they all meet NHS standards and agreed prices. Patients are given an appointment within two weeks and receive up to four treatments.
During 2009/10, 2,810 patients used these services and 97% of patients were seen within two weeks of referral.
Providers are working to locally agreed common referral and clinical protocols and whilst there is competition, there is
also cooperation between individual providers and disciplines to ensure service integration for patients.Evaluation after the first 12 months of offering patients a choice of any qualified provider has identified improved patient access and choice meaning early treatment and improved outcomes; and reduced primary care consultations, imaging, medication costs and inappropriate referrals to secondary care. Referrals to spinal surgeons have reduced by more than 25%.
To date this service has seen over 7000 patients.
In 2009, this approach to offering chiropractic, osteopathy and physiotherapy services to treat back and neck conditions was awarded the NHS Alliance ‘Acorn Award’ for alternative therapy.
The full case study can be read here
http://healthandcare.dh.gov.uk/back-and-neck-pain-services/
Bronfort; A report into the effectiveness of manual therapy, as practiced by chiropractors, manipulative physiotherapists and osteopaths for various common musculoskeletal disorders such as back pain and other health problems Effectiveness of Manual Therapies: the UK Evidence Report was published in February 2010. This found evidence that spinal
Plymouth Chiropractor Kevin Kelly says "Chiropractic research is fundamental for Chiropractics continuing growth and development"
manipulation/mobilisation is an effective treatment for acute, subacture and chronic low back pain; migraine and cerviocogenic headache; cervicogenic dizziness; manipulation/mobilisation is effective for several extremity joint conditions; and thoracic manipulation/mobilisation is effective for acute/subacute neck pain. The conclusions were based on the results of systematic reviews of randomised clinical trials, widely accepted and primarily UK and US evidenced-based clinical guidelines, plus the results of all RCTs not yet included in the first three categories.
NICE Guidelines In May 2009, The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published new guidelines to improve the early management of persistent non-specific low back pain. The guidelines recommend what care and advice the NHS should offer to people affected by low back pain. NICE assessed the effectiveness, safety and cost-effectiveness of available treatments and one recommendation is to offer a course of manual therapy, including spinal manipulation, spinal mobilisation and massage. This treatment may be provided by a range of health professionals, including chiropractors as spinal manipulation is part of the package of care that chiropractors can offer.
UK Beam Trial; Back pain, exercise and manipulation (UK BEAM) randomised trial: effectiveness of physical treatments for back pain in primary care. British Medical Journal Nov 2004; 329; 1377 (doi: 10.1136 /bmj. 38282. 669225.AE)
Medical Research Council; ‘Low Back pain of mechanical origin: randomised comparison of Chiropractic from hospital outpatient treatment’; Meade et al.
Medical Research Council (Follow-up-study) Trial ‘Randomised comparison of Chiropractic and hospital outpatient management for low back pain; results from extended follow up’; Meade et al.
RCGP – Clinical Guidelines for the Management of Acute Low Back Pain (1996, 1999, 2001)
Clinical Standards Advisory Group; Backpain Report 1994.
Acute Back Pain – Primary Care Project; The Wiltshire and Bath Health Commission.
Carter JT, Birrell LN (Editors) 2000. Occupational health guidelines for the management of low back pain at work – principal recommendations. Faculty of Occupational Medicine. London. Occupational health guidelines for the management of low back pain at work – leaflet for practitioners. Faculty of Occupational Medicine. London. 2000. Waddell G, Burton AK 2000. Occupational health guidelines for the management of low back pain at work – evidence review. Faculty of Occupational Medicine. London.
Chiropractic Treatment in Workers with Musculoskeletal Complaints; Mark P Blokland DC et al;Journal of the Neuromusculoskeletal System vol 8 No 1, Spring 2000
Musculoskeletal Services Framework – Department of Health July 2006
The main treatment interventions, as recommended by the current evidence review and that of clinical guidelines is a biopsychosocial approach: a) Guidance on activity, lifestyle, prognosis and prevention. b) Physical treatments drawn from all types of manual therapy, spinal manipulation and rehabilitation exercise. c) Advice about pain control, including non-prescription medication. d) Psychosocial interventions aimed at resolving cognitive barriers to recovery.
Non-rigid stabilisation procedures for the treatment of low back pain – National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. June 2006 States that chiropractic intervention can be used in the treatment of acute low back pain.
European guidelines for the management of acute nonspecific low back pain in primary care. 2005 Recommends the consideration of spinal manipulation for patients failing to return to normal activities.
Chiropractic research post by Peverell Chiropractic Clinic
Related articles
- tags: Chiropractic Research, Chiropractic Research data from the British Chiropractic Association, Plymouth Chiropractor
Back pain? Low back pain exercises
There are 2 main two main types of exercises you can do to help to relieve your Lower back pain and Sciatica.
(1) Core exercises to strengthen your core muscles.
(2) Mobility exercises to loosen up your spine by mobilising your joints and stretching and relaxing your muscles.
We are focusing on the mobility exercises we give to our patients in this article:
In conjunction with rest and regular weight bearing exercise (short walks) a specific lower back pain mobility exercise routine performed regularly will greatly enhance your recovery from lower back injury, reducing your lower back pain
and helping to prevent future problems by keeping your spine more supple and flexible.
Also doing these exercises every morning before you get out of bed will generally help to keep your spine mobile and loose. REMEMBER these exercises are tried and tested, we have given them to thousands of patients over the last twenty years, many of these patients religously do these exercises every morning because they have noticed a difference: they have less morning back pain and stiffness.
Primary Chiropractic treatment, ie spinal manipulative therapy is highly effective (hence Chiropractic’s popularity) however we can enhance our patient’s recovery by also providing advice, soft tissue therapy, mobility exercises and core exercises. A lot of chiropractors do use other modalities/treatments as an adjunct to their spinal manipulative therapy. At Peverell Chiropractic Clinic we have found that using a multi-factorial approach to treatment particularly with more serious and more chronic back pain cases does produce slightly better results.
These simple exercises have been designed to gently mobilize the spine aiding it’s return to normal function without
Click at the end of the article to download our clinic's A4 exercise sheet
putting undue stress on the joints and tissues.
If you have lower back pain and/or sciatica perform the exercises at least 4X per day (or as directed). Always do them before you get out of bed to mobilise your spine and loosen it up before you actually put any stress on it when standing
up and weight bearing, then do them every few hours through theday. After the first 2-3 days as the acute back pain diminishes spend more time on your feet, taking regular 5 – 10 minute walks, this will aid in returning your spinal joints and muscles back to normal function.
Perform the exercises in numerical order. Only do the exercises to about 70% of full motion so as not to overstretch the damaged tissues but to gradually restore normal function by: relaxing tight muscles, stretching and strengthening weak muscles, relieving joint inflammation and swelling, increasing bloodflow to aid healing, and reducing joint stiffness. Peverell Chiropractic Clinic 2012.
Do the exercises rhythmically and if any exercise causes discomfort DO NOT CONTINUE WITH IT until your injury has recovered more fully.
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